‘Successor’ Claims Fifth Consecutive Weekend Win

Chinese family comedy-drama, “Successor,” held strong at the top of the mainland China box office for the fifth consecutive week while “Deadpool & Wolverine” slipped out of the top five in its third weekend.

“Successor” garnered RMB 179 million ($25.2 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Since its release on July 16, the film has amassed a total of $420 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in China and the biggest film of the summer season. Its latest weekend victory was a narrow one.

In second place, Ruyi Films’ “Upstream” earned $23.4 million over its opening weekend and even snagged the top spot on Friday’s daily chart. With previews included, the film has a cumulative total of $25.8 million. Directed by Xu Zheng and Tong Zhi-jian, the drama tells the inspiring story of a former tech industry executive who reinvents himself as a food delivery person after losing his job.

Another newcomer, Lightchaser Animation’s “White Snake: Afloat,” earned $19.3 million in just two days, starting from a Saturday release.

Previously second-place “Decoded” slipped to fourth, earning $7.3 million for a cumulative total of $40.8 million since its release on August 3.

Dirty Monkey’s “Land of Broken Hearts” earned $6.9 million in a two-day opening session. The romantic comedy-drama, produced by veteran Ning Hao and directed by Wen Shipao, tells the story of a man who believes he is trapped inside a movie but discovers love after the mysterious arrival and disappearance of a woman.

Other data providers estimate that “Deadpool & Wolverine” made $4.09 million with a cumulative total of $55.4 million. This places it among the stronger Hollywood titles of the year, surpassing the $44 million earned by “Despicable Me 4,” which was the biggest imported title of July.

Artisan Gateway reports that the latest weekend gross box office across China was $93.5 million. This expands the running total for the year to $4.35 billion, which is 19% behind the same point last year.

The firm indicated that July’s box office was soft, totaling $758 million. Despite being the second biggest month of the year, it was still 45% weaker than July of the previous year. The summer season has seen the flop of several star-driven local movies, including “Customs Frontline,” “A Legend,” and “The Traveller.”