“Water Gate Bridge” has grossed $137 million in ticket sales since its release Tuesday, the first day of the major holiday period. It’s one of the biggest holiday season releases in the last few years.
That box office haul comprises nearly half of the total revenue from ticket sales for the holiday period. Sales reached $237 million on Tuesday, with another $77 million as of Wednesday morning, according to data from Dengta Professional, a box office tracking app owned by Alibaba.
Analysts expect “Water Gate Bridge” to boost this year’s Lunar New Year box office total to a new record, surpassing last year’s $1.2 billion — itself a number that accounted for more than 16% of China’s entire box office haul in 2021. The holiday period lasts a week.
“This year’s Lunar New Year holiday is concentrated with blockbusters. The sequel to the Battle at Lake Changjin will guarantee its performance,” wrote Xia Qingying, chief analyst for tech, media and telecom at Guangzhou-based Wanlian Securities, in a report last week.
The original “Lake Changjin” film, commissioned by the propaganda office of the ruling Communist Party, was about the the brutal 1950 Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. The Chinese side claims it as the most critical victory of the conflict, known in China as the “War to Resist American Aggression and Aid Korea.” The Communist Party has ruled the People’s Republic of China since 1949.
The sequel film continues the story of the battle.
