Lionsgate’s prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, made its debut at the box office in China, unfortunately coming in third place and earning a mere $4.6 million. This disappointing performance adds to the trend of U.S. franchise films struggling to make an impact in the Chinese market. The film has received lackluster social scores from Chinese audiences and is projected to only reach a total of about $7 million by the end of its run on ticketing app Maoyan. This prequel comes eight years after the last Hunger Games film and 12 years after the first film, with the previous four films performing considerably better in China.
The previous four Hunger Games films, which were based on Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA novels and starred Jennifer Lawrence, all outperformed the new prequel in China. The Hunger Games, released in 2012, earned a total of $27 million, while The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) reached $28 million, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) brought in $36.5 million, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) earned $21.5 million. However, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has failed to continue this success.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is not the only U.S. franchise film struggling in the Chinese market. Disney’s The Marvels, part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also had a disappointing opening weekend with an all-time low of $11.5 million and continued to struggle, dropping to sixth place in its second week with earnings of only $1.4 million. Maoyan projects the film, which had an estimated production cost of $200 million to $250 million, to only reach around $15 million.
Superhero films, as well as other U.S. studio franchises, have been underperforming in China this year. Even strong franchises, such as Universal’s Fast X and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, have not been able to match the success of their early installments, indicating a broader decline in franchise appeal in the Chinese market.
Related Post
The top films at the Chinese box office currently are Chinese films, with crime thriller Who’s the Suspect (aka Last Suspect) coming in first place, earning $10.6 million for the weekend and reaching a total of $68.1 million so far. This film, directed by Zhang Mo and produced by Beijing Dino Films, stars actress Zhang Xiaofei as a lawyer defending a death-row suspect after her daughter is kidnapped.
Alibaba’s domestic drama, Be My Family, climbed to second place, earning $4.8 million for the weekend and reaching a total of $15.4 million. These Chinese films continue to perform well, while U.S. franchise films struggle to make an impact.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, based on Collins’ book of the same name, opened to $44 million at the domestic North American box office. The cast is led by Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth, alongside Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis. Francis Lawrence, who directed three previous Hunger Games movies, returns as the director of this prequel. Despite its domestic success, the film has not been able to replicate this performance in China.
