DISNEY and Pixar’s “Luca,”  the first Hollywood movie to release in China in 10 weeks, opened to just US$5.1 million over the weekend, coming in a distant second place behind holdover Chinese hit “Raging Fire,” which has been in cinemas since late July.

    Directed by the late Benny Chan and starring Donnie Yen, “Raging Fire” added US$12.2 million for a cumulative total of US$145.7 million.

    The muted start for “Luca” comes despite a favorable reception among the Chinese filmgoers who went out to see the movie. The film, directed by Enrico Casarosa, scored 9.1/10 from ticketing giant Maoyan, 8.9 from Alibaba’s Taopiaopiao and 7.3 on Douban.

    Yet Maoyan is projecting a career run of just US$13.4 million, which would be on the lesser end for a Pixar picture in China.

    Piracy, undoubtedly, took at least some bite out of “Luca”’s potential China earnings. The movie has been widely available on Chinese piracy networks since Disney released it over Disney+ in June.

    The fabled animation studio has had an up-and-down track record in the Middle Kingdom, where its nuanced approach to family filmmaking has occasionally fallen mysteriously flat. A handful of Pixar projects have connected with Chinese audiences in a huge way — such as “Coco” with a US$189 million in 2017; or “Soul,” which brought in US$58 million last year without much marketing support from Disney — but other juggernauts have fizzled, like “Inside Out,” which earned US$858 million worldwide but just US$15 million in China.

    Holdovers filled out most of the rest of the weekend box office charts in China. Local animation “Green Snake,” from Beijing-based studio Light Chaser Animation — which, incidentally, has strove to model itself on Pixar — added US$2.8 million for a US$81.7 million total. Huayi Brothers’ romantic drama “Upcoming Summer” earned US$2.6 million, taking its four-week total to US$54.3 million.

    (SD-Agencies)