‘Hobbit’ beats ‘Robocop’ at Chinese box office

BEIJING – “Robocop” was unable to fend off Peter Jackson’s giant dragon last week at the Chinese box office as “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” took the top spot for the second week in a row. The second installment in the “Hobbit” series has now made more than $60.1 million on the mainland.

“Smaug,” from Warner Bros. and MGM, made $26.5 million in the week ending Sunday, besting newcomer “Robocop” by about $6 million, data from film industry consultants Artisan Gateway showed. Total box office for the week was about $72 million. The year-to-date tally is $970 million.

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Third place went to Wanda Media’s local romance “Beijing Love Story, which took in nearly $9 million and has racked up more than $63 million since its release just before Valentine’s Day.

Bona Film Group’s “The Man From Macau” added another $5 million to its tally. The movie has grossed more than $83 million since its debut in late January.

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Disney’s “Frozen” took in an additional $4.4 million for fifth place. The animated tale has earned $44.6 million.

This Friday, Chinese audiences will get a look at a few titles released stateside last fall but just arriving here. Among them are the animated turkey tale “Free Birds” and the Luc Besson-directed “The Family,” starring Robert DeNiro and Michelle Pfeiffer.

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