The superhero movie took in $94 million in China, validating a risky distribution strategy. It arrives in the United States and Canada on Dec. 21.
LOS ANGELES — The box office action over the weekend took place in China, where “Aquaman” collected a $94 million in tickets, validating a risky plan by Warner Bros. to release the movie in the Middle Kingdom before anywhere else.
Hollywood has learned a lot about Chinese moviegoers in recent years, but releasing films in the country — the world’s No. 2 market behind the United States — remains a crapshoot for American studios. Warner and other Hollywood companies cannot distribute their own movies in China; they must rely on the state-owned China Film Group. Chinese censors often do not clear American films for distribution until the relative last minute, hindering marketing efforts.
And Chinese audiences have grown more selective about Hollywood movies, at times displaying a new preference for locally made movies like the extravagant “ Operation Red Sea,” directed by Dante Lam, known as the Michael Bay of Asia.
