'Kong: Skull Island' opens in Chinese theaters

A promotional photo of "Kong: Skull Island." [Photo: Eastent.com]

King Kong reboot "Kong: Skull Island" is opening in China today. The monster film follows a group of explorers on a mysterious island in 1973, as they fight for survival against the island's predators.

China's Tencent Pictures has co-produced the film along with Legendary Pictures. With a budget of 185 million US dollars, "Skull Island" stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson and Chinese actress Jing Tian.

Earlier in the month, several cast members of the film arrived in Beijing to promote their latest work.

Cast members Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Samuel L.Jackson and Tom Hiddleston (L to R) promote "Kong: Skull Island" in Beijing on Thursday, March 16, 2017. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson said while the King Kong story has a long cinematic history, the message it carries still rings true today.

"Kong is a huge part of the mythology of cinema; it tells an incredible story that is really timely dealing with the issues that are still dealing with today when it comes to man vs. nature. So if we want to talk about agriculture or war, these huge things that we're still grappling with human beings and trying to find a way, instead of fighting with something, to actually work with it. And I think this is such a great way of telling that story in a way that's still fun, entertaining and interesting to watch," said Larson. 

The blockbuster about the world's most famous ape topped the US box office with its debut two weeks ago, opening to 61 million dollars in ticket sales. Internationally, "Skull Island" opened at No. 1 in many markets. In Vietnam, the film set a record of the biggest movie opening of all time, with a 2.2-million-dollar debut. The film’s total worldwide box office sales currently stand at around 266 million dollars.