‘Tenet’ China Release Set For September 4; ‘Inception’ Reissue To Hit A Week Prior

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorAfter pulling in $33.5M across five days of previews at the Chinese box office, local war epic The Eight Hundred overwhelmingly stormed theaters today, its first official day of release. Adding roughly $20M across the country on Friday — the biggest single-day box office since cinemas resumed operations — the Middle Kingdom cume is now north of $53M.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: Love You Forever, the upcoming Chinese romance which is currently tracking at the top of the pre-sales chart in China ahead of its August 25 release, will also be heading into UK cinemas on the same date.Trinity Cine Asia is handling the release. According to the distributor, Love You Forever is number one in pre-sales in China right now ahead of Chinese Valentine’s Day next week (Qixi Festival).

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorSony and Tencent’s Oscar-nominated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood has been cleared for China and will open there on Sept. 18.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTom Hanks-starring drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” will join a thickening crowd of local and international films heading for Chinese movie theaters in the next six weeks.The film, about beloved U.S. TV host Mr.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorIt’s not so much mischief managed as it’s magic managed: Warner Bros’ reissue of Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone has become the second film in the franchise to cross $1B worldwide. The film, originally released in 2001, counts a global cume of $1,001,260,000 after debuting in a remastered 4K 3D version in China this weekend.

Harry Potter is enjoying a new from the top.

Rebecca Davis editorPeter Chan’s hotly anticipated biographical sports drama “Leap” is set to hit China on Sept. 30, becoming the first of the Chinese New Year blockbusters canceled due to COVID-19 to set a theatrical outing.Local animation “Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification,” which was also originally scheduled to premiere over the lunar new year, will premiere the day after.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorHarry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone worked some magic in China on Friday with Warner Bros’ 3D reissue conjuring $4.6M. This is by far the biggesst single-day gross since cinemas resumed operations, overtaking the opening of WB’s earlier re-release of Chirstopher Nolan’s Interstellar by 66% (though that film bowed on a Sunday).

Rebecca Davis editorSome moviegoers feel China’s exhibition sector has been unfairly targeted by prolonged closures and excessive COVID-19 prevention measures, Variety found in a WeChat-based survey of cinema patrons.Survey respondents, who participated on the condition of anonymity, felt the protective measures required of cinemas helped to lower the risk of movie-going, but that the exhibition sector had been subject to overly cautious treatment.The vast majority of the 36 respondents —

We’ve said it time and time again, the release of “Mulan” in Chinese theaters is probably more important than the release in North America. With a story steeped in China’s folklore and starring an entirely Asian cast, it’s clear that Disney intended for its live-action “Mulan” remake to be a big hit in Asia.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese war action film “The Eight Hundred” will open in theaters in North America, Australia and New Zealand at the end of the month, a week after it becomes the biggest local film this year to open in Chinese cinemas..Handled by Huayi Bros., the controversial film will release in China on Aug. 28.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterMulan may be eschewing cinemas in most of the world, but audiences in China will be able to watch the film on the big screen, Disney revealed today.Posting on its Weibo account, the studio confirmed that the film had been cleared for release in the Middle Kingdom, writing that “the magnolia blossoms live up to expectations and come as promised” and “the theater is about to bloom”.No release date was confirmed.

Rebecca Davis editorDisney confirmed Monday that its live-action “Mulan” has been approved to release in Chinese cinemas “soon,” making China the most significant territory where the film will receive a theatrical outing. It has not yet been granted an official release date in the Middle Kingdom.The U.S.

TikTok is a relatively new social platform compared to the other giants, but that hasn’t stopped its stars from bringing in the big dollars.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterSony has secured a China release for Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-winning Little Women, with the film set to bow in the Middle Kingdom on August 25.The movie, a re-telling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel starring Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen as the March sisters, alongside Timothée Chalamet, has been a hit in international markets, grossing north of $100M since it rolled out in January.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineChristopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic “Tenet” will launch in Chinese theaters on Sept. 4.The movie, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, is expected to be the first major Hollywood release since the pandemic forced cinemas to close in the country starting in January.The studio got approval last week to debut “Tenet” in China, signaling a reversal in reopening guideline from the National Film Bureau.

It has been a long wait for Christoper Nolan but it seems like TENET is finally going to debut on the big screen. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has delayed the release of TENET across the world but the film is going ahead with international releases in countries that are safe for theatres to reopen.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorWhile Universal’s Dolittle and Warner Bros’ reissue of Interstellar were the big kahunas in China this weekend, Russell Crowe-starrer Unhinged hit the road in 19 new markets over the session. Among them, the UK, Australia, Netherlands and New Zealand where the Solstice Studios pic was No.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefDelayed by over a year for mysterious political reasons, epic Chinese war film “The Eight Hundred” has finally locked down a date for release in theaters.It will open in conventional and Imax cinemas in China from Aug. 21, making it one of the first outings for a high-profile local film since Chinese cinemas hesitantly returned to operation in late July.The $80 million film was produced by Huayi Brothers and is directed by Guan Hu (Mister Six”).