China Box Office: Local Titles Beat ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Debut as Business Stays Sluggish

Local content is proving more of a draw than Hollywood films as China’s cinemas get back on their feet.

Chinese drama “Enigma of Arrival” quashed “Dolittle” and “Jojo Rabbit” to take the top spot in theaters’ second weekend back in business, while a local animation bested the whimpering China debut of Paramount’s “Sonic-the-Hedgehog-2020-movie-posters/”>Sonic the Hedgehog.”The $87 million-budgeted “Sonic” broke records in its February premiere stateside, attaining the highest opening figures for a video game movie adaptation to date with an estimated $57 million three-day debut.

In China, it opened with just $1.27 million, according to leading Chinese data tracker Ent Group.

Debuting months after its U.S.

release, the film is understood to have already been widely pirated by those keen to see it.Around 7,099 cinemas — roughly 65% of China’s national total — were back in action across the country as of Saturday, an increase of 379 from the day before, according to Chinese reports.

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