US Release date: 2 February 1950
First Melbourne Saturday Suburban: 13 May 1950
Genre: Adventure
Country: USA
Running time: 97 minutes.
Director: Lewis R. Foster
Cast: John Payne, Gail Russell & Jeffrey Lynn
Australian Distributor: Paramount
Melbourne Premiere Venue: Union’s Liberty theatre for two weeks from 7 April 1950 with Blondie’s Secret as support.
Suburban Release Type: Union 8-W-1
Rankings
| Rank | ||
| EF Points | 338 | 45 |
| EF PPE | 7.51 | 30 |
| Metres Travelled | 490,657 | 145 |
| Average MT | 10,903 | 82 |
| Engagements | 45 | 177 |
| Slots | 72 | 56 |
| Weeks | 27 | 52 |
| Weeks as % of engagements | 60.00% | 65 |
| Saturdays | 15 | 160 |
| Sats as % of engagements | 33.33% | 188 |
| Tuesdays | 3 | 299 |
| Tues as % of engagements | 6.67% | 331 |
| First billed | 44 | 83 |
| Second billed | 1 | 259 |
| Feature only | 0 | 34* |
Independent ratios
| Engagements weeks 1-10 | 43 |
| Ratio | 95.56% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 8.89% |
| Eng weeks 11-26 | 2 |
| Ratio | 4.44% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -3.18% |
| Eng weeks 27-52 | 0 |
| Ratio | 0.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -5.71% |
| Hoyts eng | 0 |
| Ratio | 0.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -0.84% |
| Independent eng | 36 |
| Ratio | 80.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | 2.89% |
| Suburban eng | 9 |
| Ratio | 20.00% |
| Difference to chain ratio | -2.05% |
Notes: Seagoing adventure that performed better than its Pine-Thomas origins would indicate, Union theatres had a thirst for non-B genre pics that were not the usual bread and butter of the companies they distributed, so when one sailed along they made the most of it. 338 EF points placed it 45th for the year and although there were no overly notable metrics it placed well above average in many. No regular support partner.
Captain China engagements
| SUBURB | VENUE | CHAIN | DATE | W | D | B | CO-FEATURE |
| Collingwood | Austral | Suburban | 13/5/50 | 1 | S | 1 | Free For All |
| Albert Park | Kinema | Independent | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | Noose |
| Burnley | Burnley | Independent | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | The Big Fight |
| North Carlton | Adelphi | Independent | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | The Big Fight |
| Richmond | National | Independent | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | The Big Fight |
| St.Kilda | Astor | Independent | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | Noose |
| Toorak | Village | Independent | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | Noose |
| St.Kilda | Palais | Suburban | 13/5/50 | 1 | W | 1 | Free For All |
| Elsternwick | Esquire | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | S | 1 | I Surrender Dear |
| Newmarket | Newmarket | Suburban | 20/5/50 | 2 | S | 1 | Free For All |
| Brunswick | Empire | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | The Big Fight |
| Caulfield | Camden | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | She Knew All the Answers |
| Malvern | Embassy | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | Tars and Spars |
| Moonee Ponds | Moonee | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | Blondie’s Secret |
| West Brunswick | Western | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | Blondie’s Secret |
| Westgarth | Westgarth | Independent | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | The Fuller Brush Man |
| Preston | Planet | Suburban | 20/5/50 | 2 | W | 1 | Meet the Stewarts |
| East Malvern | Waverley | Independent | 27/5/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Café Society |
| Essendon | Regal | Independent | 27/5/50 | 3 | S | 2 | The Perfect Marriage |
| Balwyn | Balwyn | Suburban | 27/5/50 | 3 | S | 1 | Unseen |
| East Brunswick | Liberty | Independent | 27/5/50 | 3 | W | 1 | A Yank in Dutch |
| Glenferrie | Glen | Independent | 27/5/50 | 3 | W | 1 | The Amazing Mr Williams |
| Hawthorn | Vogue | Independent | 27/5/50 | 3 | W | 1 | The Amazing Mr Williams |
| Ormond | Plaza | Suburban | 27/5/50 | 3 | W | 1 | Noose |
| Preston | St. James | Suburban | 27/5/50 | 3 | W | 1 | Meet the Stewarts |
| Ashburton | Civic | Independent | 3/6/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Mississippi |
| Sandringham | Roxy | Independent | 3/6/50 | 4 | S | 1 | Illegal Traffic |
| Middle Brighton | Dendy | Independent | 3/6/50 | 4 | W | 1 | Blondie’s Secret |
| North Brighton | Gardenvale | Independent | 3/6/50 | 4 | W | 1 | Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife |
| Footscray | Grand | Independent | 3/6/50 | 4 | W | 1 | Give Me a Sailor |
| Fairfield | Fairfield | Suburban | 3/6/50 | 4 | W | 1 | Free For All |
| Newport | Plaza | Independent | 10/6/50 | 5 | S | 1 | The Big Fight |
| Surrey Hills | Surrey | Independent | 10/6/50 | 5 | S | 1 | Magic in Music |
| Williamstown | Empress | Independent | 10/6/50 | 5 | S | 1 | The Big Fight |
| Coburg | Plaza | Independent | 10/6/50 | 5 | W | 1 | The Trespasser |
| Heidelberg | Orient | Independent | 10/6/50 | 5 | W | 1 | Blondie’s Secret |
| Yarraville | Sun | Independent | 10/6/50 | 5 | W | 1 | Give Me a Sailor |
| North Melbourne | Central | Independent | 17/6/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Holiday in Havana |
| Oakleigh | Plaza | Independent | 17/6/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Blondie’s Secret |
| Port Melbourne | Port | Independent | 17/6/50 | 6 | S | 1 | Blondie’s Secret |
| Box Hill | Regent | Suburban | 24/6/50 | 7 | S | 1 | Say it in French |
| Chelsea | Plaza | Independent | 24/6/50 | 7 | W | 1 | Ma and Pa Kettle |
| Elwood | Broadway | Independent | 15/7/50 | 10 | T | 1 | The Huggetts Abroad |
| North Richmond | Victoria | Independent | 5/8/50 | 13 | T | 1 | Heart of Virginia |
| Reservoir | Plaza | Independent | 9/9/50 | 18 | T | 1 | Heart of Virginia |
The 1950 Project 