娱乐英语新闻:"Warcraft" rules box office on Dragon Boat Festival

BEIJING, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The "Warcraft" movie reigned China's box office on Thursday, which was the Dragon Boat Festival, earning 290 million yuan (about 44.2 million U.S. dollars) on the second day after its debut.

The cinematic adaptation of the influential video game franchise hit Chinese theaters on June 8, two days earlier than its North American release on June 10.

The film grossed 282 million yuan on the first day of release, only second to "Fast and Furious 7" in Chinese cinema history. "Warcraft" has earned more than 690 million yuan as of 12 a.m. Friday, according to statistics from China's film administration.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese hardcore "Warcraft" fans celebrated the release of the film based on their favorite game on Tuesday midnight, many of whom wore "World of Warcraft" character costumes.

The screening date roughly coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The three-day holiday last year saw box office takings of more than 600 million yuan, up 42 percent year on year.