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2046 — Release data

Release data is not our primary concern but it might help you understand how well a film was accepted by a certain audience (for whatever reason, not just traditional values!) and/or who is funding the film, etc.

2046 was released internationally at Cannes in 2004. This film was nominated for numerous awards. Box office performance was unremarkable but critical reviews were mostly very positive.

Financial info

The below is based on http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=2046.htm. There are other questions you can answer or explore by going directly to the site.

Where did 2046 make its money?

$1,000,000+ (rounded) country ticket sales (in dollars) other than the U.S. The high sales in Japan reflect the popularity of movie-going in the country, the high cost of tickets and definitely Takuya Kimura's presence in the film.

  • Japan $6,800,000
  • France and Northern Africa $2,700,000
  • Germany $1,300,000
  • Spain $1,000,000

Total Lifetime Grosses

  • Domestic: $1,444,588 (7.4%)
  • + Foreign: $18,025,651 (92.6%)
  • = Worldwide: $19,470,239

Domestic Summary

  • Opening Weekend: $113,074 (Flying Daggers was $397,472)
    (#36 rank, 4 theaters, $28,268 average) (Flying Daggers was #19)
    % of Total Gross: 7.8%
  • Widest Release: 61 theaters (Flying Daggers was 1,189 theaters)
  • Close Date: December 8, 2005
  • In Release: 126 days / 18 weeks

Director: WONG Kar Wai (Chinese, Hong Kong)
Year released: 2004
Running time: 2:04
Setting: Singapore and Hong Kong, at various times between 1963 and 1970; a train in an unspecified future time
IMDb: 2046
Release data (Box Office Mojo): 2046


Chow Mo-wan: the journalist male protagonist, loves Su Li-zhen and others

Su Li-Zhen (1) & (2): Chow's "true" love from the film In the Mood for Love but also "Black Spider," the glove-wearing gambler with the same name.

Bai Ling: feisty female who moves in close to Chow Mo-wan and is expert at getting the attention of men

Wang Jing Wen: sad, if not crazy, writer type who loves a Japanese man. She is the elder daughter of the hotel owner; her sister is Wang Jie Wen, a minor character


Topics of focus for this film:

"Layering": memories, conflation of individuals, non-linear timelines.
Communication between lovers.
Comparisons: Dreams in 2046 and Tale of Genji.
Comparisons: Money in 2046 and Story of the Stone.


On our schedule, this movie begins with Session 24.

First session: Scenes 00-07 (34 min.) Second session: Scenes 08-14 (30 min.) Third session: Scenes 15-23 (33 min.) Fourth session: Scenes 24-28 (32 min.) Fifth session: open discussion (50 min.)


Availability: Media Center (Moffitt) — DVD 4876 / Netflix DVD