EXCLUSIVE: Italian black-and-white drama There’s Nonetheless Tomorrow, the primary title from Jia Zhangke and Tian Qi’s new distribution outfit Unknown Pleasures Photos (UPP), has grossed a wholesome $6M (RMB43.5M) in China after 4 weeks on launch.
Launched on March 8, the movie has pulled in 1.09 million admissions and remains to be enjoying in theatres. China is now the second highest field workplace marketplace for the movie internationally, behind solely its native Italy the place it grossed $35M following its October 2023 launch.
Directed by Paola Cortellesi, the movie is about in postwar Rome and follows a working-class spouse and mom who desires of a greater future.
Jia informed Deadline: “There’s Nonetheless Tomorrow resonates with the more and more sturdy girls’s consciousness amongst Chinese language feminine audiences. Not like different female-themed tales, it tells us that ladies don’t essentially have to flee, they will additionally take the initiative to grow to be a part of the general public, and it empathizes with the audiences.”
The movie initially had a low projection by the native business however has outgrossed Oscar-winning animated function Circulation, launched across the identical time, which has taken $3.7M within the China market, and Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall, which grossed $4M throughout its 2024 launch.
The success of There’s Nonetheless Tomorrow follows a prolonged post-pandemic drought for European and arthouse movies on the China field workplace throughout which only some titles have damaged by means of. It additionally comes at a time when the China Movie Administration has mentioned it plans to “reasonably cut back” the import of Hollywood movies as US President Donald Trump’s commerce conflict escalates, which can lead to extra display screen area for non-US movies.
UPP co-founder and normal supervisor Tian Qi is a veteran distributor with greater than 20 years expertise. He additionally labored with Jia to launch Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria in 2023, which went on to gross $350,000 on the China field workplace.
UPP is now in talks with worldwide gross sales firms to convey extra status and high quality titles to China for theatrical launch.
