Aug 14, 2023

China's historical epic "Chang'an" ranked fourth in animated film box office in 2023.

Lightchaser Animation's Chinese historical epic "Chang'an" is in fifth place at the weekend box office with $4.9 million and a total of $242 million since its July 8 release: it has overtaken "The Guardian Code" ($222 million). Pixar's comeback film "Elemental" is in third place with $443.6 million, and more box office growth is expected.

"Chang'an" was a hit from the get-go, grossing a staggering $3.2M in previews the week before its release in China. The film was developed as the first in a series of new cultural films planned at Light Chaser. The film's director, Zou Jin, explained to the Global Times in July that The "New Culture" series will be based on actual historical figures in China. This is the core of the series."

Set in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Chang'an is based on the interwoven life stories of legendary poets Gao Shi and Li Bai. In the capital city of Chang'an, a few years after the An Lushan Rebellion, Tang general Gao Shi tells the chief military eunuch the vast story of his lifelong friendship with Li Bai.

Just today, Light Chaser posted an excellent behind-the-scenes video of the production of Chang'an. Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles, but there is a lot of great artwork for those who don't understand the language to enjoy.

Meanwhile, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" opened in China: Mutant Mayhem had a mostly lackluster debut, coming in at #9. The film's release in China was so insignificant that distributor Artisan Gateway did not release numbers for its debut. Chinese box office tracker Entgroup reported the film's estimated weekend box office at about $940,000.