"The Angry Birds Movie" opened on top of the Chinese box office with a score that was within shouting distance of its estimated North American weekend.
"Birds" opened on Friday and flew off with the top spot on every day through the weekend. After three days, it landed with a weekend total of $30.2 million. The Sony-backed game adaptation is expected to finish this weekend around $39 million in North America.
"Birds" has high visibility in China given the massive download totals for the original game, and talk of building a string of “Birds” theme parks. The opening numbers reflect that recognition, but are far from the best opening the year.
"The Divergent Series: Allegiant" opened the same day in China and claimed second place on Friday with an opening day $3.75 million. But it lost ground to “Captain America: Civil War” on Saturday and Sunday, and finished the weekend in overall third. Friday to Sunday totals for “Civil War” were $11.7 million and for “Allegiant” 9.58 million. After 17 days “Civil War” has accumulated $177 million, Disney’s third best total in China.
There was a sharp drop from the three Hollywood leaders to other challengers. Fourth place was taken by Chinese opener “Night Peacock,” with $3.86 million in three days. Fifth was Chinese music drama “Song of the Phoenix” with $2.37 million, for a cumulative of $9.72 million after nearly three weeks.
Chinese romance, “Book of Love” continued its gentle slide with $2.15 million in sixth place, for a cumulative of $116 million after 24 days. “Criminal” dropped steeply taking $1.38 million in seventh for a cumulative of $13.2 million after 10 days. “Brothers” opened $1.3 million in eighth.