20th Century’s murder mystery Death on the Nile, the first Hollywood studio release to set sail in China in over a month, is already sinking.
The Kenneth Branagh film opened Saturday and came in fourth place for the weekend with $5.9 million, earning just $3.9 million on its first day and $2 million on Sunday.
Holdover Chinese blockbuster Battle of Lake Changjin 2, meanwhile, earned $19.8 million for the frame, taking its three-week total to $589.2 million, while fellow holdover Chinese New Year hits Too Cool to Kill and Nice View added $17.4 million and $11.3 million, respectively, according to Artisan Gateway data.
Death on the Nile made a subdued $12.9 million start stateside a week earlier over Super Bowl weekend. So far, it has totaled $25.9 million domestically and $75.8. million globally. The film cost a reported $90 million to make.
Death on the Nile‘s flop in China is reflected in its poor social scores among local viewers. The film has earned ratings of 8/10 on Maoyan, 7.9 on Taopiaopiao and 6.1 on Douban. All of the major Chinese titles still on release have user scores of 9 or higher on the major ticketing platforms.
Woody Allen’s troubled 2018 romantic comedy A Rainy Day in New York is getting a surprise release in China on Friday. But Hollywood will have to wait for the March 14 release of Tom Holland’s Uncharted and the March 18 release of The Batman to get a clearer sense of Chinese consumers’ current appetite for U.S. tentpole product.
China’s total box office revenue so far in 2022 is currently $1.99 billion, down 6.8 percent from the same period in 2021.
