‘Transformers’ has giant opening
Series’ latest film has fourth-biggest start in China’s history.
BEIJING — The newest Transformers film, “Transformers: The Last Knight,” dominated China’s box office last week, grossing $126 million in its first three days and marking the fourth-biggest opening in Chinese boxoffice history.
The Transformers series is enormously popular in China, where the eponymous toys have long been an early childhood staple. The film’s prequel, “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” became the No. 1 film in Chinese history in 2014.
The latest installment’s opening grosses were beaten only by two Fast and the Furious franchise films — “The Fate of the Furious,” released this year, and “Furious 7” in 2015 — and the Chinese action caper “Journey to the West: Demon Chapter,” according to the film consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
In second place last week was the Ridley Scott-directed sci-fi thriller “Alien: Covenant,” which collected $40.9 million in the 10 days since its June 16 release; its receipts have outperformed the total grosses of its 2012 prequel, “Prometheus.”
“The Mummy,” a reboot of Universal’s iconic monster movie — this installment starring Tom Cruise — came in third, grossing $7.5 million last week for a cumulative total of nearly $90 million. The film’s haul in China could at least partially offset its disappointing performance in the U.S.
The superhero film “Wonder Woman” — a smash hit in the U.S. — came in fourth, with $4.4 million in receipts last week.
The inspirational Bollywood drama “Dangal” came in fifth, grossing $3 million. Since its May 5 release, it has grossed nearly $190 million, making it the highest grossing non-Hollywood film ever in the country.