Why China Isn’t Feeling the ‘Barbenheimer’ Vibe

“Barbenheimer” has ignited hopes for a long-delayed recovery in the U.S. box office, which suffered from the pandemic over the past few years. The two movies have received a lukewarm welcome in China, however—once the world’s largest box-office market.

One had a weak opening weekend. The other hasn’t even secured a release date.

Chinese movie revenues are recovering strongly from last year’s trough, in contrast to flagging momentum in some other sectors. But U.S. studios won’t necessarily benefit. Structural headwinds—some unique to China, some global—mean that Hollywood’s golden days in China could be a long time in returning.

The dual release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” has proven to be a masterstroke for Hollywood: The two movies have delivered the strongest domestic box-office weekend in North America in 2023. Together they grossed nearly $240 million between Friday and Sunday. 

Explosive drama and pink pantsuits aren’t as much of a hit in China, which is now the second-largest movie market. In its first four days, “Barbie” only brought in around $10 million, according to industry tracker Maoyan. In comparison, the domestic fantasy epic “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms” grossed around $59 million in five days. “Oppenheimer” doesn’t even have a release date yet.

This isn’t particularly surprising. “Barbie” isn’t the type of foreign film that has typically done well in China. Blockbuster action movies from Marvel and the “Fast & Furious” series have usually been the ones that managed to attract Chinese moviegoers.

Moreover, Hollywood seems to have lost some pull with Chinese audiences—and Beijing— more generally. Chinese censors have approved fewer foreign movies since the pandemic. And box-office sales of some of those that managed to get through still fell short of expectations, including the latest installments of “Mission: Impossible” and “Indiana Jones.”

China’s cinema industry—like everywhere else—has weathered a bumpy few years. Owing to its early success in controlling the pandemic, China’s box office overtook North America as the world’s biggest in 2020 and 2021. But the tables turned again last year as the country faced its own constant lockdowns, before the lifting of most pandemic restrictions in late 2022. The industry will rebound this year as the economy reopens—its box office has already surpassed the whole of last year and has reached half of the previous peak in 2019.

Still, some long-term challenges—similar to those in other countries—remain. A plethora of entertainment options online means fewer people are inclined to go to theaters. These include online streaming as well as short-video platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Growth in China’s box office was already slowing even before the pandemic.

For now, U.S. movie studios will be content that people are finally going back to cinemas. But as in so many other sectors, Western companies may increasingly turn their sights elsewhere—barring an unexpected plot twist.

Write to Jacky Wong at [email protected]