‘X-Men’ crushes foes at China box office, scores $38-million weekend

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” scored big in China last week, pulling in almost $38 million in its first three days of release -- the best opening weekend for any Hollywood film so far in 2014.

For the week ending Sunday, “X-Men” took the top spot at the box office, data from industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway showed. Its haul was nearly double that of the No. 2 film, “Coming Home,” renown director Zhang Yimou’s tale of a family trying to put itself back together again after the Cultural Revolution. The movie made $20 million during the week, bringing its cumulative take to nearly $33.9 million.

20th Century Fox worked hard to promote “X-Men” in China, bringing stars Hugh Jackman and Peter Dinklage to Beijing for a press tour. Chinese actress Fan Bingbing also has a small part in the film.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” continued to ensnare moviegoers in its web, earning almost $10.9 million for the week. The Sony Pictures film has grossed a total of $90.6 million in China so far, Artisan said.

Rounding out fourth and fifth place were two local films that have performed strongly since their releases in late April. “The Great Hypnotist” came in at No. 4 with $3.3 million, bringing its cumulative total to $44.1 million. “My Old Classmate” brought in $2.3 million, and its cumulative total now stands at more than $73.3 million.