‘Cinderella’ stays atop China box office, princess has $53.5 million

“Cinderella” was the belle of the ball again last week at the Chinese box office, taking first place with $28.4 million and bringing its earnings over 10 days on the mainland to $53.5 million.

The Disney princess outfoxed another import, Liam Neeson’s “Taken 3,” which opened Friday. The “Taken” franchise has been popular in China, where it is distributed by Europa Corp., but the third and final installment in the covert operative series had to settle for third place for the seven days ending Sunday, according to figures from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

In second place for the week was “Lost and Love,” a child abduction drama starring Andy Lau. The Huayi Bros. movie, which opened Friday, took in $18.9 million in its first three days. “Taken 3” earned $17.7 million.

Another child-abduction themed film, Peter Ho-Sun Chan’s “Dearest,” performed well last year, earning $55.3 million.

Rounding out the top five this week were Disney’s “Big Hero 6,” which has surpassed $78.6 million in China, and the Warner Bros. sci-fi film “Jupiter Ascending,” which has earned a total of $45.7 million – about equal to the film’s North American performance.

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