Action-adventure rolled to nine figures in China in less than a week
Emmanuel Wong/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
Matt Pressberg
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Paramount’s “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” continues to captivate crowds across the Pacific, as Vin Diesel and local A-listers Donnie Yen and Kris Wu have carried the action thriller to $102 million at the Chinese box office in just six days.
That’s more than double the $43.7 million the film has reeled in at U.S. theaters, despite opening domestically on Jan. 20, weeks before its Feb. 10 China premiere. While “xXx” couldn’t edge out M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” at home, its blend of insane action scenes (Diesel skis down a lush jungle hillside at one point) and local headliners with proven box office appeal have been a winning combination in China.
Diesel is one of the country’s biggest Hollywood stars, owing to his role in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. “Furious 7” is China’s all-time highest-grossing Hollywood film, with $391 million at the box office, and “xXx” shares some of its DNA. “xXx” hauled in $21.3 million on its opening day and $23.5 million on Valentine’s Day, its biggest day yet.
The film has also benefited from marketing help from Paramount’s partner — and new slate financier — Huahua Media, which helped another Paramount film, “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” roll to $320 million at the Chinese box office.
“We join our collaborators Huahua Media, Shanghai Film Group and m1905 in celebrating the great success of ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’ in China,” Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey said in a statement. “We are especially pleased as this opening is our first Chinese market release with Shanghai Film Group and Huahua since the recent signing of our long term collaboration agreement.”
In addition to Diesel, Yen and Wu, “xXx” features Deepika Padukone, Samuel L. Jackson, Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose. D.J. Caruso directed the film, which was produced by Diesel, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth and Samantha Vincent. F. Scott Frazier, Chad St. John and Rich Wilkes wrote the screenplay.
