At the China box office over the Sept. 26–28 weekend, Zhao Linshan’s “Evil Unbound” led for a second frame with RMB109.0 million ($15.1 million), according to consultancy Artisan Gateway. The Changying Film Group release, which dramatizes the atrocities of Japan’s Unit 731 during World War II, stars Jiang Wu, Wang Zhiwen and Li Naiwen. Its cumulative stands at $205.1 million.
“The Shadow’s Edge” (iQIYI Pictures), directed by Larry Yang and featuring Jackie Chan, stayed at second place with $2.9 million. The action thriller has now earned $170 million.
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“Nobody” (Shanghai Animation Film), an animated fantasy inspired by “Journey to the West,” took third with $1.5 million, bringing its cume to $229.3 million.
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China Film’s “Dead to Rights” added $700,000 in fourth place. The thriller, which is China’s entry to the Oscars, has reached $417.6 million since opening in July. Directed by Shen Ao and written by Shen Ao, Zhang Ke, and Xu Luyang, and set against the backdrop of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and drawing from documented historical events, “Dead to Rights” follows A Chang (Liu Haoran of the “Detective Chinatown” franchise), a postman who assumes the identity of a photo developer to survive the Japanese occupation. Operating from within the walls of a Japanese-controlled studio, he covertly shelters Chinese soldiers and civilians in an act of quiet resistance.
China Media Group’s “Shenzhou 13” rounded out the top five with $600,000. The documentary, directed by Zhu Yiran, chronicles the Shenzhou-13 crewed mission to China’s Tiangong space station, with footage captured in orbit by astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu. It has earned $5.7 million after four weekends.
Weekend box office nationwide reached $24.6 million, raising China’s 2025 total to $5.81 billion, up 21.2% over the same period last year.
