Christopher Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer’ grosses $48.8M in China, but falls to second place

Christopher Nolan's historical epic Oppenheimer has grossed nearly $50 million in China after two weekends in theaters. However, the film lost the top spot to the local crime thriller Dust to Dust in its second weekend.

Oppenheimer earned an estimated $15.3 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $48.8 million. Dust to Dust opened with $22.2 million, dethroning Oppenheimer from the top spot.

Oppenheimer is a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who led the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. The film stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Robert Downey Jr.

Cillian Murphy starrer movie is expected to be a commercial success in China. The film is playing in over 4,000 theaters in the country, and it is expected to reach a wider audience in the coming weeks.

Local tracking predicts that Oppenheimer will top out at around $57 million, making it the fourth biggest-earning U.S. film in China this year. Dust to Dust is also expected to be a commercial success, with local tracking predicting that it will gross over $100 million.

No More Bets finished third over the weekend, adding $7.7 million to its massive $520 million total. Since its August 8 premiere, the Ning Hao-produced movie has dominated multiplexes in China.