(Variety) Dwayne Johnson’s “Rampage” ran away with the weekend box office in China. The other significant opener “Annihilation” took third spot as Hollywood titles claimed the top three Chart places.
“Rampage” earned $55.1 million according to local data tracker Ent Group. It played on some 21,500 screens, which translated as approximately 125,000 screenings per day. The total included $4.5 million from 504 IMAX screens.
The score is one of the strongest China openings for a Warner Bros. title. Significantly, it was 34% better than Johnson’s “Jumanji.”
“Ready Player One,” now in its third week of release, added $14.5 million from 51,000 screenings per day. Its cumulative has now hit $193 million, after 17 days.
Faced with such competition, “Annihilation” could only earn $6.11 million on its debut. On Sunday its screenings count was some 41,000. The film’s marketing campaign warned viewers that children under the age of 13 should not watch the film unless accompanied by an adult.
China has no film rating system and all films released are supposed to be capable of being viewed by audiences of all ages. After “Logan” last year, this is only the second time that a film has been released with such a warning.
Indian comedy-drama, “Hindi Medium” added $3.36 million in fourth place. After 12 days, it now has $29.5 million.
Russian animation, “The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice” played strongly enough on Saturday and Sunday to earn fifth place with $1.64 million. After 11 days, it has a cumulative of $8.86 million.
No other title managed more than $1 million. “Operation Red Sea” added $590,000 to its record-breaking haul, state-backed documentary “Amazing China” added $540,000 to its score. China’s “Love Trip” opened with $510,000 in eighth place. China’s “Wrath of Silence” added $420,000 for $7,98 million after 12 days.
Gay drama, “Seek McCartney” opened with $380,000 for tenth place. Directed by China’s Wang Chao and co-produced with France’s Olivier Aknin, the film was initially approved for release in 2015. The timing of the release is puzzling, as China now appears to be cracking down on homosexual-themed content online.
Source: Variety by Patrick Frater
