"China Rejects U.S. Franchise Movies as 'Hunger Games' Prequel Flops at Box Office"
Lionsgate's prequel film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" opened in third place at the Chinese box office, earning only $4.6 million. This continues the trend of underperformance by U.S. franchise films in the Chinese market. The film has received mixed reviews from Chinese audiences and is projected to earn around $7 million in total. Other U.S. franchise films, such as Disney's "The Marvels," have also struggled in China. Chinese films "Who's the Suspect" and "Be My Family" took the top two spots at the box office.