Walt Disney Co.’s latest super-hero film topped the box office for a third week in a row, even as some studios pitched mom-friendly offerings.
“Avengers: Infinity War” collected $61.8 million in theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, ComScore Inc. estimated in an email Sunday. It made an even bigger splash in China where it generated 1.27 billion yuan ($200 million) in its first weekend, the last international market in its rollout. The Melissa McCarthy-led, back-to-college comedy “Life of the Party” beat “Breaking In,” a thriller about a mom battling a home invasion.
The success of “Infinity War” in China is a reminder of the importance of the world’s fastest-growing market to Hollywood. A surge of Chinese deals in the entertainment industry ground to a halt last year. Still, the country’s growing movie fan base is generating hundreds of millions of dollars for U.S. film studios, even though their cut of Chinese ticket sales is half that of what it is at home.
“Infinity War” was forecast to earn $58.5 million in its third weekend, according to Box Office Pro. “Life of the Party” placed second with $18.5 million, missing a projection of $21 million by researcher Box Office Mojo. The Warner Bros.’ film features McCarthy as a housewife dumped by her husband, who returns to a school full of fun, freedom and frat boys. Only 43 percent of reviews were positive, according to aggregator Rottentomatoes.com.
That was better than the critical mauling received by Universal Pictures’ “Breaking In,” which generated $16.5 million against a forecast of $15 million from Box Office Pro. It scored 31 percent positive reviews for its tale about Shaun Russell, played by Gabrielle Union, a mother trying to rescue her two children held hostage in a house designed with impenetrable security.
