Pacific Rim is Officially a Smash in China

Last time we checked on Pacific Rim, it finally opened in China, and a lot of hopes have been pinned on the film’s release there. It hasn’t been doing well in the States, and if the film ever hopes to break even, or have a sequel, it’s all contingent on the film’s gross in China.

 

We first reported that Pacific Rim had a bigger opening than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and The Dark Knight. Now The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Pacific Rim has pulled in a remarkable $42.5 million, which puts the film’s international take at $200 million, and its world-wide take at $292 million.

It’s still going to take a while for the film to reach a profit, let alone profitability, not to mention the crisis the film industry is having with China where they won’t turn over the money they’ve made on American films until it’s resolved who will pay the value-added tax. (The Reporter tells us American studios haven’t seen any money from the Chinese grosses of their films since last year.) 

Nevertheless, Pacific Rim passed a pretty big test by breaking big in China, and when it’s ready for home video, there could be enough interest to get a sequel happening. It would certainly be nice to see Pacific Rim eventually get its due, and it may have a second life just yet.