Hollywood's biggest movies doing better in China

American moviegoers are losing interest in some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, depriving studios of their most profitable ticket sales even as international audiences keep showing up in China. “Transformers: The Last Knight” became the latest example of the lopsided performance this weekend, disappointing stateside with a five-day, franchise-low debut of $69 million while collecting a franchise-best $123.4 million in China. Its box-office sales follow a pattern set this year by the eighth “Fast and Furious,” fifth “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Tom Cruise’s reboot of “The Mummy,” all of which performed similarly at the box office. A poor showing in the US no longer necessarily discourages studio executives from approving yet another installment in a long-running series, if enthusiasm from overseas moviegoers is high enough, according to The Wall Street Journal. But where grosses originate can have a major impact on studios’ bottom line. Studios keep about 60% of box office revenues in the US, but just 25% in China.