“Alice Through the Looking Glass” topped China’s box office over the weekend, earning $27.1 million. He same movie bombed in the U.S., earning only $28.1 million during the Memorial Day weekend through Sunday.
Besides being pitted against “X-Men: Apocalypse” which earned about$65 million, it seems American movie fans took the side of Amber Heard, wife of "Alice Through the Looking Glass" actor Johnny Depp, whom she accused of assault. After Heard showed up in a Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday with a bruise on her right cheek, the court granted her request for a restraining order, while fans sought a boycott of Depp’s movie.
It seems that Chinese fans have not heard yet of Amber Heard’s complaint against her estranged husband, which explains why Depp’s movie still topped China's box office. In second place, earning $13.5 million, is “The Angry Birds Movie,” while in third place is “Captain America: Civil War” with $4.3 million, according to China Entertainment News.
It cost Disney $170 million to produce “Alice 2” which it expected to gross $35.6 million over four days. But Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, pointed out that it is difficult to assess the impact of Heard’s accusation against Depp on the movie’s income, reported NBC.
Like Dergarabedian, Dave Hollis, distribution chief for Disney, refused to speculate on the effect of the couple’s legal problems on the film’s opening. But Hollis admitted the results are disappointing.
Heard filed for divorce on Monday, while Depp denied his estranged wife’s accusations. Depp’s daughter, Lily-Rose, also came to her father’s defense by saying in an Instagram post that the actor is the sweetest and most loving person she knows, reported Vanity Fair.