China box office: ‘X-Men’ on top as U.S. films rule the week
Reporting from Beijing — American films dominated China’s movie screens last week with “X-Men: Apocalypse” topping the field with a $56-million opening weekend.
The long-running 20th Century Fox franchise based on the Marvel comics series was far ahead of “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” which earned $22.5 million in the seven days ending Sunday. But “Alice” has helped push Disney’s take in China so far in 2016 to nearly 5 billion renminbi, or $770 million, according to film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway. “Alice” has earned nearly $50 million on the mainland since its May 27 opening, about the same as its domestic earnings.
“The Angry Birds Movie” from Rovio Entertainment came in third place for the seven days ending Sunday. The animated Sony film based on the popular video game has grossed more than $72 million during its first 17 days in theaters.
Rounding out the top five films were Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War,” which is nearing the end of its run with more than $191 million in tickets sold, and Summit Entertainment’s “Allegiant,” which has earned $18.5 million.
Opening Wednesday is Legendary Entertainment’s “Warcraft,” which has sold nearly $20 million in advance tickets, the company said. Legendary was purchased earlier this year by China’s Dalian Wanda Group. “Warcraft,” opening Friday in the United States, is based on the popular video games from Blizzard Entertainment.
Twitter: @JulieMakLAT
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