'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' Rules China Box Office for Third Weekend
A Chinese drama about a debt-ridden chef who turns his restaurant into a refuge during armed conflict has held the mainland China box office for a third straight weekend, grossing $25.6 million over the August 28–30 frame according to data from Artisan Gateway (Variety).
Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, directed by Wen Muye and produced by Ning Hao, has now collected $283.7 million in the territory since its August 11 release. The film stars Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman, and Omar Sherif, and follows a Chinese cook in a fictional Middle Eastern city who shelters local orphans and civilians when war erupts around him.
The overall mainland China box office reached $69.8 million across the weekend. China's year-to-date revenue stood at $4.13 billion as of late August — down 28.1% from the same point in 2025 (Variety).
Behind the leader, Pearl River Film Group's crime drama V held second place in its sophomore weekend, adding $14.4 million for a cumulative $59.6 million. The film is directed by Han Yan and stars Tony Leung Ka Fai, Zhu Yilong, Tan Jianci, and Kara Wai.
Universal's The Odyssey took third in its third frame, collecting $10 million to reach a cumulative $87.4 million. Pearl Studio's animated fantasy All Wishes Come True! placed fourth in its seventh weekend, taking $7.9 million for a running total of $270.3 million since its July 18 premiere. Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day rounded out the top five in its fifth frame, adding $2.9 million to reach $225.7 million — enough to remain the year's top-earning Hollywood import in China (Variety).
The frame caps a strong summer run for the Wen Muye film, which opened with a RMB477.9 million weekend (August 14–16) and followed with a $43.9 million second frame before settling into its current $25.6 million third (Yahoo Entertainment; Variety). Artisan Gateway, the box-office tracking firm founded in 2003, reported that the film has boosted China's summer box office to $1.52 billion (Artisan Gateway).
What stands out is the hold. A third weekend at number one with a cumulative gross approaching $284 million puts Once Upon a Time in the Middle East in rare company for a domestic Chinese release in a year when the overall market is running well behind 2025. The film's mix of comedy-drawn star power — Shen Teng remains one of China's most reliable box-office draws — with a story set against the backdrop of Middle Eastern conflict has clearly resonated with audiences who have otherwise been slower to return to cinemas in 2026.
