Though the sci-fi film "Jupiter Ascending" failed to top the United States box office, the 2015 American-Australian space opera still managed to be a big hit in Chinese cinemas.
The film, top-billed by Hollywood artists Channing Tatum ("Step Up," "Magic Mike," "Dear John") and Mila Kunis ("Oz the Great and Powerful," "Date Night"), premiered in mainland theaters over the weekend.
The opening weekend earned $23 million.
Since its opening in February, the Wachowskis-directed movie earned a domestic revenue of $45 million. The Wachowskis crafted other international hits such as "The Matrix" series and "Cloud Atlas."
The movie's co-producer, Grant Hill, had been doing film collaborations with the directors; such team-ups included "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolution."
Other members of the production staff have also worked with the siblings Lana and Andy Wachowski.
Overseas, "Jupiter Ascending" garnered a total of $25.3 million, pushing its total foreign sales to $107 million.
The sci-fi movie is about a cleaning lady (Kunis) who later learns that she is an intergalactic royalty through an interplanetary warrior (Tatum).
One of the supporting casts, Douglas Booth, described the film's setting as a hybrid of the phenomenal "Star Wars" and "The Matrix."
Although the movie presents laudable special effects, critics have thrown negative comments about its incoherent screenplay and lack of originality.
The film's production amounted $176 million. This is on top of costly advertisement and promotion expenses.
Industry experts project that even if "Jupiter Ascending" will earn big time in China, the revenue will not cover for the movie's overall costs.