International Reaction
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” valid a large pull in China, a world’s second-largest film market, grossing an estimated $53 million in sheet sales in a initial dual days in theaters.
That studio-estimated sum is a biggest Saturday-Sunday box-office opening ever in China. It did 70% improved than a prior hilt of that sold record — Paramount Pictures’ “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation.”
China is a final marketplace to open “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” adding to the Lucasfilm picture’s already large worldwide haul. It’s now a third biggest film ever, globally ($1.73 billion), behind only “Titanic” and “Avatar.”
FULL COVERAGE: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
In a U.S. and Canada, it’s already a all-time tip film (not adjusting for inflation) with $812 million in domestic sheet sales given it debuted Dec. 17, including $41.6 million from this weekend.
The Chinese marketplace has turn increasingly critical for Hollywood studios, and Disney has pushed tough to primary a most-populous republic for a latest “Star Wars” film.
In a run-up to a debut, Disney had to contend with a fact that few Chinese moviegoers had ever seen a “Star Wars” film in theaters, nor did they share U.S. fans’ nostalgia for a series’ dear droids and Wookiees.
The association organised to have a 6 prior episodes shown during a Shanghai International Film Festival to assistance stoke interest. In one selling stunt, a studio sent Stormtroopers to take over a Great Wall.
Some Chinese cinema sequence bosses have likely that a film could eventually sell $300 million in tickets there. The all-time highest-grossing Hollywood film in China is “Furious 7,” with about $380 million.
The China opening for “Star Wars” was good news for large-screen cinema association Imax Corp. Imax screens accounted for $8.1 million in Chinese box office, about 15% of a opening sum for “Star Wars” in that country. It was a biggest two-day opening ever for Imax in China.
Follow Ryan Faughnder on Twitter for some-more party business coverage: @rfaughnder
Article source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-star-wars-china-box-office-20160110-story.html
