DP's Pijama on Pumps @ d Airport is DISASTROUS - Page 4

Well, it looks like xXx: Return of Xander Cage could be that somewhat rare big movie that underperforms in North America yet gets "saved" by China. Obviously, this is just one day's worth of grosses, but the Vin Diesel action sequel just notched a whopping $20.3 million opening day in what is the second-biggest movie going market on the planet.

To wit, and with inflation and exchange rates potentially playing a factor, that's on par with the $18m opening day of Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation back in late 2015. Said Tom Cruise sequel, also courtesy of Paramount, notched a $135.6m total in China. Conversely, Spectre earned a $15m opening day but ended up with "only" $83.5m around the same time.

Combined with the rest of its worldwide grosses ($151 million worldwide-and-counting) would push the film over the $300m mark. Inflation notwithstanding, that would be better than the $277m worldwide cume of the first xXx back in 2002 and would be 3.5x its $85m production budget. Obviously, it may well do more than that (or less than that), as it still has to open in Japan and Poland on Feb. 24, but it just snagged the biggest opening day in China for a Hollywood import since Warcraft.