With Furious 7’s dominance at the box office finally starting to fade, nine new films enter cinemas for a crowded Labour Day holiday weekend as the market looks to bounce back with a domestic hit.
Although mainland interest in Hong Kong productions has waned in recent years, directors Lok Man Leung and Kim-ching Luk will try to repeat the performance of their 2012 action flick Cold War, which grossed over $40 million, with their second joint effort, Helios. The doomsday thriller is being praised for its strong action scenes and technical level and boasts an impressive pan-asian cast in Jacky Cheung (July Rhapsody), Nick Cheung (Unbeatable) Choi Si-won (Dragon Blade), and Zhang Zhen (Happy Together).
Four new romance pics try to squeeze into an already crowded playing field with last weekend’s second place finisher--The Left Ear: Murmur of the Hearts, Silent Separation, Follow Me My Queen and Zhen Bian Ren.
Murmur of the Hearts is a holdover from two weeks ago and may have lost some of its heat after it was postponed trying to avoid Furious 7’s hot ticket. Despite garnering the best Word-of-Mouth according to EntGroup’s EFMT Index, the artsy film’s methodical narrative and leaps in editing may have trouble attracting a mainstream audience this weekend.
However, Silent Separation will do some damage at the box office. Following a trend seen the past few weeks, this youthful pic is based on a novel of the same name and was also adapted into a TV series before hitting the big screen. It’s built-in fan base could come out in droves to support the young good-looking cast of Dong Dawei, Huang Xiaoming and real-life girlfriend Yang Mi (Angelababy). EntGroup’s EFMT Index gives Silent Separation the highest marks for Awareness and Intent-to-Purchase this weekend.
Other new films include Sixth Generation director Wang Xiaoshuai’s Red Amnesia which was in contention at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, rom-com Lovers & Movies, local Chongqing pic Port of Call, and the rendering of China’s venerable Chairman Mao as a poorly animated 3D character in Teenage Mao ZeDong.
In a field oversaturated with youthful romance pics, we see Helios as a big draw this weekend, but Silent Separation and The Left Ear could pull in decent totals as well. Furious 7 won’t put up the same staggering numbers as it has the past three weekends, but it will still place in the top 5, and Home should have strong legs considering it’s the only family friendly pic out there this holiday weekend.
Jonathan Papish of Boxoffice.com contributed to this article.
Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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.
For more information, please visit: http://english.entgroup.com.cn/enbase.html or contact
Leon (President) Tel: 86-10-85899985-813 E-mail: leon@entgroup.cn;
Amy (Vice President) Tel: 86-10-85899985-847 E-mail: amy@entgroup.cn
