BEIJING - Box office sales of Disney and Marvel's latest blockbuster "Avengers: Infinity War" have surpassed 100 million yuan ($15.71 million) in China at its presale stage by Thursday, according to Maoyan, a major film database.

The milestone was reached eight days before the film officially hits screens on the Chinese mainland.

Over 45 million yuan was for screenings next Friday, the film's opening day, when the film is estimated to take up 96.5 percent of total screenings, according to Maoyan.

The "Avengers" series has been a sensation in the Chinese film market. Released in May 2012, "The Avengers" raked in 568.5 million yuan, while "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which hit the screens three years later, grossed over 1.46 billion yuan.