China’s ‘Battle at Lake Changjin’ Claims Global Box Office With $203 Million Weekend
![Battle at Lake Changjin](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/80defae7953b8dd55c834c58e1c708e6-Cropped.jpg?w=673&h=378&crop=1)
China’s The Battle at Lake Changjin was the highest grossing film in the world over the past weekend, with a $203 million haul.
That score was lower than the combined total earned by “No Time to Die” ($119 million in international markets) and by “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” ($90.2 million in America).
The film was the winner in China, where it was released on Thursday, a day ahead of the October 1, National Day holiday. Over four days on release, it earned $234 million.
“Battle” enjoyed a massive 157,000 screenings per day and was watched by 25.5 million ticket buyers between Friday and Sunday.
That put it ahead of “My Country, My Parents,” which earned $70.6 million over the weekend proper and a “Venom”-like $90.4 million total over four days.
Both titles attest to the patriotic triumphalism that has defined Chinese box office since it re-opened, post pandemic in July, and both capitalize on the sentiment stirred up around the celebrations of the country’s birth, some 72 years ago.
Changjin earned $12.9 million of its total from Imax giant screens, making it the third biggest Imax opening weekend of all time behind sci-fi title “The Wandering Earth” and Chinese New Year comedy “Detective Chinatown 3.”
Made with a production budget of over $200 million, the film boasts three of Greater China’s top directors: Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam.
It is an epic war film praising the triumphs of Chinese soldiers fighting American-led United Nations forces in the early days of the Korean War (1950-1953). China portrays its involvement in the war as an act of self-defense and one of support for North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. In Chinese, it is called the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
The film was produced by Bona Film Group and stars Wu Jing, star and director of the blockbuster “Wolf Warrior” war films, and pop idol turned actor Jackson Yee.
Wu also stars in and is credited as one of four co-directors on “My Country, My Parents.”