The Batman is a pretty stunning success for Warner Bros, with the film recently hitting the $500 million milestone worldwide after only two weeks in release. However, while it’s a major hit everywhere, it seems The Batman is not a hit in China, with THR reporting that the box office predicted to reach about $33 million its first weekend. This is a far cry from the blockbuster numbers Hollywood imports were boasting just a few years ago. THR pins the blame on a new COVID outbreak that’s shut down cinemas in some of the biggest cities.
Another reason, which will undoubtedly prove to be more concerning for studios eager to rake in those China dollars, is that the local appetite for American movies has cooled, with fewer American movies hitting screens. Notably, five Marvel movies have been denied release in China for a myriad of political reasons. Until recently, China was considered an all-important market, with many films being tailored (or censored) for China release. One notable recent example was Top Gun: Maverick, with Tom Cruise’s character having his jacket changed to remove the Taiwanese and Japanese flags that adorned a patch in the 1986 original. It may have all been for nothing though, with only two recent American releases, Godzilla vs Kong and F9 crossing the $100 million mark, and even those grosses were a far cry from where they used to be. F9 grossed $231 million in China, which seems like a huge number, but The Fate of the Furious, by comparison, made close to $400 million.
The Batman seems unlikely to cross any significant box office milestones in China. Nevertheless, the film is a blockbuster everywhere else, which is quite something for a three-hour, ultra-dark take on the character. No doubt Warner Bros are thrilled that Batman remains a sure thing at the box office.
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