UPDATED 2/25: After two days at the box office in China, “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” has earned a staggering $70 million.
ORIGINAL: Sony’s “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” has opened with a stellar $33 million on its first day in China, including preview showings.
Sony said it’s the third best opening day for a Hollywood film in China, following Universal’s “Furious 7” at $68 million and Universal’s “Warcraft” at $46 million.
“Resident Evil: Final Chapter” marks the sixth and final installment in the franchise adaptation of Capcom’s video game series.
Milla Jovovich — who has been in all six movies — portrays the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead. Ali Larter, Shawn Roberts, Iain Glen, Ruby Rose, Eoin Macken, South Korean actor Lee Joon-Gi and Fraser James also star with Paul W.S. Anderson returning to direct.
The release in China was handled by Constantin Film partner Leomus Pictures. “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” is produced by Screen Gems in association with Constantin Film.
The Chinese numbers for “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” contrast sharply with its U.S. performance. The zombie actioner opened with $13 million in its first weekend in the U.S. on Jan. 27-29 and has earned $26.5 million in four weeks.
Other recent Hollywood action movies have found similar traction in China. Vin Diesel’s action sequel “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” grossed $102 million in its first six days at the Chinese box office and has grossed $137 million in the market since Feb. 19. That’s more than triple the U.S. performance, which generated $20.1 million during Jan. 20-22 and it’s now at $44 million after five weeks.
