Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has made a magical return to the Chinese box office, debuting in second place over the weekend as part of a nostalgic wave of re-releases for the entire Harry Potter franchise. This marks the beginning of a season that will enchant fans across the country.
Leading the weekend was The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death, which grossed RMB 77.4 million ($10.9 million) in its second weekend, bringing its total earnings to $139 million since its release on September 30. Directed by Chen Kaige, this film is the second in a trilogy that began last year with The Volunteers: To the War, cleverly timed to capture the National Day holiday audience.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone earned $6.6 million during its opening weekend. Warner Bros. Pictures is rolling out the films across approximately 3,400 theaters in 295 cities in China, offering fans a choice of standard 2D, CINITY, IMAX, and Dolby Cinema formats. Notably, IMAX screenings contributed $1.8 million to the film’s weekend total.
Originally produced between 2001 and 2011, the Harry Potter films were released during a transformative era for China’s cinema landscape, making box office comparisons to current releases somewhat challenging. Over the next few weeks, the remaining films in the series will be released weekly, rekindling the magic for audiences.
In third place, the Chinese crime drama Tiger Wolf Rabbit earned $4.1 million, bringing its cumulative total to $58 million since its October 1 release. Meanwhile, High Forces, starring Andy Lau, remained in fourth with $3.6 million and a total of $33 million. Jackie Chan’s family film Panda Plan rounded out the top five, slipping from third place to fifth with $3.0 million, for a total of $34.9 million since its release on October 1.
