Box Office Report: ‘Green Snake’ Debuts #1 In China, ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ Crashes In U.S.

Amid a slow period for Chinese theatrical exhibition, cg fantasy feature Green Snake (a.k.a. White Snake 2) has opened at the top of the box office. The film is Light Chaser Animation’s sequel to its 2019 hit White Snake, which was distributed in North America by GKIDS.

Here are the key numbers:

• Green Snake opened with USD$29.7 million, according to Maoyan. The ticketing platform projects that the film will end up grossing $77.5M, ahead of White Snake’s $61.6M.
• The sequel is rating well with viewers. It has an audience rating of 9.2 out of 10 on Maoyan, 9.4 on Tao Piao Piao, and 7.4 on Douban. U.S. distribution has not been announced.
• Two other local animated productions opened in China this week. Agent Backhom: Kings Bear came third with $4.8M and The Adventures of Qiao Tiger on Magic Island ranked sixth with $1.1M.

In other global box office news:

• Space Jam: A New Legacy collapsed in its second weekend in North America, coming in fourth with $9.5M — a drop of 69% from its strong opening weekend.
• Like so many films in the pandemic, A New Legacy has received a novel release, streaming on HBO Max at no extra cost to subscribers for the first month of its theatrical release. That, alongside the spread of the Delta variant, will have dented its takings.
• Warner Bros.’s Tom & Jerry got the same kind of release in late February. After two weekends it had taken $22.3M domestically. A New Legacy stands at $51.4M (and $94.0M worldwide), although far more theaters are operating at capacity now.
• In Japan, Toho’s Belle has stayed atop the box office in its second weekend. Over Saturday and Sunday, it grossed $4.7M, bringing its domestic total to $21.8M. GKIDS will release it in North American theaters this winter.