Alex Garland’s critically-acclaimed “Civil War” has confirmed a theatrical release in mainland China. Marking the first A24 production to be released in China, it will arrive in cinemas from June 7.
Huahua Media took rights to the film for China. Tech and entertainment giant Alibaba will also be partnering with Huahua throughout the release.
Depicting a dystopian future America, the film’s story follows a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach Washington DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. The film features an ensemble cast led by Academy-Award nominee Kirsten Dunst, and including Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Stephen Henderson, and Wagner Moura.
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Founded in 2014 by veteran producer Wang Kefei, Huahua is one of the most active Chinese companies in overseas film investment and production. It has production credits including “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Transformers: The Last Knight,” “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” and “Star Trek.”
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“Civil War” had its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival. It debuted in the U.S. last month with a record opening weekend and crossed $100 million at the global box office in its first month of release, making it one of A24’s top-grossing films. The film has had a successful international run opening on top in many key territories including Brazil, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Finland.
In the post-COVID era, many Hollywood films have struggled to attain their previous level of theatrical performance in China. In 2023, imported films claimed only 15% of China’s total box office.
In 2024, China’s theatrical market has held up better than that of North America. On a year-to-date basis, Chinese theaters have earned $2.92 billion, making the Middle Kingdom the world’s biggest theatrical market this year, ahead of North America where the total to Sunday was $2.29 billion.
