Marvel Studio’s Avengers: Endgame on Wednesday shattered Taiwanese box office records by grossing NT$80 million (US$2.59 million) on its first day.
The highly anticipated movie is the highest-grossing film ever on an opening day, the highest-grossing and most-viewed film on a single day, and the highest-selling Disney movie, with the highest number of screening theaters and showtimes, among other records.
The film also grossed HK$18.6 million (US$2.37 million) in Hong Kong, surpassing last year’s, Avengers: Infinity War, in single-day and opening-day box office figures.
Screen grab from the IMDB Web site
The film is anticipated to unseat Avatar — which grossed HK$178 million in 2009 — as the highest-grossing movie ever screened in Hong Kong.
Avengers: Endgame shattered records in China, grossing 535 million yuan (US$79.28 million) on opening day, becoming the fastest movie to reach US$100 million worldwide.
Former premier William Lai (賴清德), who last month registered to run in the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential primary, was seen watching the movie at a theater in Taipei.
Lai posted a “spoiler-free” review on Facebook, saying that fighting against the odds resonated with him and calling Captain America his favorite character.
“Marvel superheroes are people with very different personalities and difficult pasts who oftentimes found themselves at odds, but were able to unite to stand against a great crisis and fight to the best of their abilities for a common cause, not personal gain,” he said.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such