China Dates ‘Dolittle’, ‘Bloodshot’ In July & Sets Roster Of Classic Titles As Cinemas Prepare To Reopen

Rebecca Davis editorLocal content is proving more of a draw than Hollywood films as China’s cinemas get back on their feet.

Rebecca Davis editorA portion of Chinese cinemas have been ordered to program an intermission for films that exceed two hours as a coronavirus prevention measure, Chinese reports said Friday. The requirement will affect a number of upcoming Hollywood films that run over 120 minutes, including a re-run of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” set to hit screens on Sunday, as well as “Ford V Ferrari,” which will Aug.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorChina’s second Friday with cinemas back to business in low-risk areas rang up another $4M at local turnstiles, a 39% increase versus the same day last week. About 60% of movie theaters are now operating, with capacity limits and social distancing still in place, so all numbers are to be taken with a grain of salt, though they are encouraging.

Rebecca Davis editorRobert Downey Jr.’s family film “Dolittle” and Sony’s thriller “Bloodshot” led China’s first opening weekend at the box office since the coronavirus outbreak, a sign that new titles sell better than re-runs of beloved classics. Five out of the top 10 films this weekend were Hollywood titles.China began reopening theaters in regions deemed at low risk for COVID-19 on Monday.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorOn their first Friday back to operations, Chinese cinemas did roughly $2.92M worth of box office business — more than tripling Thursday’s figures and making a sizable jump from Monday when theaters opened to about $501K in low-risk areas across the country.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese cinephiles are getting an early taste of what life may look under the continued reign of coronavirus: a series of sudden shutdowns with no clear end date in hotspots to contain the disease’s spread.China’s cinemas began to slowly reopen on Monday after nearly six months of coronavirus-imposed closures.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorWith some of China’s cinemas reopened this week in low-risk areas, and as tomorrow sees Beijing get partially back to business as well, box office has continued to rise. As of 11:30PM tonight local time, Thursday’s takings hit $940K, according to ticketing service Maoyan.

Rebecca Davis editorA trio of Hollywood titles previously approved for China announced Thursday that they are set to hit the big screen now that cinemas are kicking back into gear.“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” in 3D and 4K restorations, will screen in China starting Aug. 14 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorAs expected, Chinese authorities have given the go-ahead for cinemas in Beijing to reopen this coming Friday. That’s also when the first new Hollywood titles will hit the market, including Dolittle and Bloodshot.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorEXCLUSIVE: Lots of movement on the international box office front this past weekend, and into the beginning of the week. Korean zombie sequel Peninsula, as we reported Sunday, made a meal of five overseas markets with a $21M Wednesday-Sunday frame.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorAs Chinese cinemas began the reopening process today, box office crossed $472K by 8PM local. Maoyan’s real-time ticketing platform reports that play is led by new entry A First Farewell at around $184K.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina reopened the doors of its cinemas on Monday, after nearly five months of closure. But audiences only trickled in.The re-opening was restricted to theaters in cities and regions where the coronavirus is deemed to have been vanquished.

Action pic Bloodshot and adventure epic Dolittle will open in China on July 24, becoming the first Hollywood movies to play there since theaters closed in late January amid the coronavirus pandemic. Oscar winner 1917 will open in the world's second-largest moviegoing market a week later.

Rebecca Davis editor“The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Dolittle” and “Bloodshot” are the first confirmed foreign films to hit Chinese cinemas next week as a portion of venues in low-risk regions reopen starting Monday.China’s cinemas have been closed for longer than any other country’s, having stayed dark — despite a brief attempt to reopen in March — since the lunar new year holiday in late January.“Happyness” will be the first of the Hollywood titles to screen, starting from day one of reopenings

It’s true. After months of lockdown and at least one failed reopening attempt, some cinemas in China are expected to reopen later this month.

As cinemas in China look to reopen on Monday amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Imax Corp. has signed a 20-theater deal with Chinese industry giant Wanda Film Co.

Cinemas in China, the world's second-biggest theatrical film market, were given the official greenlight Thursday to resume business beginning July 20. The China Film Administration put out the notice around midday in Beijing, sparking instant celebration throughout the country's filmmaking community.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorImax China has expanded its decade long partership with Wanda Film Co.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorBREAKING: Those theaters in low risk areas in China “can resume business in an orderly manner” as early as Monday, July 20, the China Film Administration announced in a recent notice.There were rumblings in foreign distribution that China would start reopening on this date, however, sources weren’t so sure whether that meant simply that the Shanghai Film Festival would take place at this time (and thus, movie theaters would reopen).