‘Avengers’ won’t top ‘Furious 7’
BEIJING — “Avengers: Age of Ultron” has arrived in Chinese theaters but looks unlikely to top “Furious 7.” The seventh installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise is ending its run as China’s top-grossing movie of all time.
“Furious 7” spent its final week in Chinese theaters atop the box-office charts, taking in an additional $17.4 million in the seven days that ended Sunday and pushing its cumulative gross on the mainland to more than $388 million.
With the movie moving out of cinemas Tuesday after 30 days, the Universal Pictures film’s final haul is unlikely to exceed the $400million threshold, analysts from industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway said.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” arrived in Chinese theaters Tuesday, an atypical opening day where tickets are often discounted, so its firstday tally is unlikely to break any records. Still, Artisan analysts forecast that the Marvel superhero saga will easily surpass the 1 billion renminbi mark, or $161 million.
In second place at the box office for the seven days that ended Sunday was the Chinese romance “Silent Separation.” The LeVision Pictures film collected $14.4 million in its second week of release. The movie has grossed $53 million to date.
Third place went to the Hong Kong action thriller “Helios,” which brought in $11 million.
Sony Pictures’ science fiction thriller “Chappie,” directed by Neill Blomkamp, opened Friday and debuted in fourth place on the weekly chart with $10.3 million.
Rounding out the top five was Taiwanese heartthrob actor turned director Alec Su’s “The Left Ear,” a drama that has grossed more than $75 million since its April 24 opening. An adaptation of a popular youth novel by Rao Xueman, the story focuses on a teenage girl who is partially deaf.