It looks like North America’s position as the king of the box office mountain is on borrowed time…
China’s official news agency Xinhau is reporting that for the first time ever, box office takings in China surpassed that of the U.S. in February, spurred on by the success of the sci-fi rom-com The Mermaid.
The Chinese box office reached 6.87 billion yuan, or $1.05 billion, during the month, compared to U.S. takings of $790 million, which included blockbuster releases such as Deadpool and Kung Fu Panda 3.
According to EW, it is widely expected that China will have fully overtaken North America to become the world’s biggest movie market by 2017.
Originally published March 2, 2016. Updated June 30, 2023.
