Another Hollywood movie would likely benefit from a simultaneous premiere in China and North America. Even before the debut, “The Fate of the Furious” has earned $18.1 million in China in pre-sales.
The eighth installment of “The Fast and the Furious” franchise broke the advanced ticketing revenue in China of “Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back” which held the record at $14.6 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Besides the popularity of the franchise following actor Paul Walker’s death, the latest installment has stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson in a real-life feud.
Breaking More Records
It also broke a second pre-sales record for IMAX sales in China at $2.4 million. The previous record-holder was “Captain America: Civil War” with $1.4 million, according to Mtime, a movie site in China.
After its run in China, movie experts would know if “The Fate of the Furious” would be able to break the seventh installment’s $68.8 million opening-day record in China and the $390 million record as biggest imported title in the Chinese movie market.
However, the trend in China’s box office the past 12 months is not that encouraging as recent releases, such as “Ghost in the Shell,” earned only $21.4 million on its opening debut. For 2016, China’s box office increased only 3.7 percent. But the pre-sales data could be an indicator the movie might lift overall box office results in the Asian giant.
New Baddie
Besides Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, the movie stars Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Kurt Russell. Charlize Theron is introduced as the new antagonist. According to Vulture, her character is a hacker with technical expertise. She blackmails Dom into leaving the team and helping her steal nuclear launch codes to hold the world hostage.