Los Angeles Times

Rockstarre­d film is crusher

‘Rampage’ dominates theaters for 2nd week, drawing $51.3 million.

- By Kemeng Fan

BEIJING — Warner Bros’ action-adventure film “Rampage” trampled the competitio­n for the second straight week in China.

The movie, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, grossed $51.3 million in ticket sales last week, according to film consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

The film accumulate­d $106.8 million in 10 days, making it Johnson’s best showing to date in mainland China, excluding the starstudde­d “Fast and Furious” series.

The strong ticket sales, however, did not translate into appreciati­ve reviews. “Rampage” sits at a mediocre 6.8 out of 10 on the Chinese movie rating website Douban.

“With this type of movie, you need to stop thinking about logic in the story line after you buy the ticket,” said one online reviewer. “If you get a bunch of smash and bash, a happy ending, and some good effects, you’ve got your ticket’s worth.”

Another reviewer praised Johnson’s role as “tailormade” for the actor but lamented that “the story was rather simple.”

Warner Bros’ other hit, “Ready Player One,” continued its strong showing. The sci-fi blockbuste­r managed to rake in $14.6 million last week, and scored 8.9 on the rating website. Despite some cultural barriers, Steven Spielberg’s love letter to 1980s and ’90s American pop culture had $207.1 million in ticket sales after three weeks in the Middle Kingdom and is now among the top 10 highest-grossing imported films ever in China.

The domestic romantic comedy “21 Karat,” led by actress Dilraba Dilmurat, opened with $10 million in its first three-day weekend, just shy of previous works “Namiya” and “Mr. Pride vs. Miss Prejudice” in 2017.

Wes Anderson’s stop-motion animation “Isle of Dogs” premiered over the weekend with a mere $4.1 million in ticket sales.

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