‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’ rules China’s box office in opening weekend

Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” dominated China’s box office last weekend, handily overtaking “The Fate of the Furious” with ticket sales of $49.4 million.

The action and sci-fi sequel, directed by James Gunn and starring Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana, earned $22 million more than its predecessor, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” did on its opening weekend in 2014.

“Power Rangers” and Guy Ritchie’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” both opening in China this Friday, have dampened expectations that “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” will surpass the first film’s $86.4-million box-office haul in China, according to film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

The Hong Kong-Chinese action and crime thriller “Shock Wave” came in second place, pulling in $25.1 million in its second week.

Directed by Herman Yau and starring Hong Kong’s veteran actor Andy Lau, a major star in China, the film significantly outperformed other Chinese-language films over the Chinese May holiday period, grossing $51.6 million over 10 days.

Wanda Pictures’ crime and suspense movie “Battle of Memories,” starring Huang Bo and Xu Jinglei, held on to third place on the top-five list, grossing $16.7 million.

Universal Pictures’ “The Fate of Furious” fell from the top place to the fourth, earning an additional $16.4 million and raising the record-breaking film’s total gross to $380.5 million.

The Indian film “Dangal,” produced by UTV Motion Pictures and starring the renowned Indian actor Aamir Khan, opened with $12.6 million in three days. The inspirational sport drama tells the story of an ordinary Indian father who trained his two daughters to compete in the country’s first female wrestling championship.