Lionsgate's Now You See Me 2 scored a record opening day in China for the studio, while debuting at the top of the Chinese movie market.
Chinese-American director Jon M. Chu's magic caper movie grossed RMB98 million ($14.8 million) on Friday, according to Lionsgate. It's understood Now You See Me 2, which has scenes set in China and characters speaking in Chinese, will ultimately have an opening day nearly $17 million.
The first Now You See Me movie in 2013 did around $2 million on its opening day in China, though that was on a Thursday. The sequel was preceded on June 20 with a red-carpet premiere at the Beijing Wanda Theater, with Chu and star Mark Ruffalo attending.
Now You See Me 2's opening in China is key for Lionsgate as foreign sales have covered around two-thirds of the film's cost. Chu's sequel capturing the magical antics of the Four Horsemen first hit theaters on June 10.
The Now You See Me sequel features returning stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Morgan Freeman, with Lizzy Caplan replacing Isla Fisher.