I think some of us have been so focused on how well La La Land is doing here that we haven’t paid attention to the worldwide love the film has been receiving. Fresh off its five BAFTA wins, including Best Picture, the film has danced its way all the way to $307 million at the global box office. The international and global figures on La La Land also include an estimated $12.5M start in China today.
The Middle Kingdom has its own Valentine’s Day equivalent celebration which does not fall on February 14, but the Western holiday does have increasing resonance there. Musicals do not typically make box office magic in China, so it’s La La Land’s love story that’s looking to tug at audiences’ heartstrings and the film is being marketed to highlight that aspect. The press has certainly been full of La La Land love and director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling recently spent time in Beijing. Joy Pictures has handled the marketing there.
Still on deck ahead of the Oscars are Denmark, Norway and Japan. The latter will be an interesting one to watch with presales understood to be pretty high despite non-local fare not always getting all the attention over there.
The musical is alive and well
