Avengers: Age of Ultron opens huge in China

LOS ANGELES — Avengers: Age of Ultron took China by storm this week, scoring the country’s second highest-grossing debut in history.

The superhero sequel has made US$156.3 million (S$206.6 million) in its first six days in the People’s Republic, behind only Furious 7 when it comes to China openings. Those big numbers pushed Avengers: Age of Ultron’s global total to US$1.1 billion, making it the eighth highest-grossing film of all time.

The film topped foreign charts again, pulling in US$185 million from overseas territories in its fourth week of international release.

Among new releases, Mad Max: Fury Road got off to a strong start, racking up UUS$65 million across 68 international markets and nearly 16,900 screens.

The US$150 million production was backed by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, and has been powered by rapturous reviews. The film debuted in first place in France with US$6.8 million, took in US$6.7 million in the United Kingdom, opened to US$6.6 million in South Korea and brought in US$6 million in Russia.

The futuristic adventure has earned US$109.4 million globally when its domestic debut is added to the pot. That makes it the highest-grossing Mad Max film in today’s dollars, although it should be noted that three decades and a whole lot of inflation separate installments.

Pitch Perfect 2 snagged third place on the international charts, grossing an estimated US$26.9 million from 29 territories. The a cappella comedy topped the North American box office with US$70.3 million, and its worldwide total stands at US$108.4 million. Internationally, Pitch Perfect 2 opened in first place in Austria, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.

The film will debut next week in seven additional territories, including Israel and Spain, and should easily pass the first film’s US$115.3 million global haul in a matter of days.

Furious 7 snagged fourth place on the foreign chart with US$6.6 million, driving its total to nearly US$1.5 billion, while Chinese murder mystery The Chronicles of Evil captured fifth place with a US$6.3 million debut. VARIETY.COM/REUTERS