Once Upon a Time in the Middle East Leads China for Sixth Weekend

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East stayed No. 1 at the mainland China box office for a sixth consecutive weekend over Sept. 18-20, 2026.

It earned RMB28.1 million ($4.1 million) across those three days in mainland China, according to Artisan Gateway data reported by Variety. That is a quiet weekend on top.

The war comedy-drama is directed by Wen Muye and stars Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman and Omar Sherif. It has now earned a cumulative, or running, total of $325.7 million in mainland China since its nationwide launch on Aug. 11, as reported by Variety.

Crime thriller V held second place in its fifth weekend. It added $2.8 million in mainland China over Sept. 18-20, 2026, taking its local total to $89.6 million.

Universal's The Odyssey finished third in its fifth weekend with $1.9 million in mainland China over the same dates. Its local total stands at $106.5 million.

Family title All Wishes Come True! placed fourth in its tenth weekend with $1.7 million in mainland China over Sept. 18-20, 2026. Its local total has reached $286.3 million.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day moved back into the top five in its eighth weekend. It added $800,000 in mainland China over Sept. 18-20, 2026, for a local total of $232.5 million since its July 29 rollout. That total made it the year's top-earning international import in China over that weekend.

The five leaders sat inside a $15 million overall weekend in mainland China over Sept. 18-20, 2026. Takings for 2026 to date stand at $4.29 billion, down 29.2% compared with the same point in 2025, as reported by Variety.

What makes this stand out is endurance. With no new release breaking through, audiences continued to favour familiar titles while overall takings stayed soft.