China Box Office: ‘Michael’ Claims Top Spot During Another Sluggish Weekend

Universal’s biographical drama “Michael” topped the China box office during the weekend of April 24–26, earning RMB 32.6 million (approximately $4.8 million). The film’s strong debut helped it become the highest-grossing movie worldwide for the period, with a global total of $217.3 million, according to Comscore. Despite “Michael”’s success, the overall Chinese box office remained sluggish, with total weekend grosses reaching only $16 million as audiences awaited the May Day holiday releases. Following “Michael,” the local drama “It’s OK” held onto second place in its fourth weekend, adding $1.7 million to reach a cumulative $26.8 million. The film stars Wen Qi and Qin Hailu and explores the life upheavals faced by a young woman. In third place, the horror-thriller “The Caged Butterfly” earned $1.5 million, pushing its total to $13.1 million. Set in the eerie Butterfly Mansion villa, the film features a physiotherapy therapist and a schemer caught in a deadly supernatural game involving a mysterious woman and a distorted boy. Other notable performers included Columbia Pictures’ science-fiction epic “Project Hail Mary,” which remained in the top five during its sixth weekend with $1.3 million, totaling $39.1 million. Universal’s animated “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” rounded out the top five with $1.2 million, bringing its total to $18.7 million. The subdued box office activity reflects a broader trend of declining cinema revenues in mainland China, where year-to-date earnings have dropped nearly 50% compared to the same period last year, standing at $1.89 billion. The current downturn highlights ongoing challenges for the Chinese film market amid shifting audience behaviors and competition from streaming platforms. Industry watchers are closely monitoring the upcoming May Day holiday slate, which is expected to reinvigorate ticket sales and provide a clearer picture of the market’s recovery trajectory.