With around 65% of Chinese theaters now open across the country, this weekend saw audiences offered the likes of Dolittle, Jojo Rabbit, and Sonic the Hedgehog. The latter broke records when it debuted in the United States back in February with a $57 million opening weekend, but in China, the video game adaptation earned only $1.27 million.
Instead, it was local content that went straight to the top of the box office, but the entire weekend only drew a dismal $17.6 million from paying moviegoers.
Sonic the Hedgehog's disappointing box office performance isn't necessarily indicative of how new blockbusters will perform in the Middle Kingdom, as Variety reports that the movie has been widely pirated in the country by this point (it's been available online in HD for months now).
A big part of why tickets don't appear to be selling are the restrictions which have been put in place to combat COVID-19. Venues are only allowed to sell 30% of seats, while only half of screenings are allowed to accommodate disinfection measures. With similar plans in place internationally, what's happening in China could be a sign of things to come for theaters over the next few months.
Time will tell on that front, of course, but nothing new is coming our way until the end of August/early September when Christopher Nolan's Tenet arrives in a limited number of theaters.
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