"Twenties Once Again," the Chinese remake of the South Korean romantic comedy hit "Miss Granny," grossed 127 million yuan ($20.48 million) at the box office since hitting theaters on Jan. 8.
Produced by South Korean media group CJ Entertainment & Media for the Chinese New Year, "Twenties Once Again" stars an all-Chinese cast, including Ah Lei Gua, Zishan Yang, Berlin Chen, and Han Lu, and is directed by Taiwan-born director Leste Chen, who has been dubbed by Variety as one of the "most bankable young directors" in China today.
The Chinese remake tells a similar story to the original, wherein a 70-year-old grandmother (Ah Lei Gua) magically becomes 50 years younger after visiting a mysterious photo studio. Han Lu takes on the role of Meng Sun, the grandson who falls in love with his grandmother's 20-year-old self, played by Zishan Yang.
Since its release, the film has become an overnight success, with "back to 20 years old with your mother" becoming a viral topic in Chinese online forums and social media.
"You will have many opportunities to watch all kinds of movies with your friends, classmates and coworkers; but there are few that you can enjoy with your parents," WomenofChina.cn wrote in an article, quoting an anonymous netizen.
"There were people in the audience of all different ages, including youngsters, couples in their 30s and 50s, and elders above the age of 60."
"Twenties Once Again's" tally at the box office makes it the second top-grossing movie for the weekend, surpassed only by the Hollywood comedy "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" at $30.9 million.
It is followed by Tsui Hark's war epic "The Taking of Tiger Mountain" at $17.2 million and the remastered version of Wong Kar-wai's martial arts biopic "The Grandmaster" at $4.85 million.