China Box Office: ‘Operation Mekong’ Leaps to Weekend Win

“Operation Mekong,” the explosive action movie directed by Hong Kong’s Dante Lam, leaped to the top of the Chinese box office in its second weekend.

With a useful $26.3 million score over the Friday to Sunday period – with Sunday counting as a back to work day for many in China – the film advanced its 10-day total to $100 million, according to data from Ent Group.

The film is typical of the standards of today’s contemporary box office treatment and all the bad stuff (drugs, counter-insurgency) happens outside China. While the 2011 real life incident involving the death of 11 Chinese commercial sailors sparked a multinational military operation in the ‘Golden Triangle’ region, “Mekong” depicts the Chinese army largely alone as avengers. The one-sided portrayal has meant that the leader of Thailand’s military government has already suggested that the film will not get a release on that side of the border.

“Mekong” took top place in the Chinese chart by overtaking last week’s winner, romance, “I Belonged to You.” It took $12.5 million between Friday and Sunday to give a cumulative total of $97.6 million after 11 days on release.

Fantasy, “L.O.R.D. Legend of Ravaging Dynasties,” held its third spot with $5.23 million over the weekend, for a 10-day total of $54 million.

“Mission Milano” stood fourth with $4.17 million for the weekend. That produces a $33.9 million total for 10 days.

Released on Monday, Franco-Belgian animation “Robinson Crusoe” took fifth place with a $1.65 million weekend and a $6.03 million six day run.

Behind the leading five titles, no other movie grossed close to $1 million over the weekend.

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