Two female-skewing films—“Cinderella” and “My Brilliant Life”—are the strongest out of four newcomers opening in Chinese theaters this week. They’ll try to topple “Jupiter Ascending”, the current champ.
According to EntGroup’s EFMT Marketing Index, “Cinderella” boasts the highest awareness level and intent to purchase level of any of the new releases. The film’s impressive ensemble seems to be the biggest selling point, with Cate Blanchett standing out in her role as the Evil Stepmother. “Frozen” and “Maleficent” both fell just shy of $50 million in China, and “Cinderella” could easily surpass that thanks to the popularity and familiarity of the story.
"My Brilliant Life" could be another successful import from South Korea. The drama focuses on a young family whose son suffers from progeria, a rare decease that causes people with it to appear much older than they are. According to the EFMT Index, “My Brilliant Life” has the strongest word of mouth, which is due in large part to star “Hyekyo Song” (The Grandmaster). If this film takes off, it could lead to more family dramas in the market.
Expectations are modest for two homegrown titles: “Love of the Sea Islander”, a romance that will likely be stifled by the crowded market place, and “Nowhere To Run”, a thriller that isn’t strong enough to reverse the poor performance of recent films in that genre such as “Tales of Mystery” and “The Mystery of Death”.
Phil Contrino, Vice President/Chief Analyst of Boxoffice.com contributed to this article.
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About EntGroup
EntGroup Consulting is the leading research and consulting company focusing on China’s entertainment industry. A member of ComInsight Information Alliance Group, EntGroup focuses on providing data and information, conducting market research, industry research, consulting, and organizing media conferences. We serve a wide range of clients in areas of film, TV, new media, entertainment marketing and animation.
EntGroup also operates an online portal for the entertainment industry— http://english.entgroup.cn
About EBOT
EBOT EntGroup Box Office Tracker is a database focusing on the entertainment industry. Created and managed by China's leading entertainment industry research institute, EntGroup, it provides statistics and analysis on film and TV industries, as well as insight on market trends and consumer behaviors. It is an essential tool for entertainment investors, financiers, film production companies, distributors and advertisers. EBOT integrates Box Office data and analysis, moviegoer surveys, advertising insight, buzz tracking and industry research reports.
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