Avengers: Infinity War had a big opening day at the China box office. The third Avengers film has broken several records since it hit the U.S. (and several other countries around the world) back in April. Infinity War even set a pre-sales record in China ahead of its opening, with the final total coming in around $65.4 million (well above the $47.5 million reported a few days back).

It may come as a surprise to some, but Avengers: Age of Ultron is the only Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that's made its way into the top 10 all time China openings to date. Age of Ultron also ranks below Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious, when it comes to China opening weekends for Hollywood films. Not so surprisingly, Infinity War is now on course to surpass Age of Ultron's debut in the country, and has a real shot at passing both the last two Fast & Furious movies and Monster Hunt 2 to claim the #1 spot on the list of China opening weekends.

According to Variety, Infinity War earned $66 million in China on Friday, in addition to $9.3 million in Thursday previews. Infinity War has already passed the China opening weekend total for fellow MCU movie Spider-Man: Homecoming ($69.3 million), and will soon pass the opening weekend for Captain America: Civil War ($93.6 million). Age of Ultron debuted with $156 million in China, but Infinity War shouldn't have any problem passing that total and challenging Monster Hunt 2 ($188 million) and Fate of the Furious ($185 million) in the #1 and #2 spots.

Infinity War had already grossed $1.25 billion at the global box office prior to its China opening. The film will easily top the domestic box office again this weekend, with new releases like Melissa McCarthy's comedy Life of the Party not expected to pose much of a threat. Infinity War should also pass the MCU's own Black Panther to claim the #1 spot at the worldwide box office over the next three days. Its next challenge after that will be reaching $2 billion around the globe - something that won't be easy, what with Deadpool 2 bowing in theaters next week, followed by Solo: A Star Wars Story the week after.

Whatever happens, Infinity War has already cemented its status as the second major pop cultural event of 2018 after Black Panther. Box office aside, the movie has gone over well with most everyone (general audiences and critics alike) and has led to much in the way of interesting discussions about its merits as both pop art and the beginning of the end for the MCU's first three phases. With two more Phase 3 MCU films and Avengers 4 yet to come, those conversations will only continue to thrive and evolve over the year ahead.

MORE: Every Infinity War Easter Egg You Missed

Source: Variety

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