The USNation

“Kong: Skull Island” roared to a $22.5 million opening day in China on Friday, including Thursday midnight screenings. The first-day take represented nearly 76% of China’s total box office haul on Friday. That marks the second-largest English-language film launch of the year in the country, behind “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” and the fifth-biggest Friday debut ever for a U.S. title in the Middle Kingdom. The international total outside of China has hit $167.3 million, led by the U.K. with $14.8 million, Mexico with $11.8 million, and South Korea with $11.6 million. The monster pic opens in Japan on March 25. Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, and Brie Larson star in “Kong: Skull Island,” a reboot of the King Kong franchise set on an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean. The film, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, carries a hefty $185 million price tag. The movie has performed respectably in the ...

NOW PLAYING Do Democrats have any interest in working with Trump? WHITE HOUSE TO ANNOUNCE NEW OFFICE The Trump administration will announce the establishment of the White House office of American Innovation on Monday. Trump will tap his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner to lead the office charged with coming up with fresh ideas to eliminate “government stagnation.” The office will reportedly be filled by former business executives. GUTFELD ON TRUMP: ‘EVEN WHEN HE’S LOSING, HE’S WINNING’ SCHUMER WILLING TO WORK WITH TRUMP In the aftermath of a failed effort to bring a new health care bill to the House floor, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a televised interview that he was willing to work with President Trump and his aides on health care as well as other issues. He added, if Trump “changes, he could have a different presidency.” Expand / Contract HUCKABEE: FAILED OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT FOCUSED ON PROCESS, NOT PEOPL...

Carrie Lam greets a member of Hong Kong’s election committee outside a polling station on Sunday. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) By Emily Rauhala BEIJING —  On Sunday, less than 1,200 mostly pro-Beijing elites chose a new leader for the 7.3 million people of Hong Kong: Carrie Lam, a Beijing loyalist who is expected to follow the central government’s instructions to the letter.   To become Hong Kong’s chief executive, Lam beat out John Tsang, a former finance secretary who enjoyed considerable popularity, according to opinion polls, and Woo Kok-hing, a retired high court judge who never stood a chance. The three-person ticket was itself the product of a tightly-controlled, small-circle vetting. “We have a qualified electorate of millions, but I don’t have a vote and most other people don’t have a vote,” said Anson Chan, who once served as Hong Kong’s top civil servant. Lam’s landslide win over a popular opponent will deepen fear about Beijing’s tight...

BOSS BABY Three stars Directo   r : Tom McGrath Starring:  Alec Baldwin, Tobey Maguire, Lisa Kudrow Rating:  G Running time : 97 minutes Verdict: Fun but forgettable A TALE of sibling rivalry told from the point of view of a fanciful seven-year-old and starring Alec Baldwin as the infant brother ... what could possibly go wrong? The only son of two doting parents (Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow), Tim Templeton spends most of his waking hours immersed in a rich and vivid imaginary world. It’s hardly surprising, then, that his version of the events surrounding his baby brother’s life-altering arrival takes a familiar narrative in wild and unexpected new directions. Boss Baby is an alien creature who exerts some kind of strange and malevolent power over Tim’s mother and father causing them behave in an odd and uncharacteristic manner. Family life is disrupted by the arrival of Tim’s new baby brother. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied So...