When one thinks of global box office hits, there’s typically a very narrow vision of what kind of movie that could be. While cinema as a whole can take on endlessly varied forms, the biggest box office sensations tend to be action-centric blockbusters or animated family movie sequels. These spectacle-skewing projects deliver the kind of big-screen mayhem that audiences all over the world flock to. Even in the chaotic 2020s theatrical cinema landscape, the biggest worldwide hits of the decade so far, like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Ne Zha 2, suggest this reality is as true as ever.
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However, one 2025 box office sensation has defied the odds and become a lucrative hit despite being a historical drama. Though not a household name in the U.S., the Shen Ao directorial effort Dead to Rights is turning into one of 2025’s most impressive box office performers.
What is Dead to Rights?
A critical component of World War II was the Second Sino-Japanese War, fought between Chinese and Japanese forces. To make a very long story short, Japanese forces, after occupying Chinese territory in the early 30s, invaded additional Chinese territories in 1937. After taking over the country’s then-capital, Nanjing, the horrific Nanjing Massacre occurred in December 1937. That specific atrocity is what Dead to Rights chronicles. Inspired by true stories of Nanjing citizens getting photographic evidence of the Nanjing Massacre to the wider world, the film follows ordinary Nanjing resident Ah Chang (Liu Haoran) as he works as an unwilling photo developer for Japanese forces while secretly housing his Nanjing neighbors.
The Nanjing Massacre has been represented in Chinese cinema several times, including the acclaimed 2009 feature City of Life and Death and the divisive 2011 Zhang Yimou directorial effort The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale. However, there haven’t been a bevy of such features made in the Chinese film industry, which makes any new entry into this cinematic canon noteworthy. Additionally, previous motion pictures covering this historical atrocity had elements that prevented them from being accessible to the general public, such as City of Life and Death’s black-and-white cinematography.
Dead to Rights is a more mainstream, albeit still appropriately grueling, take on this injustice. Meanwhile, the popularity of Dead to Rights can be chalked up to it being anchored by one of the newest and most lucrative movie stars in the Chinese film industry, Liu Haoran. After anchoring lucrative productions like My People, My Homeland, and Detective Chinatown 3 (among others), Haoran has become a must-see movie star for many. This also makes it understandable why Dead to Rights has become such a box office juggernaut, though it’s still staggering to see a grim historical drama reach such impressive financial heights.
The Box Office Achievements of Dead to Rights
Between August 1st and 3rd, a funny thing happened to the worldwide box office frame. Even with a costly new Marvel Cinematic Universe project, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, in its second weekend of release, this superhero movie wasn’t number one at the global box office. That honor went to Dead to Rights, which was technically the number one movie on the planet over this frame with a mighty $82.4 million haul. As of this writing, it’s made just over $314 million in just China alone and is headed for a final domestic total of at least $440 million in this territory.
After the Chinese box office had a dismal 2024, Dead to Rights follows the year’s number one movie globally, Ne Zha 2, in reaffirming that the country can still produce massive moneymakers. To boot, Dead to Rights is another indication that big Chinese box office hits don’t have to be action films like Wolf Warrior 2, VFX-heavy disaster films like The Wandering Earth, or even other period piece war titles like The Battle at Lake Changjin.
Much like American Sniper beating out Guardians of the Galaxy and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part One to become 2014’s biggest film domestically, a more grounded, character-centric drama like Dead to Rights helps overhaul the perception of what a massive Chinese box office sensation looks like. One can only imagine what other kind of dramas could get major financing and promotion in the country in the future after this title’s lucrative run. For now, though, it’s clear Dead to Rights is one of 2025’s most notable moneymakers, especially in a sea of superhero films and legacy sequels.
Dead to Rights begins playing in domestic movie theaters on August 15.
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Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
