China Box Office: ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’ Stays on Top

Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” held the number one spot at the mainland China box office for the fifth straight frame, collecting RMB52.9 million ($7.8 million) over the Sept. 11–13 weekend, according to data from Artisan Gateway.

Directed by Wen Muye (“Dying to Survive”) and starring Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman, and Omar Sherif, the late-summer hit has lifted its cume to $318.4 million since opening on Aug. 11. The story tracks a Chinese chef who travels to the Middle East to run an eatery to clear family debts, only for his establishment to turn into a vital haven for civilians and orphans after regional armed conflict erupts.

Pearl River Film Group’s crime thriller “V” took second place in its fourth weekend of release, taking in $4.7 million. Directed by Han Yan (“Love Never Ends”) and featuring an ensemble led by Tony Leung Ka-fai, Zhu Yilong, Tan Jianci, and Kara Wai, the gritty production has now amassed $84.1 million since rolling out on Aug. 19.

Pearl Studio’s animated fantasy comedy “All Wishes Come True!” was in third position in its ninth frame, generating $4 million. Directed by Mu Zhengyang, the enduring family hit has reached a cumulative total of $283.4 million since its July 18 debut.

In fourth place Universal’s “The Odyssey” crossed the century mark in China, adding $3.5 million for a cumulative total of $102.9 million. Crossing the $100 million threshold pushes the film well past the China runs of “Oppenheimer,” “Tenet,” and “Inception,” leaving it second in Christopher Nolan’s local catalog only to the $122 million lifetime gross of “Interstellar.”

Rounding out the top five, Phoenix Legend Films’ time-bending fantasy romance “My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday” opened with $1.7 million over its two-day debut frame. Directed by Xiang Guoqiang and adapted from Takafumi Nanatsuki’s Japanese novel, the film stars Bi Wenjun as an architectural restorer who falls in love with a medical student played by He Landou, only to uncover that her timeline flows in reverse to his, leaving them with an expiring window together.

Mainland China’s overall weekend grosses reached $28.8 million, while the 2026 year-to-date box office stands at $4.26 billion, down 27.6% from the same period in 2025.