So looks like it could beat 2012 afterall!

China National Day box office

Ticket sales of 50 million yuan ($7.5 million) over the holiday pushed "Inception" up to a China gross of 400 million, making it only the fourth import ever to pass the $60 million mark.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... 4e25cb08f3

Did Detective Dee hold well? I hope so!

P.S.: OH MY GOD!!!!! I ALREADY CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Jet Li back under Tsui Hark's direction, now that's some news:
http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/li-tsui-re ... on-picture

Yeah it did and already passed 200m yuan.

Actuals for the week before last week (9/27 - 10/3):

1. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame（狄仁杰之通天帝国） 118m ($17.64m) New 42,936 3,537,170 118m ($17.64m)
2. Inception（盗梦空间） 40.7m ($6.08m) -39.3% 20,998 1,179,710 395.35m ($58.56m)
3. Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen（精武风云·陈真） 32.5m ($4.86m) -60.4% 31,730 991,458 114.5m ($17.09m)
4. Reign of Assassins（剑雨） 31m ($4.63m) New 25,941 950,045 31m ($4.63m)
5. The Love of the Hawthorn Tree（山楂树之恋） 25.7m ($3.84m) -46.5% 23,155 780,680 118.7m ($17.71m)
6. Die Jagd nach dem Schatz der Nibelungen（查理曼帝国密码） 3.1m ($0.46m) New 3,174 107,044 3.1m ($0.46m)
7. The Sorcerer's Apprentice（魔法师的学徒） 2.4m ($0.36m) -77.1% 3,962 87,623 58.9m ($8.74m)
8. Hu Wang Gui Lai（虎王归来） 1.75m ($0.26m) -16.7% 2,887 77,951 3.85m ($0.67m)
9. Shrek Forever After（怪物史莱克4） 0.67m ($0.10m) +3.1% 694 21,364 90.09m ($13.3m)
10. Track Aduowan（举起手来2） 0.38m ($0.057m) -76.3% 588 17,134 8.26m ($1.22m)

According to entgroup, Detective Dee passed 220m yuan, and Inception grossed another 44.4m yuan last week. I will wait for the figures from qq.com since entgroup has had different set of numbers the last several weeks (although the difference is small), but look like Inception is set to pass 2012 and quite possibly $70m.

good news as inception has exceeded your best case scenario.

Yeah, the holds have been sensational in the face of competitions. It was rumored that China Film Group was going to pull it from theaters after 10/10, and now the run has been extended through at least the end of the month.

So what is the new best case scenario. Can it make 500M yuan.

Possible, but I'd still say not likely considering how films normally drop post holiday. Thinking 480-490m yuan at the moment.

Every holdover dropped hard post-holiday, A lot of new films, but the biggest one, Wall Street 2, only managed 14m yuan. It was a very quiet week overall. Inception dropped 73% to 10.7m, and the total gross stood at 446.05m yuan. Passing 2012 is no sure thing yet, and the maximum looks to be around 470m at this point.

10/4 - 10:

1. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame（狄仁杰之通天帝国） 100.6m ($15.04m) -14.7% 55,674 3,033,775 218.6m ($32.68m)
2. Inception（盗梦空间） 40m ($5.98m) -1.7% 20,155 1,171,646 435.35m ($64.54m)
3. Reign of Assassins（剑雨） 24m ($3.59m) -22.6% 21,687 726,392 55m ($8.22m)
4. Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen（精武风云·陈真） 18.4m ($2.75m) -43.4% 19,772 565,110 132.9m ($19.84m)
5. The Love of the Hawthorn Tree（山楂树之恋） 18m ($2.69m) -30.0% 17,347 544,959 136.7m ($20.40m)
6. Die Jagd nach dem Schatz der Nibelungen（查理曼帝国密码） 5m ($0.75m) +61.3% 6,197 174,825 8.1m ($1.21m)
7. Love on Lushan Mountian 2010（庐山恋2010） 3.1m ($0.46m) New 6,954 111,832 3.1m ($0.46m)
8. The Sorcerer's Apprentice（魔法师的学徒） 1.38m ($0.21m) -42.5% 1,933 51,782 60.28m ($8.95m)
9. Pandemic（感染列岛） 1.17m ($0.17m) New 2,852 40,846 1.17m ($0.17m)
10. Hu Wang Gui Lai（虎王归来） 1.1m ($0.16m) -37.1% 2,347 47,291 4.95m ($0.74m)

10/11 - 17:

1. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame（狄仁杰之通天帝国） 34m ($5.12m) -66.2% 32,024 1,017,354 252.6m ($37.80m)
2. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps（华尔街2：金钱永不眠） 14m ($2.11m) New 10,818 418,410 14m ($2.11m)
3. Don Quixote（唐吉可德） 12m ($1.81m) New 8,852 295,057 12m ($1.81m)
4. Inception（盗梦空间） 10.7m ($1.61m) -73.3% 10,730 319,593 446.05m ($66.15m)
5. The Island（绝命岛） 8.7m ($1.31m) New 12,938 296,725 8.7m ($1.31m)
6. Reign of Assassins（剑雨） 7.7m ($1.16m) -67.9% 11,370 238,970 62.7m ($8.22m)
7. The Love of the Hawthorn Tree（山楂树之恋） 4.9m ($0.74m) -72.8% 8,145 150,908 141.6m ($21.14m)
8. Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen（精武风云·陈真） 3.6m ($0.54m) -80.4% 7,568 110,735 136.5m ($20.38m)
9. Jerry Cotton（悍将双雄） 3.4m ($0.51m) New 7,355 115,803 3.4m ($0.51m)
10. Virtual Recall（异空危情） 1.2m ($0.18m) New 2,259 45,420 1.2m ($0.18m)

(Note: The Island is a new Chinese film and not to be confused with Michael Bay's one.)

Another quiet week. 10/18 - 24:

1. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame（狄仁杰之通天帝国） 22m ($3.30m) -35.3% 26,040 668,286 274.6m ($41.10m)
3. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps（华尔街2：金钱永不眠） 18.7m ($2.81m) +33.6% 22,876 575,207 32.7m ($4.92m)
3. Don Quixote（唐吉可德） 15m ($2.25m) +25.0% 18,288 383,729 27m ($4.06m)
4. Inception（盗梦空间） 6.3m ($0.95m) -41.1% 6,132 196,875 452.35m ($67.10m)
5. The Island（绝命岛） 5.5m ($0.83m) -38.9% 10,165 183,014 14.5m ($2.18m)
6. Perfect Wedding（完美嫁衣） 5.2m ($0.78m) New 6,789 163,060 5.2m ($0.78m)
7. Ai Qing Wei Xiu Zhan（爱情维修站） 3.7m ($0.56m) New 7,207 127,806 3.7m ($0.56m)
8. Reign of Assassins（剑雨） 3.3m ($0.50m) -57.1% 6,091 106,348 66.0m ($8.72m)
9. The Love of the Hawthorn Tree（山楂树之恋） 2.7m ($0.41m) -44.9% 5,659 84,454 144.3m ($21.55m)
10. L'arnacoeur（芳心终结者） 2.05m ($0.31m) New 5,687 69,680 2.05m ($0.31m)

So happy for Detective Dee and Tsui! Can't wait to see this one, and can't wait for his reunion with Jet Lee!!!!

10/25 - 31:

1. Wind Blast（西风烈）- 27m ($4.04m) New 21,683 818,926 27m ($4.04m)
2. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame（狄仁杰之通天帝国）- 11m ($1.65m) -50% 15,630 340,768 285.6m ($42.75m)
3. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps（华尔街2：金钱永不眠）- 9.6m ($1.44m) -48.7% 12,915 294,659 42.3m ($6.36m)
4. Battle for Terra（塔拉星球之战）- 7.8m ($1.17m) New 11,121 208,723 7.8m ($1.17m)
5. Lost in Panic Room（密室之不可告人）- 6.59m ($0.99m) New 6,896 213,324 6.59m ($0.99m)
6. Perfect Wedding（完美嫁衣）- 6.5m ($0.97m) +25.0% 11,680 218,047 11.7m ($1.75m)
7. Don Quixote（唐吉可德）- 4.8m ($0.72m) -68.0% 6,568 120,754 32m ($4.8m)
8. Inception（盗梦空间）- 4.3m ($0.64m) -31.7% 4,652 137,688 456.65m ($67.74m)
9. Ai Qing Wei Xiu Zhan（爱情维修站）- 3m ($0.45m) -18.9% 8,052 109,649 6.7m ($1.01m)
10. My Ex-Wife's Wedding（跟我的前妻谈恋爱）- 2.9m ($0.43m) +61.1% 8,065 104,129 4.7m ($0.70m)

Hollywood films being released in November:

11/9 - Unstoppable
11/12 - Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
11/16 - Resident Evil: Afterlife
11/19 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Hmm, Inception should just barely edge past 2012.

Any recent updates?

Sorry forgot to update the previous week. It was a pretty weak frame, and Inception dropped out of the chart, so not much was interesting.

This past week Unstoppable got about 30m yuan, and the other data will be available tomorrow.

11/1 - 7:

1. Wind Blast（西风烈）- 25m ($3.75m) -7.41% 31,018 763,591 52m ($7.79m)
2. Lost in Panic Room（密室之不可告人）- 10.5m ($1.58m) +61.5% 15,618 352,230 17m ($2.55m)
3. My Sassy Girl 2（我的野蛮女友2）- 7.7m ($1.16m) New 8,168 247,349 7.7m ($1.16m)
4. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps（华尔街2：金钱永不眠）- 5.2m ($0.78m) -45.8% 7,147 150,943 47.5m ($7.14m)
5. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame（狄仁杰之通天帝国）- 4.9m ($0.74m) -55.5% 7,171 145,920 290.5m ($43.49m)
6. Kong Fu Wing Chun（功夫咏春）- 4.8m ($0.72m) New 10,839 162,875 4.8m ($0.72m)
7. Battle for Terra（塔拉星球之战）- 4.6m ($0.69m) -41.0% 7,666 124,762 12.4m ($1.86m)
8. Perfect Wedding（完美嫁衣）- 2.9m ($0.44m) -55.4% 5,566 97,087 14.6m ($2.19m)
9. Don Quixote（唐吉可德）- 1.75m ($0.26m) -63.5% 2,955 44,871 34m ($5.1m)
10. Xin Kang Ding Qing Ge（康定情歌）- 1.55m ($0.23m) New 3,859 52,048 1.55m ($0.23m)

11/8 - 14:

1. Unstoppable（危情时速）- 42m ($6.33m) New 33,564 1,358,344 42m ($6.33m)
2. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole（猫头鹰王国：守卫者传奇）- 14m ($2.11m) New 9,646 340,384 14m ($2.11m)
3. Wind Blast（西风烈）- 9m ($1.36m) -64.0% 16,186 278,121 61m ($9.15m)
4. Color Me Love（爱出色）- 8.2m ($1.24m) New 13,068 274,064 8.2m ($1.24m)
5. My Sassy Girl 2（我的野蛮女友2）- 8m ($1.21m) +3.9% 13,524 268,997 15.7m ($2.37m)
6. Lost in Panic Room（密室之不可告人）- 4m ($0.60m) -61.9% 7,957 133,689 21m ($3.15m)
7. Love Tactics（爱情36计）- 3.8m ($0.57m) New 8,226 133,689/td> 3.8m ($0.57m)
8. Xin Kang Ding Qing Ge（康定情歌）- 2.2m ($0.33m) +37.5% 5,346 83,364 3.8m ($0.57m)
9. Kong Fu Wing Chun（功夫咏春）- 1.1m ($0.17m) -77.6% 2,567 36,089 6m ($0.9m)
10. Battle for Terra（塔拉星球之战）- 0.95m ($0.14m) -79.3% 2,333 28,164 13.4m ($2.01m)

I haven't really followed this thread at all, so a question:

How quickly is the Chinese market expanding? The Inception number is really impressive. Is it likely that China might emerge as the biggest overseas market in the the next few years, having a couple of 100+ million grossing movies every year (in dollars)?

It's pretty much growing at 50% a year. I can't remember what this year was on track for, I think it was around $1.5b. Which would mean it would have a shot at taking the #1 spot for overseas markets next year...though not for Hollywood movies alone.

Yeah, the goal is to reach 10b yuan (around $1.5b) this year, but the slow Oct and Nov after Independence holiday have made the goal a little more difficult. Also this year is unique in that it had Avatar, and I don't expect to see another film getting close to that level, domestic or foreign release, until probably Avatar 2, so the growth next year won't be as big, although the number of films which breaks 300m yuan total should definitely be larger.

xia how would you rate the opening of Unstoppable and what is the WOM there (if any idea). Expected legs as well please. Here (Singpaore/Malaysia) the WOM seems to be surprisingly great.

The WOM is pretty decent. However, two problems for its legs: 1) it opened on Tuesday, so the 42m yuan was for 6 days; 2) Resident Evil opened on the 16th, and Harry Potter is releasing on the 19th. So I expect heavy second week decline. Still, it grossed more the first week than The Taking of Pelham did in total.