Godzilla earned US$10.9 million in China after its opening day last Friday, a new box office record for a Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. franchise in the Chinese movie market.

According to Deadline, the earnings should not surprise anyone because the remake of the classic monster movie was shown in 18,195 cinemas across China.

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Most Hollywood movies that make it to the Chinese market tend to gross in millions of dollars that is attributed to the country’s population size.

BoxOffice cited an EntGroup report that said China’s film industry continues to grow with a 27.5 percent growth since last year and presents enormous opportunities for the global film industry. In 2013, the four highest grossing genres in China include comedy, romance, action and science fiction.

For instance, the 2013 movie 'Pacific Rim' – the sea monsters versus human-manipulated robots – earned US$45.2 million after its opening day in China and a recorded US$112 million in total gross earnings.

However, the Godzilla remake surpassed ‘Pacific Rim’ and holds the current record for top grossers in China, but second only to ‘The Monkey King,’ although many predict that Godzilla will eventually take the lead.

Internationally, Godzilla earned US$103.4 million, while it grossed US$93.1 million in the U.S. Its strong performance in the Chinese market since Sunday is expected to earn the monster franchise more in total earnings.

Godzilla’s record-breaking performance in China has hit more than the US$400 million range and it still has a full week to go in probably the biggest movie market in the world.

It is expected to earn more in Japan, its home country and will be released on July 15.

Godzilla 2014 is a reboot of the Godzilla film franchise that retells how the monster originated set in contemporary times. The movie was directed by Gareth Edwards and starred by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Juliette Binoche and Bryan Cranston.

TagsGodzilla, American Box Office