China Box Office Shocker: 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' Dominates, Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Debuts Second

The mainland China box office saw Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” dominate the Aug. 14–16 weekend, pulling in a substantial RMB477.9 million ($70.3 million) over the three-day period, according to Artisan Gateway. After its Tuesday, Aug. 11 debut and earlier previews, the film has quickly accumulated a cumulative total of $134.1 million. Directed by Wen Muye, known for “Dying to Survive,” and co-written with Lang Qunli and Wei Zhong, the movie features Shen Teng as a Chinese chef who relocates to the Middle East to establish an eatery and settle family debts. His business, alongside floor manager Jiang Qiming, unexpectedly transforms into a safe haven for local civilians and children amidst armed conflict. The cast also includes Aarif Rahman and Omar Sherif. Notably, the film garnered $2.1 million from Imax screens that were previously allocated for “The Odyssey.”

Universal’s Christopher Nolan epic, “The Odyssey,” secured second place in its official three-day opening weekend, grossing $28.4 million. Including early previews, its cumulative total in the territory reached $35.9 million. This tentpole was released across 20,000 screens in the Middle Kingdom and benefited from a high-profile Beijing promotional tour and an extensive Imax presence nationwide. The Imax cumulative revenue, including previews, stands at $19.3 million in China, a figure the company proudly declared as the biggest opening weekend ever for a Christopher Nolan film in China, both in Imax box office and Imax indexing.

Further down the charts, Pearl Studio’s animated fantasy feature “All Wishes Come True!” slid to third position in its fifth weekend, adding $13.1 million to its earnings. Directed by Mu Zhengyang, this mythological comedy has amassed a cumulative $235.9 million since its July 18 launch. The story follows eight ordinary mortals who ingeniously collaborate to outsmart celestial deities and achieve the status of the Eight Immortals.

Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” occupied fourth place in its third full weekend, collecting $9.9 million. Its cumulative total since launching on July 29 has climbed to $209 million, solidifying its position as the top-grossing Hollywood import in China for the current year. Enlight Pictures’ animated fantasy romance “To Your Island” maintained fifth place, earning $2.6 million in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $15 million. Directed by Zhou Haoran and adapted from Fan Dawang’s widely popular web novel, the narrative centers on a young woman who, guided by a paper crane, discovers a mysterious island where she reunites with her former boyfriend, now transformed into a rabbit and suffering from memory loss.

Collectively, mainland China’s overall weekend grosses for Aug 14-16 amounted to $132.9 million. The year-to-date revenue for 2025 reached $3.79 billion, marking a significant 30.4% decrease compared to the same period in 2025.