'Transformers 4′ Becomes the Highest-Grossing Movie Ever in China

A huge second weekend has given “Transformers: Age of Extinction” over $220 million at the Chinese box office and the country’s all time theatrical record.
 
The film grossed RMB740 million ($119.8 million) in the week to Sunday (July 6, 2014), according to data from EntGroup. That followed a smashing three day opening weekend of RMB628 million ($101.7 million) and puts the Michael Bay-directed film on a 10-day cume to Sunday of RMB1.37 billion ($221.9 million).
 
“Avatar’s” all time record stood at RMB1.39 billion. But that figure was certainly surpassed on Monday, for which data in not yet locally available.
 
Also, given that the Chinese currency has appreciated since “Avatar”‘s release in 2009 the score by “Transformers 4″ is worth considerably more to its studio owners than the James Cameron-directed fantasy.
 
Paramount has not yet confirmed the Chinese data.
 
A China record has long been on the cards for the pic and Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman predicted as much at the Moffett Nathanson Media & Communications Summit in May.
 
The pic is treated as an import into China — not a co-production — but combines numerous Chinese elements and was extensively shot in China and China’s Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong. It was made with China Movie Channel (CCTV6) as a production partner and leaned on the state-backed channel and its movie website M1905 as promotional partners. Some minor cast members were recruited through a reality show, while Chinese star Li Bingbing has been forefront in the promotional efforts.
 
Inevitably, such gargantuan success has attracted detractors. On Monday three Chinese anti-tobacco groups accused the film of having too many scenes of people smoking.
 
Last week Wulong Karst Tourism Group, an area of natural beauty near Chongqing, threatened to sue M1905 arguing that the film-makers failed to honor the details of a product promotion contract which required them to give prominent display to Wulong’s logo. Earlier, a Beijing hotel threatened to disrupt the film’s release for similar reasons. That dispute was quickly settled.
 
The previous instalment “”Transformers: Dark of the Moon” completed its Chinese career with a cume of $165 million.