‘Avengers: Infinity War’ scores second-biggest opening in China box office history
This past weekend, Avengers: Infinity War scored a record-breaking opening in China. The superhero film raked in $200 million (1.26 billion RMB) in the world’s second-largest market, far surpassing the opening weekend performances of other Marvel movies.
Despite its huge opening, Infinity War still didn’t beat out The Fate of the Furious for No.1 opening weekend in China. Last year, the latest installment of the Fast and Furious franchise earned $184 million (RMB 1.35 billion) in its first frame. Infinity War eclipses The Fate of the Furious in USD due to an exchange rate discrepancy, but the latter still earned more in the local currency.
Infinity War’s box office haul is all the more impressive when considering it has earned more in China in three days than the entire run of some recent Marvel films, such as Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Captain America: Civil War.
On Douban, one of China’s biggest review websites, Infinity War is currently the highest-rated Marvel movie, with a score of 8.5. Marvel films score an average 7.1 on Douban, with Captain America: The First Avenger and Black Panther currently tied for the lowest score — 6.6 — in the franchise. The latter has been a critical and commercial hit in North America since its premiere a few months ago, but in China, it has not stirred up the same degree of appreciation.
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At this rate, Infinity War will soon unseat Avengers: Age of Ultron to become the highest-grossing Marvel film in China’s box office history. However, analysts have pointed out that Marvel movies are still not as popular in China as other Hollywood franchises like Fast and Furious or Transformers. The ensemble Avengers films, in general, perform better than the rest of the Marvel films, which earn, on average, roughly $110 million in China. While some are optimistic that Infinity War will reach the box office heights of Transformers: The Last Knight, which grossed $228 million in China last year, there are those that are skeptical. The Fate of the Furious remains the highest-grossing Hollywood film in China’s box office history.
