Under The Light tops the worldwide box office
Last updated: 1 October 2023
Chinese film Under The Light, directed by Zhang Yimou, starring Lei Jiayin, Zhang Guoli, Yu Hewei, Zhou Dongyu, Joan Chen and Sun Yizhou dominated the worldwide weekend box office chart with $54.75 million in mainland China for a total gross of $61.87 million. The urban crime-drama follows officers Su Jianming (Lei Jiayin) and Li Huilin (Zhou Dongyu) who investigate a crime involving wealthy businessman Li Zhitian (Yu Hewei) and uncover layers of political and business collusion.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie raked in a mammoth $46.1 million in its opening weekend, taking the second position on the worldwide box office chart. The Canadian animated superhero comedy sequel, directed by Cal Brunker, featuring an ensemble voice cast of Christian Corrao, Luxton Handspiker, Callum Shoniker, Ron Pardo, Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, Chris Rock, North West, Saint West, Lil Rel Howery, Serena Williams, James Marsden, Kristen Bell and Finn Lee-Epp topped the North American box office chart with $23 million.
Chinese film The Ex-Files 4: Marriage Plan is the third highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office over the weekend with $41.41 million for a total gross of $53.88 million. Directed by Tian Yusheng and starring Han Geng, Zheng Kai, Kelly Yu, Liu Yase and Zeng Mengxue, the fourth instalment of China’s leading romantic-comedy franchise follows two best buddies Meng Yun (Han Geng) and Yu Fei (Zheng Kai) , who stumble their way through marriage while Meng Yun has trouble finding the right one and Yu Fei is dealing with a trial marriage.
The Creator, directed by Gareth Edwards, starring John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson and Allison Janney grossed an underwhelming $32.3 million in its opening weekend despite positive reviews from critics. The science-fiction action film, set in the backdrop of a dystopian world in 2070, follows an ex-special forces agent Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) who is recruited to hunt down and kill the “Creator”, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to destroy mankind. Joshua discovers that the world-ending weapon he has been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). The Creator took the third spot at the North American box office with $14 million.
Chinese film The Volunteers: To The War, the first part of the Volunteers trilogy, grossed $30.78 million in its opening weekend for a total gross of $34.5 million. Directed by Chen Kaige and starring an ensemble cast of Xin Baiqing, Zhang Songwen, Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Ziyi, Zhu Yawen, Zhang Zifeng, Yin Fang and Wang Chuanjun, the film follows the Chinese People’s Volunteers Army as they enter North Korea and kick off the “Resist US, Aid Korea” war in 1950s.
Saw X, the tenth instalment in the Saw film series, grossed $29.3 million in its opening weekend. Directed by Kevin Greutert and starring Tobin Bell as John Kramer and Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young who reprise their roles from the previous films alongside Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach, the horror film follows John Kramer (Tobin Bell) travelling to Mexico in hopes that an experimental procedure may cure his terminal cancer. John later discovers that the operation is a scam, prompting him to kidnap those responsible and subject them to his trademark death traps as retribution. Saw X took the second spot at the North American box office with $18 million.
Moscow Mission is the fourth Chinese film on the worldwide box office chart, taking the seventh position with $22.96 million opening weekend gross. Directed by Herman Yau and starring Andy Lau, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xuan and Janice Man, the action film revolves around Chinese detectives who embark on a mission to Moscow to hunt down ruthless robbers who have been plaguing the trans-Siberian railway (K3/4 International Train) with violence and chaos.
After spending three successive weekends at the top of the worldwide box office chart, horror sequel The Nun 2 slipped to the eighth position in its fourth weekend, grossing $17.47 million for a total gross of $231.15 million. Directed by Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Curse of La Llorona), the horror film stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons, reprising their roles from the first film along with new cast members Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell. The film follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak (Bonnie Aarons), the demon nun. In North America, the fifth film in The Conjuring Universe franchise grossed $4.675 million for a domestic total of $76.75 million.
A Haunting in Venice grossed $10.8 million in its third weekend ($3.8 million in North America) for a total gross of $89.81 million. The mystery threequel, directed by Kenneth Branagh, stars himself as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot alongside an ensemble cast that includes Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio and Michelle Yeoh. In the film, set in the backdrop of post-World War II Venice, Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) attends a séance where one of the guests is murdered and he is forced to use his detective skills once again to uncover the killer.
South Korean mystery-thriller Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman, directed by Kim Seong-sik, starring Kang Dong-won, Huh Joon-ho, Esom, Lee Dong-hwi and Kim Jong-soo grossed $7.82 million in its opening weekend. The film revolves around a fake exorcist who can’t see ghosts but is commissioned to solve a powerful case of possession.
Note: The above box office data is consolidated and supplied by ComScore.
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