Disney’s Avengers: Age of Ultron should have no problem holding the #1 spot at the Chinese box office this week. The action flick is poised to fend off five newcomers.
With $155 million and counting from its Chinese run, Avengers is already a huge success. While the superhero flick probably won’t top the recent record of $390.5 million record set by Furious 7, it should have no problem hitting $300 million by the end of its run. Globally, Ultron is up to $1.15 billion with its eyes on the $1.51 billion haul of 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers.
Four homegrown titles will try to steal away attention from Age of Ultron: Alibaba and the Thief, Unforgettable Blast, Feed Me and Love Without Distance. All four titles are aimed at different groups. Alibaba is an animated flick for kids, Unforgettable Blast is for twentysomethings, Feed Me is for arthouse film enthusiasts and Love Without Distance is for adult crowds.
Alibaba has already earned nearly 600K from advance screenings, so if buzz is strong it could end up connecting with families who have children that are too young for Ultron. Love Without Distance comes with name recognition courtesy of Francis Ng, Ma Tainyu and Zhou Weitong, which means it could turn into a modest hit. Unforgettable Blast is already battling negative buzz. As for Feed Me, it could find a niche among viewers who crave something other than a blockbuster.
P.K., the highest grossing Indian movie of all time, will try to reverse the trend of Indian cinema not catching on in China. The last Indian film to open in China was Happy New Year starring Shah Rukh Khan and that failed to hit even $1 million. According to EntGroup’s EFMT Marketing Index, P.K. boasts the strongest awareness, intent to purchase and word-of-mouth levels of any new release this week.
Phil Contrino & Jonathan Papish of Boxoffice.com contributed to this article.
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EntGroup Consulting is the leading research and consulting company focusing on China’s entertainment industry. A member of ComInsight Information Alliance Group, EntGroup focuses on providing data and information, conducting market research, industry research, consulting, and organizing media conferences. We serve a wide range of clients in areas of film, TV, new media, entertainment marketing and animation.
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About EBOT
EBOT EntGroup Box Office Tracker is a database focusing on the entertainment industry. Created and managed by China's leading entertainment industry research institute, EntGroup, it provides statistics and analysis on film and TV industries, as well as insight on market trends and consumer behaviors. It is an essential tool for entertainment investors, financiers, film production companies, distributors and advertisers. EBOT integrates Box Office data and analysis, moviegoer surveys, advertising insight, buzz tracking and industry research reports.
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