‘F9’ Races to $162 Million Opening Overseas as Global Blockbusters Return

EXCLUSIVE: Just ahead of the North American and China releases of Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway — and with World Food Day coming up in October — the film has joined forces with the United Nations, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Foundation to enlist more food heroes who, like the eponymous bunny, see the value in fruits and vegetables for a balanced diet and a healthier planet. Check out the new PSA below.   

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent“F9,” the latest installment of Universal’s action-packed “Fast & Furious” franchise, is the teased “planetary blockbuster” heading to the Cannes Film Festival, Variety has learned.Starring Vin Diesel, John Cena and Michelle Rodriguez, the highly anticipated movie is already a major international B.O. milestone, having grossed over $250 million worldwide, including $203 million in China (as of June 6).

Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s “Cruella” strut into China on Sunday with a $1.78 million opening day, coming in sixth in a slow weekend behind reigning box office champ “F9,” according to data from Maoyan.Day one China figures for “Cruella” were less than a fourth of the $7.7 million the film grossed on its May 28 opening day in North America, where it premiered in theaters and on Disney Plus via a $30 fee.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“F9,” the latest installment in Universal’s high octane franchise, has crossed a major box office milestone internationally.The film, starring Vin Diesel, John Cena and Michelle Rodriguez, surpassed the $250 million mark overseas, including a huge $203 million in China.Of course, “F9” carries a massive production budget and will require outsized global ticket sales to turn a profit.

This total is slightly above the series-low opening for the eight-film “Conjuring” franchise, which was $20 million for the 2019 spinoff “Annabelle Comes Home.” Produced on a $39 million budget, the horror film is on its way to turning a solid profit for Warner Bros.

Andrea Bocelli was joined on stage this week by his son Matteo as the pair performed for dinner guests in Milan.

K.J. Yossman “Money Heist” fans will have the opportunity to join the gang and carry out their own heists as Netflix and entertainment discovery platform Fever team up for an immersive themed experience in countries across the globe.Based on the hit Spanish series, which is also known as “La Casa de Papel”, “Money Heist: The Experience” is coming to cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris this summer.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIconic Chinese indie film director Jia Zhangke is to make a return to the Pingyao International Film Festival that he founded and which he famously quit at the end of the October 2020 edition. His new role remains somewhat murky.Jia was a speaker at a launch event Tuesday in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, used to announce the festival’s dates, the appointment of Lin Xudong as artistic director, and confirm other staffing arrangements for the next edition.

Refresh for latest…: It was a busy weekend at global turnstiles, with a particularly noisy start for Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II. The John Krasinski-helmed sequel came out shouting with a $22M overseas debut in just 12 markets for a worldwide opening of $70.4M including the three-day $48.4M North American haul.

Endeavor has agreed to acquire China-based sports digital agency Mailman Group, according to a report today in Sports Business.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefEndeavor China, part of talent, sports and media agency Endeavor, is poised to acquire the Chinese firm Mailman Group.The Shanghai-based Mailman is a sports digital agency that covers strategy and marketing, content production, management of social media accounts, influencer marketing, sponsorship activation, PR and communications.The transaction is reported to be valued at $60 million and will be effected through Endeavor China, according to Sports Business,

Alyssa Milano is sending a strong message about COVID-19 in her new PSA for The Creative Coalition, advocating for everyone to get vaccinated and opening up about her own experience with the disease.

Naman Ramachandran In today’s Global Bulletin, Cannes creche returns; Andrei Konchalovsky to deliver Russian Key Buyers Event keynote; European Film Promotion elects board; drama series “The Holiday” sets lead cast; Canada opens women talent development initiatives; and Chinese blockbuster “The Eight Hundred” to premiere at Udine.The Cannes Marché du Film and Parenting at Film Festivals are back with their daycare creche initiative Le Ballon Rouge, which was a success when introduced in

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“F9” roared into the lead at the China box office, where the “Fast and Furious” franchise has repeatedly lapped faster than in North America.On its first weekend in China the film grossed $137 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.That gave it an 83% share of the China weekend box office, a market share figure that was notably stable from its Friday lights out.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“F9” has the international box office sizzling.The latest installment in Universal’s testosterone-fueled franchise kicked off with a massive $162.4 million in eight markets, including China, Korea and Hong Kong.

As a result, “F9” is the first Hollywood blockbuster since “Avengers: Endgame” to post a $100 million-plus opening in China, and has earned the largest global opening for a Hollywood film since the start of the pandemic. The film has also opened in Korea ($7.7 million), Russia ($6.4 million), Hong Kong ($2.2 million), and the Middle East ($5.5 million), scoring the strongest pandemic-era opening weekends in all those markets.

Rebecca Davis editorChina’s Dalian Wanda Group has dumped almost all of its remaining holdings in AMC Entertainment for $426 million, bringing its stake down to just 0.002%, according to a Friday regulatory filing.Since last Thursday, it has sold off 30.4 million of its AMC shares, leaving it now just 10,000 shares,The development marks the conglomerate’s latest move to shed overseas assets and retrench in China, a process begun in recent years after it came under scrutiny from Chinese