(Variety0 The astonishing five-day haul of $331 million (RMB2.22 billion) for “Avengers: Endgame” in China has set a record for the country’s highest-grossing opening weekend of any film, Western or local, and puts the Marvel finale on track to eclipse in about one week what its predecessor, “Infinity War,” made during its entire monthlong run in the Middle Kingdom.
Since its debut last Wednesday, Disney’s “Endgame” has blasted away all competitors to rule the box office with a nearly 90% market share, hogging nearly 75% of all screenings in the entire country. It made $176 million of that five-day tally from Friday through Sunday, according to data from the Artisan Gateway consultancy. The No. 2 film over the weekend, holdover thriller “P Storm,” made $1.4 million – or less than half a percent of “Endgame’s” total.
The new “Avengers” adventure has also smashed Imax records in China, giving the giant-screen company its biggest opening day, biggest three-day opening and, already, biggest opening week. “Endgame” took in an unprecedented $42.4 million on 609 Imax screens over its five-day debut, surpassing the previous record holder, February’s Chinese sci-fi blockbuster “The Wandering Earth,” by 66%. In just five days, “Endgame” has already blown past the entire $41.2 million Imax tally for last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War.” The company recorded averages of $69,500 per screen, its highest ever in China, and accounted for 45 out of the 50 top-performing Chinese theaters during the period.
The No. 2 and No. 3 films over the weekend were both holdovers: Hong Kong anti-corruption thriller “P Storm” and Indian black comedy “Andhadhun,” the latter of which made $900,000. The two films debuted weeks ago, on April 4 and 3, respectively.
The “Endgame” frenzy buried the debut of Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden’s latest feature, “Jinpa,” which premiered at Venice last year, where it won best screenplay in the Horizons section. The film brought in a mere $800,000 in its opening weekend. Based on two Tibetan novels, the Tibetan-language film tells the tale of a truck driver who tries to stop a young hitchhiker he picks up from committing a vengeful murder. It was nominated for best adapted screenplay and best director at last year’s Golden Horse Awards.
Paramount’s “Wonder Park” came in fifth with just $600,000. It has earned just $4 million after 11 days in Chinese theaters.
“Endgame” has also broken records in Hong Kong, where it clocked the best opening day and highest single-day box office in the territory with a $2.6 million (HKD20.9 million) haul. The previous record holder was “Infinity War,” which opened with HKD10.4 million.
Source: Variety By Rebecca Davis