"Barbie Dominates Box Office with Record-Breaking Debut"

Despite its success in other markets, the film "Barbie" opened in fifth place at the Chinese box office, earning $8.2 million in its opening weekend. This adds to the list of Hollywood films that have underperformed in China this year, as audiences have been favoring Chinese and Japanese movies. The top-grossing film in China over the weekend was "Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms," followed by "Chang An" and "Wonder Family." The Chinese box office has recovered to within 8% of pre-pandemic levels, with a year-to-date total of $4.63 billion.