March 14--REPORTING FROM BEIJING -- "Zootopia" is off to a roaring start at the Chinese box office, with the Disney film crossing the $100-million mark after 10 days in theaters and gunning for the all-time record for an animated movie on the mainland.
The tale of a mammalian metropolis has grossed a total of $112.6 million since its March 4 release, gaining steam after its opening weekend and pulling in $88 million in the seven days ending Sunday, according to data from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
"Zootopia" has already become the third-highest grossing animated film ever in China, behind only DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 3" ($152.2 million), and the local Chinese production "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" ($147.1 million), Artisan said. (By comparison, "Zootopia" has earned about $142 million in the U.S. and Canada.)
The opening weekend "Zootopia" coincided with allegations of box-office manipulation by the distributors of the martial arts film "Ip Man 3," starring Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson. Authorities are now probing whether that movie's box-office receipts were inflated by fake screenings and other maneuvers.
After a reported $72 million in receipts in its first three days in theaters, "Ip Man 3" saw reported ticket sales fall to $39.7 million in the seven days ending Sunday, data from Artisan showed. Many screens that were initially dedicated to "Ip Man" have since switched over to "Zootopia."
In third place last week was "Gods of Egypt," Summit Entertainment's $140-million fantasy action film starring Gerard Butler, which has performed poorly stateside. The movie -- co-produced by China's Le Vision Pictures -- took in $19.9 million in its first three days in theaters. The movie has made only $27 million in the U.S. and Canada since its Feb. 26 release.
Rounding out the top five for the week were Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid," which added an additional $10 million to its half-billion-dollar haul, and the local production "Spicy Hot in Love," which managed $2.4 million in its first six days in theaters.
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