Marking its final push into theaters, Sony-MGM’s “Skyfall” launched in China on Monday, at a record-setting 8,079 screens, for a boffo $5.1 million opening-day gross. Pic has now tallied more than $740 million internationally and $1.04 billion worldwide.
The Chinese opening outpaced that of last summer’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” which also bowed on a Monday in China, by 14%. The Batman film wound up making $50 million on the mainland.
“Skyfall” also beat the Chinese opening of 2008 James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” by a whopping 191%. Local comparisons between the two Bond pics are skewed given China’s massive box office growth in just the last few years.
Government-run regulatory body China Film Group sets local release dates.
China is the last territory for “Skyfall” after the pic bowed internationally more than three weeks ahead of the Nov. 9 Stateside bow. The film could wind up doing better than “Dark Knight Rises” on the mainland, though “Skyfall” will go up against “The Hobbit” on Feb. 22 locally.
