‘Gravity’ pulls in $9 million in two-day China launch

“Gravity” has landed in China, and it’s pulling in plenty of moviegoers.

Adding to its already strong international ticket sales, “Gravity” has made an estimated $9 million in its first two days in China, according to Warner Bros.

The Alfonso Cuarón space drama, which has attracted awards buzz, generated $4.7 million on Tuesday, its first day of release in the country, where it’s showing on 5,854 screens. Early numbers show the film taking in an additional $4.2 million on Wednesday. This represents the studio’s biggest China opening for a non-holiday.

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The biggest opening ever for any U.S. film in China was this year’s “Iron Man 3,” which debuted to $21 million in its first day, which was China’s Labor Day holiday on May 1. It made $64.5 million in its opening weekend in the country, according to Box Office Mojo.

The film, which stars Sandra Bullock as an astronaut who tries make it safely back to Earth after her space shuttle is destroyed, has had a solid showing internationally, as well as in the United States, where it has made $240.8 million.

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It made an additional $2.2 million in other markets Tuesday, bringing its total take outside the U.S. to $286.4 million and lifting its worldwide gross to $527.2 million.

The adult-skewing movie opened in the country just ahead of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which is expected to be one of the year’s biggest movies. The head-to-head match-up, scheduled by Chinese authorities, could hurt both films.

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ryan.faughnder@latimes.com