In the wake of the protests from the Chinese against the government’s draconian ‘zero Covid’ policy, China has begun easing restrictions like mass testing and unilateral lockdowns. However, AP reports that a resurgence of the virus in some areas of China was reported yesterday. That is not good news for the much-anticipated opening of Avatar: The Way of Water next weekend.

The Chinese film industry is looking to lift its box office with this one film. It’s been in the doldrums with few international releases and not many domestic ones due to censorship for political reasons. Its box office numbers have fallen 35% compared to 2021.

However, Shanghai Disneyland was reopened on December 8 after it was abruptly shut down in November – after it was just reopened a month before. A negative Covid test will still be required to enter and masking will remain mandatory.

Shanghai Disneyland’s big attraction is “Avatar: Explore Pandora,” which is explained this way on its website: “Discover the fascinating wonders of Pandora through Resource Development Administration’s (RDA) multi-sensory stations at Tomorrowland Pavilion.” This is in anticipation of the release of Avatar 2.

As mentioned in last week’s column, a viral video on the WeChat platform has protestors chanting “I wanna see a movie,” giving voice to the frustrations of the pandemic lockdowns that have hobbled life in China. Some reports expect Avatar 2 to earn as much as $250 million in the country. The original film made more than $260 million with all its rereleases.

Here are the top ten films for the weekend of December 9-11. There were no new releases among them.

One Piece Film: Red, a Japanese animated film that led the box office last week, remains in place at No. 1. Its total gross is $18.76 million over 11 days with $4.93 million earned over the weekend. It is the 15^th film in the One Piece franchise and is a musical fantasy based on the manga of the same name, and is directed by Goro Taniguchi. It opened in July worldwide.

Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween stayed at No. 2. The Japanese animated film has grossed $23.59 million over 24 days, taking in $2.43 million over the weekend. The mystery film directed by Susumu Mitsunaka is also based on a manga series and is the 25^th iteration of the Case Closed franchise.

The Tipping Point, directed by David Lam, stayed at No. 3 with $1.38 million over the weekend for a total gross of $24.42 million over 31 days. The film is a crime thriller based on a real-life story where the investigation of the suspicious death of a student uncovers a web of corruption.

Last week’s No. 4 and 5 films traded places. The patriotic film, Home Coming, was fourth on the list with $235.06 million earned over 73 days, grossing $0.94 million over the weekend. The Rao Xiao Zhi-directed film is about the heroic deeds of a Chinese diplomat and a civil servant who evacuate 125 Chinese from a war-torn North African country.

At No. 5 was Farewell Beijing, directed by Quianquian Cao. It earned $0.59 million in the three-day weekend for a total gross of $7.41 million over 24 days, and tells the story of three drifters – a businessman, a courier and a singer – who move to Beijing without registering with the city and struggle to make a life.

The US film Fall and the French rerelease Les Choristes also traded places on the list from last week. Fall, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, was No. 6 and has earned $3.66 million in 24 days. The survival thriller is directed by Scott Mann and tells the story of the rescue attempt of two women stranded on a 2,000-foot radio tower. Les Choristes, at No. 7, originally released in China in 2005, is the Oscar-nominated film directed by Christophe Barratier about a boys’ choir in France. It has earned $0.86 million at the Chinese box office so far.

Where the Crawdads Sing with $1.03 million over 17 days, Steel Will with $15.13 million over 73 days, and Deadly Illusions with $0.42 million over 23 days round out the top 10.