Ending a two-month blackout period for foreign films, Terminator: Genisys entered mainland Chinese movie theatres on Sunday, taking in $21.3 million (Dh78.2 million) on its opening day.
The box office for the Paramount Pictures film was robust for a Sunday opening, particularly given that the movie was released in other territories in early July. Mainland moviegoers have been starved for fresh offerings since early August as Chinese authorities kept up their domestic-film protection period.
The earnings were enough to put the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, which earned $89 million stateside, in third place for the Monday-to-Sunday frame, according to film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway. Schwarzenegger had travelled to China earlier in the year to stoke interest in the film.
In first place for the second week running was Go Away, Mr Tumour, based on the real-life story of a Chinese cartoonist battling terminal cancer. The Wanda Pictures film has now earned a total of $66 million.
In second place for the week was Bride Wars from Bona Film Group, which earned $23.6 million in its first four days in cinemas. The film is remake of the 2009 American film starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway.
In fourth place was the summer box-office smash Monster Hunt, directed by DreamWorks Animation veteran Raman Hui. The film added $18.1 million to its overall take and has now hauled in $364.3 million, Artisan said; it may yet still overtake Furious 7 to become the all-time box-office champ in China.
In fifth place for the week was the local romance Cities in Love, which opened with $7.9 million as China marked Qixi, the local equivalent of Valentine’s Day.
