‘Avengers: Infinity War’ becomes top-grossing Marvel movie in China

Reporting from Beijing —  “Avengers: Infinity War” soared to the top of China’s box office last weekend, becoming the highest-grossing Marvel film in the Middle Kingdom and the fourth most-successful Hollywood import of all time.

Underscoring the appeal of superhero movies in China, the film pulled in $102 million in box office receipts for a total of $300.6 million after 10 days, according to film consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

The action film was helped by strong audience reviews. On the Chinese movie-rating website douban.com, “Infinity War” scored an 8.4 out of 10, the highest among Marvel’s productions, above “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Captain America: Civil War.”

The third installment of the “Avengers” franchise is the highest imported film in 2018.

Only local romantic comedy “How Long Will I Love You,” produced by Beijing Enlight and starring Lei Jiayin and Tong Liya, challenged “Avengers.” It drew $37 million in ticket sales over three days. The film features two people who live in the same apartment during different decades and discover they can travel back in time to influence each other’s worlds.

Paramount’s thriller “A Quiet Place” debuted with $17.6 million during its opening weekend. Horror films generally are less popular in China than sci-fi films.

Chinese-language romance hit “Us and Them” garnered an additional $4.2 million for $210.8 million after 23 days. It joins the top 10 highest-grossing Chinese-language films of all time.

Domestic family-themed drama comedy “I Am Your Mom,” starring Yan Ni, collected $1.5 million for $5.5 million in ticket sales after 10 days.

Zhang is a special correspondent.