‘Godzilla’ still No. 1 in China; mainland box office tops $2 billion

Angelina Jolie couldn’t stop “Godzilla” at the mainland China box office last week as the monster movie topped the charts for a second week running, hauling in $32 million and bringing its total booty in the territory to more than $70 million.

Jolie’s “Maleficent,” which opened Friday, took in $21.9 million in its first three days in theaters, figures from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway showed Tuesday. The actress came to Shanghai this month to tout the Disney release, but it was not enough to overpower Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla.”

Total box office for the year in mainland China has now crossed the $2-billion mark. Foreign films occupied all of the top five spots at the box office last week.

Warner Bros.’ Tom Cruise-starrer “Edge of Tomorrow” continued to attract viewers, bringing in $11.4 million for the week ending Sunday and landing in third place. Its total on the mainland now stands at nearly $63 million.

“X-Men: Days of Future Past,” eked out $3 million more last week, good enough for fourth place as it finishes its mainland run; the 20thCentury Fox film has earned more than $116 million in the territory.

Rounding out the top five was Nicole Kidman’s “Grace of Monaco.” The actress appeared at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 14 to accept an award and promote the picture, apparently to little avail.

This Friday will bring the release of “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” the fourth installment in the Michael Bay giant-robot franchise. The director filmed parts of the movie in China, and Paramount Pictures held a lavish premiere last week in Hong Kong, following that up with a closing-night screening at the Shanghai fest on Sunday.

A Beijing premiere and news conference was also held this week as the studio worked to overcome a potentially damaging dispute with a local company angered by what it said was a product-placement deal gone sour.

The third “Transformers” earned around $170 million at the mainland box office and the latest installment could easily exceed the $200-million mark, making it one of the most successful foreign films of all time in China.