'Justice League' Tops China Box Office

Earning over $90 million in an opening weekend is no small accomplishment, but these numbers for [...]

Earning over $90 million in an opening weekend is no small accomplishment, but these numbers for Justice League came as a disappointment to Warner Bros. and the film's domestic totals. In China, however, the film took in $52.1 million, which was 30% more than Wonder Woman earlier this year and 10% shy of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice's opening.

Unfortunately, much like in the United States, Justice League failed to top Thor: Ragnarok's numbers, with that film opening to $54.7 million in China. According to the L.A. Times, it was Justice League's dazzling special effects and recognizable superheroes that most appealed to Chinese audiences.

It was a rough weekend for the executives at Warner Bros., as the film was expected to earn somewhere near the $120 million mark, only for that number to decrease with each day that went by. The film even managed to fall short of its expected $95 million mark that was anticipated as recent as the day before release.

Adding insult to injury, early reports of the film's box office earnings announced it had taken in $96 million, only for the studio to be forced to correct those earnings and reveal the film scored $94 million.

The number came as a disappointment for a variety of reasons. For starters, the film served as the culmination of the entire DC Extended Universe, which kicked off with 2013's Man of Steel. Additionally, it marked the first time that Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman would lead the Justice League, only for this film to take in the lowest opening of all the films in the DCEU.

Two weeks prior to Justice League's opening, Ragnarok took in over $120 million, thanks in part to being one of the best-reviewed films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With this being Thor's third solo adventure, which also featured the Hulk, Justice League's heavy hitters should have trounced the competition.

Furthermore, this fifth film in the DCEU should have been compared to the sixth film in the MCU, Marvel's The Avengers, which makes Justice League's earnings look even more abysmal against Avengers' over $200 million opening.

Justice League is now playing in theaters. The film will be followed in the DC Extended Universe by Aquaman on December 21, 2018, Wonder Woman 2 on November 1, 2019, Shazam on April 5, 2019, Cyborg in 2020, and Green Lantern Corps in 2020.

[H/T The Los Angeles Times]

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