"Beauty and the Beast” easily dominated a polarized and quieter than average weekend at the Chinese box office.
It earned a very solid $42.8 million in its opening three days, according to local box office service Ent Group. Disney reported the figure as $44.8 million.
With an average of 100,000 screenings per day, “Beauty” was set up to win. And on all three days, it enjoyed a mid-60% market share. Disney reported that its score was the highest ever opening for a Disney Live Action – meaning Lucasfilm or Marvel – title.
The “gay moment” controversy that dogged the film in some other territories was not an important factor in China. Chinese regulators boasted that they had admitted the film intact and without one of the age warnings permitted under the new Film Promotion Law.
Far behind, in second place, was “A Dog’s Purpose.” It scored $11.1 million in its third weekend on release, for a cumulative of $74.8 million.
Further behind, “Logan” was third with a weekend score of $6.0 million. After 17 days it has accumulated $101 million. “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” claimed fourth place with $5.11 million, for a 24-day cumulative of $160 million.
Hong Kong-made animation, “McDull: Kung Fu Kindergarten” took fifth place with $2.58 million. The limited, re-release of the 2009 movie, lifts its lifetime theatrical total to over $11.4 million.
No other film on release scored more than $1 million for the weekend. “Sing” managed $500,000 in sixth place, “Lego Batman” earned $340,000 in seventh.
Chinese horror, “Haunted Sisters” opened with a weak $290,000 in eighth place, ahead of holdover “Boonie Bears: Entangled Worlds” with $170,000, and “xXx: The Return of Xander Cage” with $110,000.