‘Monster Hunt 2’ scores RM752 Million
BEIJING: Raman Hui’s familyfriendly adventure, Monster Hunt 2 earned US$190 million (RM752 million) to top the China box office over the first three days of the Lunar New Year.
Though Monster Hunt 2 ran out as winner, the box office bounty was widely spread. Detective Chinatown 2 also earned US$154 million in three days, and took the crown from Monster Hunt on Sunday.
Data from Ent Group showed fantasy The Monkey King 3: Kingdom of Women earning US$79.9 million, and actioner Operation Red Sea scoring US$70.3 million. Chinese-made animation, Boonie Bears earned a cool US$40.9 million in fifth place.
Together the top five films scored a record-breaking US$543 million. The total is more than double the score achieved in the equivalent Lunar New Year weekend in either of the last two years.
Last year, the session was worth US$205 million. In 2016, the weekend cumulative was US$224 million.
One explanation for the huge leap is that now that exhibition chains have built out multiplexes into fourth and fifth tier cities, cinema is the only viable form of modern entertainment in smaller markets.
Another is that Chinese film makers have raised their game, and improved quality of their content since being shaken by a flat 12-month period between mid-2016 and summer 2017.
Monster Hunt enjoyed recordbreaking pre-sales. One of its selling points was its smack down the middle appeal to families. Many bought tickets in small groups.
The star power of Tony Leung Chiu-wai gilded a picture with far-better visual qualities and an even more inoffensive story line than its 2015 predecessor, which ran on to earn US$390 million.
Similarly, smart chase comedy, Detective Chinatown shifted a gear and relocated much of the action to a hyper-kinetic version of New York.
It was rewarded with good word of mouth and the transfer of some screens away from Monster Hunt. Good word of mouth also lifted Red Sea Operation ahead of Monkey King 3 on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Monster Hunt 2 director Raman Hui has highfived the advent of high-quality computer animation in China.
Figured an upbeat Raman: “Chinese animation is making great progress.”
Monster Hunt 2 is the latest and highest-profile example of China’s leap forward in the animation business. Also over the holiday weekend, the fifth Boonie Bears movie, Boonie Bears: The Big Shrink, earned US$40 million; Netflix has just picked up rights to the franchise’s third instalment. And China’s Light Chaser Animation is making a series of increasingly high-quality 3D animations.
Raman spent his early career in Hollywood and was co-creator of Shrek.
Said Raman: “When I first came back (to Asia), animators were mostly operators. I needed to tell them what to do and show them the steps. I’ve forced
When I first came back (to Asia), animators were mostly operators. I needed to tell them what to do and show them the steps. I’ve forced them to think, and they are doing so. That means I can ask the animators’ opinions more and ask for suggestions, where previously they’d be surprised that I was even asking. I hope to see more of this. It is good for the industry. Raman Hui, director of ‘Monster Hunt 2’
them to think, and they are doing so. That means I can ask the animators’ opinions more and ask for suggestions, where previously they’d be surprised that I was even asking. I hope to see more of this. It is good for the industry.”