• "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" is one of the most successful animated films in China.

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" is one of the most successful animated films in China. (Photo : Reuters)

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back," the hit Chinese animation that grossed $150 million in China, has hit Russian theaters as more Chinese films are being exported to foreign markets, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

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A middle-aged Moscow moviegoer praised the film, saying, "I like the animation very much. When I was a kid, I saw a similar Monkey King cartoon. I'm familiar with the story plots."

A mother, together with her 5-year-old kid, interviewed outside a theater house shared: "The cartoon is based on a Chinese fairy tale. My son likes it."

Apart from regular filmgoers, "Monkey King" has also earned positive reviews from professionals.

Olga Zinyakova, marketing director of one of Russia's fastest growing operators, Karo Cinema Chain, said she was impressed by the technologies used in the film.

"This is great and is a real masterpiece of Chinese production, which was made without any support from Western companies. And the animation technologies are so great," she said.

"This very cartoon is a kind of animated blockbuster which has a lot of action and humor. Heroes are sometimes funny and sometimes scary, mysterious and fantastic, and, to a great extent, they are folk heroes and are really interesting to our viewers," she added.

Nonetheless, despite generating good reviews, the film is still lagging behind Disney animation "Zootopia" and homegrown film "Smeshariki" on Russia's box-office list.

"The competition is intense on the market. Each week we have something like 10 new movies including Hollywood, Russian and European movies," Zinyakova explained. "Of course, it is not easy for the newcomers. Another thing is economic situation, which influences income of families."

Zinyakova suggested that in order to make Chinese films more competitive in the country, producers must intensify their promotions and attend various film festivals.

With the warmer Sino-Russian ties, along with the fast-growing Chinese film industry, China-made films are predicted to have "promising prospects" in Russia, the article said.

"The very good communication between our countries helps us know more about Chinese films. There are a lot of movies which have never been shown in Russia. They will find their audience here," Zinyakova stated.

Apart from Russia, China has been taking steps in tapping the lucrative overseas markets. Last year, the country was able to produce around 1,000 films.