Thriller movie Death on the Nile has confirmed that it will have a theatrical release in China, meaning that at present, it is the only Hollywood production to be released in theatres in the country. While Death on the Nile is set to be released on February 11 in the UK and the US, it will not be coming to China until February 19.
Death on the Nile, which is produced by Disney and 20th Century Fox, is the sequel to 2017 adventure film Murder on the Orient Express. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murder on the Orient Express was “reasonably well-received” by China during its theatrical run in autumn 2017, grossing $34.6 million in China.
Outside of China, Murder on the Orient Express was also a huge box office success. As previously reported, it made $350m at the box office on a $55m production budget.
Foreign films can only be distributed in China through organisations run by the Chinese state. Variety reports that in the past, the US has been critical of China for this as well as other issues such as alleged media censorship by the Chinese state. According to Variety, this has had an adverse impact on the amount of US films released in China — with the number of US studio films released in China dropping by a third last year compared to the timeframe before the pandemic.
Kenneth Branagh, who also recently directed Jamie Dornan-fronted drama Belfast, has returned to direct this adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel as well as playing the starring role of moustache-twirling detective Hercule Poirot.
To keep up with some of Disney’s other upcoming sequels, check out our guides on Doctor Strange 2, Black Panther 2 and Cruella 2.