(Variety) “Shoplifters,” the intense drama that won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, has carried off the prize for the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film at the Chinese box office.
Co-producer Gaga Corporation confirmed Tuesday that the film, directed by Hirokazu kore-eda, had scored RMB83.9 million in Chinese theaters, or about $12.2 million, since its Aug. 3 release. The previous record was held by “Gintama,” released last year, which scored RMB81.3 million during its run.
The total in China for “Shoplifters” is still some way short of the film’s score in its home market. It has been on release in Japan since June, through Gaga, and has clocked up $39 million (JPY4.31 billion) from 3.52 million admissions.
The film has been released in Asian territories including South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. It is set for theatrical release in the U.S. and U.K. in November. International sales are being handled jointly by Gaga and France-based Wild Bunch.
Distribution in China is headed by Road Pictures, with a consortium that includes Huayi Bros. Media.
Variety’s review from Cannes called the film “a return to the socially-conscious mode of Kore-eda’s ‘Nobody Knows,'” describing it as a “charming and heart-wrenching, exquisitely performed film [that] will steal the hearts of both art-house and mainstream audiences.”
Source: Variety By Patrick Frater