Transformers highest-grossing film in China

A whopping number of Chinese moviegoers have flocked to watch Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth entry in director Michael Bay's robot series, pushing the movie's box office revenue past the previous record held for five years by Avatar.

According to Mtime.com, a Chinese film-rating website, Transformers beat the box-office record of 1.378 billion yuan ($222 million) held for five years by Avatar. Statistics from a micro blog called "Piaofangba" showed that by Monday, Transformers had earned 1.42 billion yuan since it premiered on the Chinese mainland on June 27.

"It is essentially a matter of time to see it happen," said Zhitaotao, a popular online film critic. "The commercial success of the latest entry is largely dependent on the solid fan base from the previous three installments. It makes no difference who directed the fourth one."

According to Shanghai-based film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway, the film grossed 166 million yuan by the end of its debut on the mainland.

Though the co-production between Paramount and China increased the box-office appeal for Chinese audiences and guaranteed a lucrative earning in the Chinese market, the film was not warmly received in the United States, where it topped the box office with $175 million in ticket sales, according to Xinhuanet. It marks the first time a Hollywood blockbuster had a larger box office in China than in its home market of North America.

The latest in the Transformers series features several Chinese actors, such as Li Bingbing; was shot in Hong Kong and in cities on the mainland; and includes a number of product placements for Chinese brands.

"As a big fan of the Transformers franchise, especially after hearing that Chinese actors would play an important role in it, my husband and I decided to support the fourth installment once it was released," said Rao Tian, a translator working at a State-owned company.

"I was so lucky to book two tickets online for the June 28 showing because almost all of the tickets during the weekend were sold out."

On Rotten Tomatoes, a well-known film review aggregator and forum, the movie received an overall rating of 17 percent, the worst reviewed film of the franchise. The original Transformers movie got a 57 percent rating.