With a solid $52.1 million in ticket sales, the highly anticipated superhero film from DC "Justice League" topped China's box office last week.
Soaring with a total of 30% more than Warner Bros.' previous release "Wonder Woman," but 10% short of its 2016 massive hit "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," according to film consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
However, last week also marked a breakthrough for China's box office, which exceeded the $7.55 billion record in ticket revenue for the first time.
It surpassed the total revenues in 2016 ($6.58 billion) and reflected a rebound in annual growth from last year's dismal 3.7% increase to a much healthier 15% this year.
However, even though the film has topped the box office, still "Justice League" only narrowly underperformed "Thor: Ragnarok," which opened earlier this month with a sum of $54.7 million and is still the most popular film in 10 other Asian countries.
But what sets apart the DC masterpiece is its attack to Chinese viewers, as audiences were drawn to "Justice League's" special effects and superhero-studded lineup, which features Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.
However, Walt Disney and Marvel Studios' "Thor: Ragnarok" has garnered a total of $12.3 million last week, coming in a distant second after ruling the charts for the previous two weeks. After 17 days in theaters, the film has grossed a total of $108.4 million. It also outpaced this year's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2," which generated $103.8 million.
While most Chinese viewers gained their first exposure to DC and Marvel superheroes from comic books in the early 1980s due to most Western cultural products were prohibited in China from the '50s to the '70s, the audience count just keeps on getting bigger and better.
Meanwhile, British actor and director Kenneth Branagh's "Murder on the Orient Express" have closely followed in third place, garnering $11.1 million for a total of $30.4 million after 10 days. It became the highest grossing crime suspense import in China ever, passing the previous holder, "Sherlock: The Abominable Bride" and ranking in fourth place was the Chinese comedy-fantasy "The Golden Monk," which grossed $8.7 million in its first week. The film is about a monk seeking love after realizing he is the reincarnation of a fairy cast down from Heaven.
"Seventy-Seven Days," another Chinese-language film, held on in the top five with $3.9 million; after just 17 days, it has amassed a total of $11.1 million.
