Wild box office for ‘Zootopia’ in China as the film hits $112 million in 10 days
Reporting from Beijing — “Zootopia†is off to a roaring start at the Chinese box office, with the Disney film crossing the $100-million mark after 10 days in theaters and gunning for the all-time record for an animated movie on the mainland.
The tale of a mammalian metropolis has grossed a total of $112.6 million since its March 4 release, gaining steam after its opening weekend and pulling in $88 million in the seven days ending Sunday, according to data from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.
“Zootopia†has already become the third-highest grossing animated film ever in China, behind only DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 3†($152.2 million), and the local Chinese production “Monkey King: Hero Is Back†($147.1 million), Artisan said. (By comparison, “Zootopia†has earned about $142 million in the U.S. and Canada.)
The opening weekend “Zootopia†coincided with allegations of box-office manipulation by the distributors of the martial arts film “Ip Man 3,†starring Donnie Yen and Mike Tyson. Authorities are now probing whether that movie’s box-office receipts were inflated by fake screenings and other maneuvers.
After a reported $72 million in receipts in its first three days in theaters, “Ip Man 3†saw reported ticket sales fall to $39.7 million in the seven days ending Sunday, data from Artisan showed. Many screens that were initially dedicated to “Ip Man†have since switched over to “Zootopia.â€
In third place last week was “Gods of Egypt,†Summit Entertainment’s $140-million fantasy action film starring Gerard Butler, which has performed poorly stateside. The movie -- co-produced by China’s Le Vision Pictures -- took in $19.9 million in its first three days in theaters. The movie has made only $27 million in the U.S. and Canada since its Feb. 26 release.
Rounding out the top five for the week were Stephen Chow’s “The Mermaid,†which added an additional $10 million to its half-billion-dollar haul, and the local production “Spicy Hot in Love,†which managed $2.4 million in its first six days in theaters.
Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China
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