Female Marvel superhero tops weekend box office

"Captain Marvel," Marvel Studios' first female-fronted superhero movie, hit theaters around the world on Friday, dominating weekend box offices in major markets including China and North America.

Having opened on March 8, International Women's Day, Disney and Marvel's superheroine film "Captain Marvel" took 596 million yuan, or 89 million U.S. dollars, in China.

This was Marvel's third-biggest opening weekend ever in the country, only behind "Avengers: Infinity War" and ''Captain America: Civil War."

It also ranks as one of Marvel's most successful character debuts.

A still from the film "Captain Marvel." /VCG Photo

"As the first female-fronted superhero film, it's perfect timing for Captain Marvel to be released on International Women's Day. Average attendance has been above 70 percent, in some places as high as 90 percent. So the box office performance has been pretty good," saidZhang Jiaxing, business manager of UME Shuangjing in Beijing.

Directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, the film stars Brie Larson in the title role. The plot follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

It's the 21st installment in Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's first adaptation featuring a woman in the lead role. Audiences have long been anticipating the movie's release.

"I'm a big fan of the original comic book, so I expect a lot from this film version. I hope it turns out great," said an audience member.

A still from the film "Captain Marvel."./VCG Photo‍

"I'm very curious about how the story in 'Captain Marvel' connects with 'Avengers: Infinity War'. Is that war led by women? I'm looking forward to seeing the movie."

"We have high expectations for a blockbuster like Captain Marvel. It has a big fan base and generates huge enthusiasm," said Zhang.

"Captain Marvel" was also the box office queen in North America, taking in a spectacular 153 million U.S. dollars in its debut weekend.

Globally, "Captain Marvel" has already earned 455 million dollars, the biggest worldwide opening ever for a female-fronted film.

Besides its excellent box office performance, the movie received a decent, seven out of ten, score on Douban.com, China's online film rating website, and an 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.