China's Detective Chinatown 3 Shatters Endgame Box Office Record with $397 Million Opening

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Audiences sure are eager to return to the movies!

Moviegoers in China broke a box office world record over the weekend when Detective Chinatown 3, a buddy cop comedy, made $397 million during its first three days of release. That's the most a movie has ever made on opening weekend in a single market, according to The New York Times and Deadline.

The previous record-holder was Avengers: Endgame, which opened to $357 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada, which count as a single market.

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Though the latest installment in the Detective Chinatown series didn't earn very favorable reviews, audiences flocked to theaters as some businesses reopen after COVID-19 lockdowns.

The record-breaking weekend comes during the Lunar New Year holiday, which lasts seven days. As The New York Times reports, people in China were heavily encouraged not to travel during the time, which likely contributed to more people going to the movies.

RELATED: China Surpasses North America as Biggest Box Office Market Globally amid Pandemic: Report

China recently reportedly surpassed North America in terms of bigger box office returns as the United States continues to grapple with how to safely reopen movie theaters. Movie theaters in China reopened last July.

According to data from Artisan Gateway, an Asian film and cinema industry consulting firm, the Chinese moviegoing market unseated North American totals in 2020 to become the No. 1 box office globally, per The Hollywood Reporter.