‘Ready Player One’ soars at China’s box office for second week

The futuristic blockbuster “Ready Player One” extended its lead for a second week at China’s movie box office, making it the highest grossing Warner Bros. release ever in the country.

The movie collected $100.8 million in ticket sales last week in the world’s second-largest film market, reaching $162.8 million in 10 days, according to consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

Steven Spielberg’s latest work received more glowing reviews on film rating website Douban.com than other recent sci-fi blockbusters, including “Pacific Rim” and “Tomb Raider.” One viewer wrote that Spielberg, who is nicknamed “The Old Boy” in China, “never let us down. I’m so intrigued by his creativity and imagination.”

The Indian drama “Hindi Medium” debuted with $21.4 million in five days. The story features a couple that wants to give their daughter better educational opportunities, a theme that resonates in Chinese societies. It’s the third Indian import released in China this year, following “Secret Superstar” and “Bajrangi Bhaijaan.”

Legendary Pictures’ sci-fi film “Pacific Rim: Uprising,” pulled in an additional $8.7 million for a total of $98.6 million in three weeks. It has slim prospects of outpacing its 2013 original title, which grossed $110.4 million.

Russia’s animated film “Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice” opened with $6.9 million in four days. The Chinese crime thriller “Wrath of Silence” debuted with $5.7 million after five days.

China has had a particularly good first quarter, with a total box office of $3.17 billion that surpassed the U.S. for the first time during that period, according to the state-run New China News Agency. The U.S. box office generated $2.85 billion during the same period, according to data tracking and consultancy service ComScore.