China seen becoming box-office champion in a few years' time

New York

A NEW box-office champion is coming soon to China - and the world.

Avengers: Age of Ultron, debuting in China on May 12, is poised to overtake Furious 7 as the Asian nation's top-grossing movie, based on pre-release bookings. That's no small feat since the latest chapter in the car-themed series was almost 14 per cent bigger at the Chinese box office than in the US and Canada, with US$385 million so far.

Avengers reservations have been double those in the run-up to Furious 7, according to Shanghai-based ticketing agency Gewara.com. The superhero sequel would be the sixth film to exceed US$200 mi…