Box Office: China Lifts ‘Jupiter Ascending,’ ‘Big Hero 6′ Crosses $600 Million
“Jupiter Ascending” may have bombed in the United States, but Chinese audiences are embracing the story of a cleaning lady who discovers she’s intergalactic royalty.
The Wachowski siblings’ space opera topped the foreign box office after opening to $23.2 million in the People’s Republic. The film picked up a leading $25.3 million overseas, pushing its foreign total to $107 million.
Domestically, “Jupiter Ascending” has earned a meager $45 million since opening in February, so it’s possible it could earn more in China than it did in the United States. The bad news for “Jupiter Ascending” is that with a production budget of $176 million plus tens of millions in promotion and advertising costs, the picture still stands to lose money no matter how big a hit it is in China.
China also helped “Big Hero 6″ capture second place on the foreign charts with $19.6 million. Baymax, the film’s lovable robot character, is a big hit there, and the film has already earned $40.8 million in China. That makes it the second biggest Disney Animations Studios release ever in the country behind “Frozen.” The animated picture crossed $600 million at the global box office this weekend and has now opened in every international market.
Third place is a dead heat between “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Focus,” both of which scored $17.7 million, bringing their global totals to $527.7 million and $71.6 million, respectively.
“Kingsman: The Secret Service” rounded out the top five with $17 million. The tongue-in-cheek spy thriller should cross $250 million next week, making the prospect of a sequel more likely.
This weekend’s top domestic release, “Chappie,” did almost as well at the foreign box office as it did Stateside, earning $13.7 million from 54 territories.
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