‘Alpha’ Has $3 Million Opening in China, Tails ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – “Alpha,” the prehistoric survival tale from Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8, earned $3.4 million on its opening day in China. That was good enough for second place behind holdover title “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.”

Data from local box office tracker Ent Group showed that “” played some 67,000 screening sessions on its opening on Friday. That gave it a far-from-extraordinary $50.7 per-session average income, better than all other top 10 titles, with the exception of “Fallout.” The Tom Cruise vehicle, directed by Albert Hughes, earned $7.58 million from 90,000 screenings on Friday. In its first full week in Chinese theaters, “Fallout” earned $105 million.

“Alpha” was released in North America on Aug. 17. It has grossed about $29.7 million to date at the domestic box office and $18.5 million in international markets.

Fully 80% of the B share capital of Robinov’s is owned by ’s Fosun International. Corporate control, however, may lie with management through the weighted voting rights of the A share category.

“Alpha” is the second film from the Studio 8 slate to be released in China, following “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” directed by Ang Lee and co-invested by Fosun and China’s Bona Film Group. While “Billy Lynn” flopped in North America, where it earned $1.73 million, it scored a more impressive $23.8 million in China, during a November 2016, release.

Fosun last week unveiled plans to give its Fosun Tourism business an IPO in Hong Kong. The prospectus shows the company including the Club Med holiday business and theme parks in mainland China. But it excludes Studio 8 and Fosun’s stake in Cirque du Soleil.