Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, June 3 (Xinhua) — Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Final Payback” topped China’s box office during the Duanwu holiday, with box office revenue of the American action film exceeding 190 million yuan (about $26.44 million) as of 9 p.m. Monday, June 2, accounting for a significant share of the 457 million yuan total domestic box office for the holiday, according to data from Maoyan.
From May 31 to June 2, China celebrated Duanwu, or the Dragon Boat Festival, which this year coincided with International Children’s Day /June 1/. The results of the film distribution for this period exceeded expectations – for comparison, last year’s figure was 383 million yuan. Analysts attributed the high figure to the combined effect of the double holiday and the appeal of familiar classics.
“Mission: Impossible – Final Payback” opened in Chinese theaters on May 30, the day before the Duanwu Festival, and quickly took first place. By the evening of June 2, the film had already grossed a total of 228 million yuan in China.
“The results of the film distribution during the past holidays this year exceeded expectations and were a pleasant surprise,” said Maoyan analyst Lai Li. “On June 1, Children’s Day, the total ticket sales in the country exceeded 200 million yuan – this is not only the maximum for this day in the last five years, but also the first time the 200 million mark has been surpassed in 84 days,” he said.
In turn, Beacon analyst Chen Jin cited classic works as the basis for this success. Along with the eighth installment of the Mission: Impossible film franchise, the Japanese anime Doraemon has also secured a major success at the Chinese box office: on the ticketing platform Taopiaopiao, the new installment of this series received the highest rating in the history of the franchise – 9.6 out of 10.
The favorable trend may continue into the summer, Lai Li believes. “The better-than-expected results of the Duanwu Festival helped revive the market and provide an early boost for the upcoming summer season,” he said. “We hope that the temperature will not drop and the box office will continue to deliver good results.”
The head of the China Film Critics Association, Zhao Shuguang, also praised the results of the film distribution, which, according to him, gives confidence to Chinese filmmakers. “Regardless of time and place, confidence is more valuable than gold,” he noted.
The impressive box office performance of “Final Payback” shows that Tom Cruise still has strong appeal and influence in China’s film industry, Zhao Shuguang said, calling international films, including Hollywood films, “an important and useful addition to the Chinese film market” and “an integral part of China’s deeper and higher opening up in the film field.” Competition with international films, he stressed, can help improve the quality of Chinese films and ensure their sustainable and long-term growth.
The Mission: Impossible franchise has always done well at the Chinese box office. The previous film, 2023’s Deadly Reckoning, grossed $48.75 million in China, or 8.5 percent of its global total. The first seven installments of the franchise have grossed $487 million in China, or about 11.6 percent of its $4.2 billion worldwide, according to data from the Mojo platform.
The top-grossing films during the Duanwu Festival, according to Maoyan data, also included Japan’s “Doraemon: Tales from Nobita’s Art World” (67 million yuan), China’s “Endless Journey of Love” (63 million yuan), Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” (51 million yuan), and China’s crime thriller “Behind the Shadows” (38 million yuan). -0-