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Alita: Battle Angel Film Earns Over US$100 Million in China

Entertainment news source Deadline reported on Sunday that Alita: Battle Angel — James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez's live-action film of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita (GUNNM) manga — has earned the equivalent of US$112.1 million in China as of its second weekend in the country. The film earned US$24.2 to rank #2 in China in its second weekend. The film earned the equivalent of US$62.3 million in China in its opening weekend.

Entertainment industry magazine Variety reported on Sunday that the film has earned an estimated US$72.5 million domestically and US$278.2 million overseas, for a worldwide total of US$350.7 million.

The movie has a reported production budget of US$200 million (US$170 million after tax credits). Deadline stated its sources are estimating the film will earn a final total of more than US$400 million worldwide. The site had earlier stated that Fox has said the number the film needs to make to break even is US$350-US$400 million, but Deadline added "other finance film sources with knowledge of the budget" state that number at US$500 million or more.

The film opened in early February in the U.K. and in several countries in Asia before its U.S. debut on February 14. The film then opened in Japan on February 22 and ranked at #2 at the box office there.

The movie stars Rosa Salazar (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, Man Seeking Woman) in motion capture as Alita. Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Sin City, Spy Kids) directed the film. James Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment partner Jon Landau produced the project, and Shutter Island's Laeta Kalogridis penned a script. Singer-songwriter Dua Lipa performed a new song titled "Swan Song" for the film.

Source: Deadline (Nancy Tartaglione), Variety (Erin Nyren), Variety (Rebecca Rubin)