James Cameron's epic sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third film in the franchise, has drawn large crowds in the Chinese mainland, raking in more than 200 million yuan (about $28.4 million) within two days of its Friday release. The film's total gross earnings for the Chinese mainland are projected to surpass 1 billion yuan.

"Avatar 3" is the latest major release to debut simultaneously in China and North America, underscoring China's growing role as an active, real-time participant in global moviegoing trends and a key contributor to worldwide box office revenues. Earlier, "Zootopia 2" also opened on Chinese mainland without delay and has earned 3.6 billion yuan, making China its largest single market globally.