China Box Office: Record Breaking Chinese Trio Hold Third Weekend

A slew of new local film releases could do nothing to dislodge the record breaking trio of local movies at the top of the Chinese box office.

For the third week “Monster Hunt” topped the chart ahead of “Pancake Man” and “Monkey King: Hero is Born.” The summer blackout period, when Hollywood titles are prevented from releasing, was still in operation.

The live action-visual effects fantasy “Monster Hunt” earned $68.3 million a drop of 40% in its third week, for an 18 day total of $291 million. Dropping more severely, but still in second place, “Pancake Man” was down 65% with $24.3 million for the week. Its cumulative after 17 days stands at a huge $164 million.

Third place in its fourth week, animation “Monkey King: Hero Is Born” dropped 47% week on-week, but still grossed $17.5 million for a 24 day total of $126 million.

Top-ranking new entrant, “Lady of the Dynasty” a period romance, entered the chart in fourth spot with $14.8 million in four days.

“Wild City,” celebrated Hong Kong director Ringo Lam’s return to feature film after a decade of absence, followed closely behind with $14.2 million in four days, for fifth place. Its per screen average was higher than “Dynasty” which had 25% more screenings.

John Woo’s “The Crossing Part II” limped into the chart in sixth spot with just $6 million (including previews). The film is the second instalment of Woo’s big-budget, star-filled epic which had been nicknamed ‘The Chinese Titanic’. The first part was released in the cherished pre- Christmas slot but disappointed with a box office score of $32.4 million.

“Only You” dropped 66% and slipped from fourth to sixth with a score of $3 million. After 10 days it stands on a total of $10.7 million. “The Imitation Game” added $2.29 million and pushed its total to $5.33 million after 13 days.

Chinese animation, ”The Seer Movie 5” added $2.09 million for an 11 day total of $8.73 million. Contemporary Chinese-Hong Kong rom-com “Paris Holiday” scored $1.83 million in its opening weekend and took tenth place in the chart.

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