Box Office Milestone: 'Transformers 4' Crosses $200M in China, Set to Pass 'Avatar'

Michael Bay's tentpole, grossing $575.6 million globally in its first 12 days, will become the No. 1 film of all time in China sometime this week.

Paramount's summer tentpole Transformers: Age of Extinction continues to amaze in China, where it zoomed past $200 million over the weekend to become the No. 2 grossing film of all time ahead of local hit Lost in Thailand.

And by midweek, the movie should eclipse James Cameron's Avatar ($221.9 million) to become the top-grossing movie in history at the Chinese box office, not accounting for inflation.

Worldwide, Age of Extinction has earned $575.6 million in its first 12 days in release, including $400.9 million overseas. The international number is especially impressive considering it won't launch in Latin America or most European countries until after the World Cup soccer championships.

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China is the biggest market, where Age of Extinction grossed $50.9 million in its second weekend for a cume of $212.8 million, followed by North America, where the fourth installment in the action franchise grossed $36.2 million in its second weekend for a total of $174.6 million.

That's followed by Russia ($35.7 million), South Korea ($34.2 million), Australia ($17.7 million), Taiwan ($14.7 million) and Hong Kong ($10.3 million).

Age of Extinction has generated sizable returns for Imax, becoming the fastest movie in history to reach $50 million in ticket sales. In China alone, Imax theaters have notched up $20 million in ticket sales, a record.

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In North America, Age of Extinction is pacing behind the last two films in the series, the reverse of overseas. Box office observers believe the movie has a strong shot at reaching $800 million globally, the best showing of the year so far. Transformers: Dark of the Moon took in a franchise-best $1.123 billion worldwide, followed by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($836 million).

Paramount considers Age of Extinction a reboot, considering it features a new leading man (Mark Wahlberg) and cast.