The following contains minor spoilers for One Piece Film: Red, now showing in theaters.
One Piece Film: Red has reached the number one spot at China’s box office.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the anime blockbuster held the top spot at China’s box office last weekend, surpassing Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween, which was number one for the last two weeks. Data from regional consultancy Artisan Gateway shows that the One Piece movie garnered $10.5 million during its first four days after it hit Chinese theaters last Thursday. The film has also succeeded in other countries, earning a massive $130 million in Japan and around $13 million in North America. Numbers for Toho’s Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween are nothing to sniff at either, with the second place film earning an additional $1.8 million for its total of $19.4 million over three weekends in China.
Film Red Succeeds Despite China’s COVID-19 Policies
However, box office earnings for One Piece Film: Red in the Chinese market have likely been impacted by the country’s ever-changing COVID-19 policies. While regional governments were directed by Beijing last week to ease stringent quarantine and testing requirements, some estimates claim that only around half of movie screens in China are fully operational at the time of writing.
Created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece is an ongoing manga series that follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, whose life changes forever when he unwittingly consumes a Devil Fruit that grants him the ability to stretch his body like rubber. Along with his pirate crew called the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy sets out to the Grand Line to find the “One Piece,” a lost treasure that once belonged to the deceased King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, and become the next King of the Pirates himself.
With over 516.5 million copies in circulation worldwide, One Piece is the best-selling manga series of all time and the best-selling comic series printed in book volume. With its immense success, the manga series has spawned many theatrical films, live-action remakes, video games, spinoffs and a television anime series that still continues today after its debut in 1999. One Piece Film: Red marks the fifteenth feature film the franchise has received. It follows the Straw Hat Pirates as they attend the concert of renowed singer Uta. The gang soon find themselves in trouble, however, as Uta traps them a dream world through her power of song. Thus begins a race against time as Luffy and his friends try to escape so they aren’t trapped in the dream world forever.
One Piece Film: Red is now showing in theaters.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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