Avengers: Endgame box-office record beaten by a new blockbuster in China

Avengers: Endgame broke a lot of box-office records. The superhero team-up grossed $2.79 billion worldwide, beating Avatar to the top spot. However, there's one box-office record that Endgame no longer holds, thanks to an incredible showing in China for Detective Chinatown 3.

First of all – yes, theaters are actually open in China, though still not quite at full capacity. In most parts of the US, they remain closed, while, in the UK, there are no cinemas open at all. Full stop. 

Post-lockdown, China's cinemas are booming, with Detective Chinatown 3 setting a new opening weekend record, taking $398 million. Not only that, but the threequel can now boast having the biggest opening weekend ever in a single market, according to Deadline. Avengers: Endgame previously held that record, having made $357 million in North America back in April 2019. 

Detective Chinatown 3 is a buddy-cop movie that follows two cops who are brought to Tokyo to investigate a major crime by the mysterious villain Q. Directed by Chen Sicheng, it's a bright movie with slapstick humor and a loveable central duo. 

The box-office achievement came as moviegoers celebrated the beginning of the Year of the Ox. Deadline reports that cinema owners are seeing this as a good omen for things to come, with hopes theaters in other areas will rebound the same way when the likes of Black Widow, Fast & Furious 9, and more eventually come out.

In the meantime, here are the most exciting upcoming movies heading to theaters in the (hopefully) near future.