Romulus Scores High in Hollywood

“Alien: Romulus” has become Hollywood's second-biggest film of the year at the mainland China box office after a strong second weekend.

According to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, the film has grossed RMB140 million ($19.7 million) between Friday and Sunday in China. This compares favorably with the $26.2 million it earned in its opening weekend and gives it a cumulative total of RMB523 million ($73.7 million) since its release on August 16.

Among Hollywood imports in 2024, the running total is beaten only by China-backed “Godzilla v Kong,” which took in $134 million.

In less than two weeks, Alien has surpassed a group of other Hollywood franchises and the $50 million ceiling under which most of them were stuck. Kung Fu Panda 4 made $52 million in China. Despicable Me 4 made $56 million. Dune 2 made $49.7 million. Inside Out 2 made $48 million.

According to Imax, the film took in $2.75 million in weekend box office. Ten days later, Alien Romulus took in $11.6 million in big-screen box office, about 16 percent of the Chinese total.

The second film is a light drama directed by Gu Changwei, “The Hedgehog.” It is a story of friendship between a rebellious, stuttering teenager and his mentally handicapped uncle. Significantly, the film stars the hugely popular Ge You (“Let the Bullets Fly” “If You Are the One”) and Karry Wang (real name Wang Junkai), a member of the boy band TFBoys (alongside Jackson Yee and Roy Wang). The film grossed RMB 74.4 million ($105 million).

Chinese film “The Intouchables” grossed 73.4 million yuan ($10.3 million). The crime drama directed by Wang Daqing stars Shen Teng, Zhang Yuqi and Jack Kao.

Chinese crime drama “Go for Broke” slipped to fourth place in its second weekend, taking in $7.1 million from Friday to Sunday. A story about revenge against a group of drug traffickers, the film has earned $33.4 million in its 10-day run.

Japanese anime film “Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram” also earned $4.8 million in its second weekend in China. Ten days later, it racked up $29.2 million.

Local data sources show that Thai hit comedy-drama “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” opened outside the top five and with an estimated three-day score of $4.4 million.

Artisan Gateway reports that the domestic box office total came in at $70.8 million for the weekend. That brings the year-to-date total to $4.62 billion. That’s more than 21% below the equivalent figure in 2023.