It's been a summer of big ups and downs, but one unequivocal winner is Edgar Wright's Baby Driver. The blockbuster not only received some of the best reviews of the year when it was first released back in late June, but it's also managed to be the first Wright film to break the $100 million barrier at the box office. Now the good news is getting even better, as it's been reported that the hit movie has been approved for distribution in China.
The Asian nation has become one of the most important markets in modern Hollywood, but what makes business with the country so challenging is both a strict censorship board and the specific limit on the number of American films that can be imported in a year. Sony Pictures evidently submitted Baby Driver for consideration, and China Film Insider says that the music-driven heist movie has been approved. That being said, there has been no set date established for release.
This is all around positive news for Baby Driver, as even if the film doesn't do that much business in China, all of the money still just adds to the already-impressive box office total (to date it has pulled in $175,108,441 worldwide on its reported $34 million budget). But that's the worst that could happen. The best thing that could happen is that the movie winds up being a huge hit - and when that happens, numbers can go crazy. For example, Transformers: The Last Knight has made $100 million more in China ($228,842,508) than it has here in America ($130,098,855).
There is another angle from which we can look at this development, and it concerns a future that may or may not include a Baby Driver 2. Edgar Wright has gone on the record saying that Sony has inquired about potential Baby Driver sequel ideas, and that he has been receptive to the process - but the formula going forward could be affected by this news. The studio now knows that this potential franchise has a foot in the door when it comes to the Chinese market, and that access could inspire even greater confidence to move forward with a follow-up.
After making $20 million in its opening weekend and opening behind Despicable Me 3, Baby Driver has demonstrated impressive legs this summer thanks to the extremely positive buzz consistently surrounding it. Sporting an impressive cast including Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx, the film is as intense and fun as any title released in 2017, and it's a feature that we're likely to continue talking about for many, many years to come - regardless of whether or not it ever gets a sequel. We'll be waiting on updates regarding the upcoming release in China, but domestically audiences can look forward to seeing the blockbuster on Blu-ray and DVD on October 10, and on DigitalHD September 26th.
