Dismal for Disney: first big China live-action co-production bombs at box office despite its A-list cast
The Dreaming Man, starring Chen Bo-lin and Jelly Lin Yun, was previewed at Cannes and given big billing when it opened in China, but screenings were quickly cut back when the romantic comedy didn’t find an audience
Carnivalesque. All-conquering. Cash-spinning. These are all words one could use to describe Disney, especially now the conglomerate is to become Hollywood’s biggest player with its takeover of the 20th Century Fox film studio. And the numbers bear this out.
Up to mid-December Disney and Fox combined had a 31.4 per cent share of US box office takings in 2017 – a percentage bound to rise further with the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Meanwhile, in China, Coco is Disney’s buzzword of the month. The Pixar-produced animated film has grossed 900 million yuan (US$136 million) in its first three weeks on release there. This concludes a triumphant year for the Mouse House in China, adding to the whopping 3.8 billion yuan in box office sales for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Beauty and the Beast, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Cars 3.
