May 19--REPORTING FROM BEIJING -- "Avengers: Age of Ultron" soaked up a stunning 87% of box office receipts in mainland China last week, earning $149.4 million in its first six days in theaters.
The Marvel film, which opened Tuesday, took in $29.8 million on its first day in theaters, good enough for the second-biggest opening day of all time in China. But it was not even half of the record-breaking debut of "Furious 7," which notched $64.2 million on its first day in theaters in April, according to data from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
Despite some carping about the low quality of its subtitles, "Avengers" sucked most of the air out of the box office, leaving only scraps for its competitors. In second place was Sony Pictures' "Chappie," which added nearly $3.5 million to its total, bringing the sci-fi film's cumulative earnings in China to almost $14 million over 10 days.
The local romance "Silent Separation" came in at No. 3 for the seven days ending Sunday; the adaptation of a popular novel has now earned nearly $56 million since its April 30 release. "The Left Ear," a coming-of-age romance, came in at fourth place. The Alec Su-directed film has grossed more than $77 million since arriving in theaters April 24.
"Furious 7" added a final $1.5 million to its massive haul. The Universal Pictures film closes out its China run with more than $390 million, making it the top-grossing movie in China ever, far outstripping last year's record-breaking "Transformers: Age of Extinction."
Year to date, China's box office earnings stand at $2.56 billion, Artisan said.
