In a Chinese box office contest that pitched Wong Kar-wai against Jackie Chan and Zhang Yimou, new releases “See You Tomorrow” and “Railroad Tigers” debuted ahead of holdover "The Great Wall.” But with big name credentials and large numbers of screens for each, these three were the only serious contenders at the top of the Christmas weekend edition of the Chinese chart.
With as many as 80,000 screenings per day, “See You Tomorrow” (previously known in English as The Ferryman”) earned $40 million in three days, according to data from Ent Group. Produced by Wong Kar-wai and backed by Alibaba Pictures Group, the upmarket romantic comedy boasts a starry cast including Tony Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Eason Chan and Angelababy.
The latest attempt by Jackie Chan to ease into a more dramatic role, albeit a nationalistic, Chinese versus oppressive Japanese oppressors, one, “Railroad Tigers” took second place with a three-day gross of $30.3 million. It benefited from some 60,000 screenings per day.
"The Great Wall,” the Zhang Yimou-directed popcorn movie saw its screen count plummet as the two newcomers vied for exhibition space. It managed $26.1 million in its second weekend from just under 50,000 screenings per day. That represents a 61% drop compered with its opening weekend of $66 million (including previews). Its per screen average was superior to "Railroad Tigers.” And after 10 days on release “Great Wall” has climbed to a cumulative total of $120 million.
A long way behind, “Hacksaw Ridge” added $4.28 million in fourth place. That gives it a 16 day cumulative of $41.1 million.
"Moana” took fifth spot with $1.68 million. After a long run of 31 days, it has a cumulative $30.3 million.
Fellow holdover, “The Wasted Times” slipped to sixth. It added $1.18 million in its second weekend for a 10-day total of $15.2 million.
Record-breaking Japanese animation, “Your Name” scored $980,000 in its fourth weekend. That lifted its total to $80.5 million after 24 days.
"I.T.,” the Pierce Brosnan and Anna Friel-starring crime drama, opened with $550,000 in ninth spot.