Operation Mekong (Photo : Golden Age Cinema/You Tube)
Two Chinese movies topped last week’s box office, leaving Steven Spielberg’s fantasy adventure film “The BFG” in third place only in terms of ticket sales.
The only imported movie exhibited on the third weekend of October earned only $13.6 million in China’s box office receipts. Topping the box office is “Operation Mekong” directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Dante Lam. Since its release on Sept. 30, the movie about the Chinese military operation after the 2011 Mekong River massacre earned $41.3 million.
The film recounts the time gunmen raided two Chinese cargo vessels on a remote stretch of the river in the Golden Triangle area, a hot spot in the region. The operation resulted in the death of 13 crew members.
The movie was on its third week run and accounted for about 46 percent of the week’s box office, according to Screendaily. Its 17-day total is $142.27 million, and the film is expected to reach $150 million this week and seal its place in China’s movie industry as the 14th local movie to breach $150 million, or 1 billion yuan, benchmark.
“I Belonged to You,” a Chinese romantic comedy movie, came in second place with a gross box receipt of $15.4 million. Compared to the previous week’s box office, movie receipts for this film went down by almost 70 percent, said Artisan Gateway, a film industry consulting group, LA Times reported.
The third place finish of “The BFG” is due to the three-month delay in its China release from the movie’s North America run. Spielberg visited Beijing in early October to ink a strategic agreement with Alibaba Pictures Group. Under the deal, Alibaba would co-produce and co-finance movies with Amblin Partners, the entertainment company of Spielberg.
