Imax Swings to Loss, But Points to Box Office Recovery in China and Japan

Warner Bros/Legendary’s Godzilla Vs Kong will slug it out in 38 offshore markets this weekend beginning Wednesday in such hubs as Mexico, Taiwan, Indonesdia and India; followed by Russia, Korea and Australia among others on Thursday and China notably on Friday. The Adam Wingard-directed pic is releasing abroad ahead of domestic which falls on March 31 day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max.

James Cameron's Avatar again dominated China'sbox office over the weekend, adding $14.1 million to its record as the world's top-grossing film of all time. Over the past 10 days, the 2009 blockbuster has earned $41 million on rerelease, lifting its career total in China to $250.2 million.

Rebecca Davis editorJames Cameron’s “Avatar” once again led the China box office this weekend, with sales of $14 million over the three-day period.The 2009 film has held its own as the top title every day since its March 12 re-release in China. It has grossed a total of $44 million so far, ten days into its re-run.

Refresh for latest…: James Cameron’s Avatar held the top spot at the global and international box office this weekend with $14.1M in China for the Friday-Sunday frame. The 2009 sci-fi epic re-released in the Middle Kingdom last weekend — when it reclaimed the title of all-time highest-grossing movie worldwide from Avengers: Endgame — and now counts an overseas cume of $2,073.2M for $2,833.7M global (all releases included).

subtitled trailer for “Demon Slayer – The Movie” above.Also Read: 'Avatar' Overtakes 'Avengers: Endgame' as Highest Grossing Movie Ever After China Re-ReleaseAniplex of America and Funimation are handling the North American distribution plans.“Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train” is directed by Haruo Sotozaki and features an original story by Koyoharu Gotoge with a screenplay and animation production by studio ufotable.

Japanese box office phenomenon Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train has been set for a North American theatrical release on April 23. Aniplex of America and Funimation are distributing the anime adaptation which in December became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, dethroning Spirited Away, which had held the title for 19 years. Check out a subtitled trailer below.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent“Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time,” the fourth film in the Rebuild of Evangelion sci-fi anime series created and co-directed by Anno Hideaki, has earned $30.6 million from 2.2 million admissions in its first week on release, according to distributor figures released on Monday.Bowing on March 8 on 466 screens, the film has grabbed 45% more at the box office than the third “Rebuild of Evangelion” film, “Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo,” which had a

Refresh for latest…: As we first reported yesterday, James Cameron’s Avatar is again king of the all-time worldwide box office, having snapped the title back from Avengers: Endgame thanks to a very robust China reissue this session. The full three-day frame in the Middle Kingdom is estimated at $21.1M, also giving the sci-fi epic bragging rights to being the weekend’s global and international box office leader. The overseas gross is now an estimated $2,050.3M with $2,810.8M worldwide.

Sorry, Avengers. James Cameron's 2009 epic blockbuster Avatar has passed up Marvel's 2019 superhero extravaganza Avengers: Endgame to once again rule as the top-grossing film of all time at the global box office, not adjusted for inflation.

Well, the box office has barely been building back up, and yet we have some major news. This weekend, the all-time global box office champion is about to change again.

Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Avengers Endgame, have graciously saluted James Cameron’s film Avatar for edging past them in the all-time worldwide box office totals.

As has been expected over the past few days, James Cameron’s Avatar has swapped places with Avengers: Endgame, reclaiming the title of highest-grossing movie ever worldwide. The China reissue of the 2009 3D sci-fi phenomenon had taken an estimated RMB 58M ($8.9M) through 5PM local time on Saturday after re-releasing on Friday in the market.

Vadim Perelman's modestly budgeted holocaust drama Persian Lessons has been set for release in China on March 19 — in the shadow of James Cameron's surpriseAvatar re-release. The well-regarded Belarusian-Russian film will pose a test of China's market for emotionally potent foreign indie filmmaking, which had been growing steadily before the disastrous onset of the pandemic.

Scoring another record with a local title in Japan, IMAX has had its best opening day ever for a film there with Shin Evangelion. Overall, the movie, which is the fourth and final installment in the Rebuild Of Evangelion series, grossed nearly 828M yen ($7.6M). Of that, the IMAX portion was $740K.

Rebecca Davis editorFive competitive local titles have announced as of Monday that they will be vying for box office supremacy in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, a public holiday.They include a long-anticipated video game adaptation, an omnibus pandemic film helmed by three different female big shots from China, Hong Kong and the U.S., a sleek Aaron Kwok-starring thriller, a TV series adaptation and the first title from helmer Li Yu not to star the now-disgraced Fan Bingbing in 14

Hollywood filmmaking is off to a sorry start in 2021 in China's huge theatrical market. Following the fourth-place debut of Warner Bros.' Tom and Jerry a week ago, Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon opened in third place over the weekend, taking in just $8.4 million.

Rebecca Davis editorDespite its emphasis on Asian representation and Southeast Asian themes, Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” failed to soar in China, coming in third with just $8.4 million, according to Maoyan data.

Refresh for latest…: Disney’s Raya And The Last Dragon didn’t exactly come roaring out of the gate at the international box office with $17.6M from 32 markets. The global bow, including domestic’s launch, was $26.2M. Double-digit million-dollar debuts for Hollywood movies in the pandemic era are still a rare positive — and we’ve certainly seen family movies excel — but while not all openings are apples-to-apples, Raya’s start is being seen as a somewhat muted affair.

Imax sales slumped last quarter but beat Wall Street estimates and it swung to a loss. The stock popped in late trading as the company highlighted a strong box office in China and Japan, upbeat outlook and continued sales of its big-screen systems despite the pandemic.

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros’ hybrid live-action/animated feature Tom & Jerry began offshore rollout in mid-February, and this session became the first studio title to hit China in the wake of the Lunar New Year, as well as adding a host of other new markets. The Hanna-Barbera rascals scampered off with a further $19.4M from 33 markets at the international box office in the session, which made for a global $33.1M weekend including domestic‘s strong start.