Shu Qi has been nominated for best actress for her performance in "The Assassin." (Photo : Well Go USA)
The internationally acclaimed martial arts film "The Assassin" grossed more than 10 million yuan ($1.57 million) on the first day of its release in mainland Chinese cinemas on Aug. 27.
"The Assassin" was the third highest grossing film at the Chinese box office for the day, according to statistics provided by Cbooo.cn, a box-office tracking website.
On its opening day in the Taiwanese box office on Aug. 28, the film made NT$6 million ($185,000).
"The Assassin," directed by veteran Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, is set in the Tang Dynasty and tells the story of a general's daughter named Nie Yinniang who is trained by a nun from the age of 10 to become an assassin.
"Nie Yinniang" is also the Chinese title of the film.
On a particular mission, Nie, who is portrayed by Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, is sent to kill a governor that she was betrothed to when she was young. She then struggles with the decision of carrying out her mission or not.
Aside from Shu Qi, the film also stars Chang Chen, Zhou Yun and Satoshi Tsumabuki. The cast also includes Ethan Juan, Hsieh Hsin-Ying and Fang-Yi Sheu.
The film is considered groundbreaking by many critics. It is the first feature-length film Hou has directed in eight years and his first martial arts film.
The film has also been lauded by critics for being visually outstanding, with the whole film only having nine lines of dialogue.
Hou won best director at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May for the film. This makes him the second Taiwanese director to ever win the award after the late Edward Yang won in 2000 for the film "Yi Yi."
