'Blades' Sharpens Chinese New Year Box Office, Matchbox Pictures to Close
Mukta Arts-Green Gold in animation deal, Netflix Australia-New Zealand slate, Aniplex lays an Egg
‘Blades’ Sharpens its Case at Chinese New Year Box Office
After three days of screenings “Pegasus 3” is the clear winner at the Lunar New Year box office in mainland China. But on the third day, martial arts action film “Blades of the Guardians” increased its score, while the other five new release titles all slipped slightly between Wednesday and Thursday.
The film’s increased daily total ($16 million, up from $14.3 million) lifted it above the “Boonie Bears” movie on the Day 3 ranking. That suggests growing popularity and positive word of mouth, despite a cut in screening numbers. And live data from Maoyan suggests that “Blades” will again take third – or even second – position on Friday (Day 4). For the moment though, its three-day cumulative still lags in fourth place, at $49.3 million, compared with the $54.9 million for “Boonie Bears”.
Aggregate box office for the top ten movies currently on release was $115 million on Thursday, compared with $122 million on Wednesday and $185 million on Tuesday, the first day that the new films arrived in cinemas.
After three days the Lunar New Year holidays season has delivered $422 million of bounty to China’s cinema operators.
Figures in the table are in millions of US Dollars.
Local Movies Lift Hong Kong Box Office by 53% Over Holiday Season
Hong Kong runs on a different schedule and with different (well, overlapping) tastes from Mainland China when it comes to movies and public holidays. And for the HK Special Administrative Region’s three-day Lunar New Year holiday (Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 Feb) cinema box office soared.
Gross revenues rose by 53% from HK$26 million ($3.33 million) in 2025 to HK$39.7 million ($5.09 million) this time around, according to data from Hong Kong Box Office Limited.
Powering the increase were two local films, comedy “Night King” (夜王)and romance “The Snowball on a Sunny Day” (金多寶), with HK$26.7 million ($3.42 million) and HK$4.77 million ($612,000) respectively.
“Night King” represents another smash hit for the pairing of director Jack Ng and actor Dayo Wong after their previous record-breaking drama “A Guilty Conscience”. Ng is this time paired with beloved actress Sammi Cheng, in a fictional tussle over a night club.
In third place was mainland production “Blades of the Guardians: The Wind Rises in the Desert” which is also on release north of the border (see story above). “Blades” stars Hong Konger Nicholas Tse, opposite Wu Jing and Jet Li. The film is directed by Guangzhou-born Yuen Woo-ping and earned HK$2.59 million ($332,000) in three days.
Fourth place belonged to another Hong Kong production “Back to the Past” (尋秦記), which earned HK$2.11 million ($271,000) over the three-day holiday, but has a powerhouse cumulative of HK$93.5 million ($12 million) to date.
The only Hollywood movie in the top five is animation “GOAT” which took HK$1.43 million in three days and has HK$2.31 million ($296,000) since releasing in Hong Kong on Thursday a week ago.
Australia’s Matchbox Pictures Closing
Prominent Australian production company Matchbox Pictures is to close after 18 years of operation, its parent Universal International Studios announced this week.
“[The decision] followed “extensive evaluation of the business and the broader production landscape”, Universal said in a statement. “Universal International Studios maintains its commitment to Australia, but as strategic priorities shift the studio is evolving its operating model in the region.”
“Moving forward the company will evaluate production opportunities and engage with local producers and talent on a case-by-case basis as new projects emerge.”
The company has been involved on over 50 film and TV projects including 2011’s “The Slap” Emmy-winning “Safe Harbour” and “Stateless” with Cate Blanchett. It recently provided production services for Universal’s US productions that shot in Australia, including “La Brea” and “All Her Fault”.
Its “Glitch” and “Clickbait” series were significant hits for Netflix. And its “The Survivors” was Netflix’s most-watched local series in Australia in 2025.
The company was founded by Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden and Michael McMahon and Helen Pankhurst in 2008. It sold a majority stake in 2011 to NBC Universal and became a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2014. It has been reported that Ayres’ company Tony Ayres Productions, which is backed by both Matchbox and Universal International Studios, will also close.
Netflix Unveils Australia – New Zealand Slate
With or without Matchbox Pictures productions, Netflix said that it has a committed to a slate of productions in in Australia and New Zealand through 2026 and that it will use the region as the production base for several of its international or global titles.
Now headed by the experienced Amanda Duthie, the Aus-NZ content operations include several previously announced titles.:
The third and final season of “Heartbreak High”, which premieres on Netflix on 25 March 25. It was set and filmed in Sydney.
“My Brilliant Career”, a series adaptation of Miles Franklin’s iconic novel. Filmed in South Australia, it stars Phillipa Northeast as a woman torn between ambition as a writer and adventurer and an unexpected romance and marriage.
“Breakers”, led by Antony Starr, alongside Oliver Edis, Annabel Wolfe and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, is the first Netflix series to shoot on the coast of Western Australia, and follows two backpacking friends who are drawn into a close-knit surf community.
It is also in production on “Allen”, a heartwarming live-action feature film about friendship and adventure, created by Ludo Studio, the Brisbane-based maker of hit animation “Bluey”. Directed by Daley Pearson and set against the backdrop of a Queensland coastal town, the film follows Petey, played by T.J. Power, who reunites with his long-lost best friend, Allen, 20 years later.
The global titles shooting in the region for the streamer include:
“War Machine”, a large-scale action film, with Patrick Hughes directing. Set over the final 24 hours of an elite military selection programme, the film combines relentless momentum with a cast including Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid and Jai Courtney.
“Apex”, a thriller set and made in the Australian wilderness, starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton that follows a grieving woman suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator.
“The Mosquito Bowl”, which is based on the true story of four college football stars who enlist in the Marines following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Led by Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård and directed by Peter Berg, the World War II drama was filmed on the Gold Coast, Queensland.
“East of Eden”, a limited series that reimagines John Steinbeck’s classic novel of the same name through a contemporary lens. Shot in New Zealand, it places renewed focus on character and moral complexity.
“Wonka: The Golden Ticket”, an unscripted series filmed on the Gold Coast by Eureka Productions. Set inside a retro-futuristic dreamscape, it involves high-stakes social experiment that challenges players physically and mentally.
“Stranger Things: Tales From ’85”, a world-extending animated series made by Sydney-based Flying Bark Productions, in which the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery terrorising their town.
“Steps”, an animated film from Netflix Animation Studios produced in Sydney (sharing animation production with Vancouver), which brings a fresh twist to a classic fairytale. The vice cast includes Ali Wong and Stephanie Hsu.
Mukta Arts Films to Live on in Animated Form
Mukta Arts, the stock market-listed Indian film production company headed by legendary producer and director Subhash Ghai, has struck a deal with Green Gold Animation to develop and produce animated shows and feature films based on Mukta Arts’ live-action films.
Mukta Arts is no longer at the forefront of Indian film production, but has been behind some of Bollywood’s best known titles from an earlier era, including: “Yaadein”, “Aitraaz”, “Kisna”, “36 China Town”, “Yuvraaj” and “Apna Sapna Money Money”. It subsequently expanded into low-budget and regional language filmmaking, cinema operation and running of the Whistling Woods Film School. In 2025, it launched SGM Animation Studio as its dedicated animation and games division.
Hyderabad-based Green Gold is best known for the “Chhota Bheem” animation series and the “Krishna” film series.
The first project in works under the joint effort is based on Ghai’s action-thriller film “Kalicharan”. The two companies have named Mukta Arts’ catalogue titles including “Taal”, “Karz”, “Hero”, “Karma”, “Ram Lakhan”, “Khalnayak”, “Saudagar” and “Iqbal” as other properties that could lead to film adaptations or character-led spin-offs.
“Mukta Arts has always believed in creating stories with lasting emotional value. Through animation, we are extending our IP into a new medium for the next generation”, said Ghai.
“This partnership with SGM Studios allows us to apply our experience in building long-lasting animation IPs to a truly iconic film catalogue. Together, we aim to create animated worlds that are rooted in these legendary stories, yet designed to connect with today’s young, global audiences” said Green Gold founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka.
Aniplex Lays an Egg
Aniplex, the Sony-owned animation company behind the “Demon Slayer” franchise, earlier this month announced that it had acquired Egg Firm, another Japanese animation and planning company. The company has been involved in series including “Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation” and “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?”.
Deal terms were not disclosed other than the purchase of 100% of Egg’s shares and a closure date of 2 Feb.
Egg said that its core business will not change. It added that the move is intended to deepen collaboration with Aniplex and will fully leverage the group’s management resources.
Global demand for Japanese animation is on the rise as has been demonstrated by numerous industry reports and surveys and investment plans aimed at expansion on the part of companies including Sony, Netflix, Toei Animation and TV Asahi.
Egg was founded in 2015 by former GENCO producer Nobuhiro Osawa. It debuted with “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.” and later worked with Reki Kawahara, Ichiro Okouchi and Akiyuki Simbo.