China’s theatrical box office would overtake that of North America.That scenario hasn’t happened yet. Last year, China’s box office growth slowed to a pedestrian 5% and reached a $9 billion total, according to the Motion Picture Association.
Meanwhile, grosses in North America slipped 4% but still remained over $11 billion.The turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown orders and increasingly powerful streamers, however, is changing the odds.
As U.S. cinema closures stretch on, it increasingly appears that 2020 could be the year the box office crown finally crosses from West to East — albeit not for reasons anyone would have initially imagined.
Read more on variety.com