'Kingsman' edges out 'Never Say Die'

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During its Friday opening, Fox’s action comedy “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” topped the first-day box office with nearly 12 million US dollars in the Chinese market.

Meanwhile, Chinese sports comedy “Never Say Die” slipped into second place after it took the top spot at the Chinese box office for the third week in a row.

The sequel to 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” directed by Matthew Vaughn and starred by Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and Taron Egerton, has reached 199.5 million US dollars internationally.

Back in 2015, the " Kingsman 1" was a smash hit with 74.7 million dollars in China. Given its huge Chinese fan base, the expectations for this action sequel are as high as its predecessor despite the first movie having more favorable reviews according to Rotten Tomatoes (74% vs. 50%).

The screenshot of the film "Never Say Die." /Photo via mtime.com

“Kingsman” edged out “Never Say Die” for its first-day release. Though “Never Say Die” is still confident to surpass 300 million dollars on Saturday following the success of box office milestone “Wolf Warrior 2” and “The Fast and The Furious 8” to become the third film with over 300 million dollars in China.

Thailand’s dark thriller “Bad Genius” performed well in China’s market and is expected to make a breakthrough over 30 million dollars this weekend after its 8-day release.

In late October, Sony Pictures will release “Blade Runner 2049” and Warner Bros’ “Geostorm,” the only two Sci-fi films from this studio this year to see its debuts in China.