Critics agree that Tsui Hark's "The Taking of Tiger Mountain" is a revolutionary work. (Photo : Reuters)
"The Taking of Tiger Mountain" by Tsui Hark added a total of 109 million yuan ($17.5 million) to its box-office sales through the week of Jan. 5-11, bringing its earnings to the gross amount of 802 million yuan.
The movie came behind blockbuster "Breakup Buddies" that grossed 1.2 billion yuan, and "The Monkey King 3D" that earned a total of 1 billion yuan.
"The Taking of Tiger Mountain" is an adaptation of Qu Bo's adventure novel. The movie stars Leung Ka-fai, a merciless bandit that rules the lands of Northeast China from his fortress on the Tiger Mountain. A captain of the Liberation Army played by Lin Gengxin launched a counterinsurgency against the dictator together with an exceptionally skilled investigator, portrayed by Zhang Hanyu, as they were sent to destroy the gang from within.
"The Taking of Tiger Mountain" happens to be Tsui Hark's third movie to have surpassed the 500-million-yuan mark. The other two films were "Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon" and "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D."
"Tiger Mountain" came on the third rank on the weekly box-office charts. This week featured the Hollywood film "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" at the first place.
"Miss Granny," the remake of a South Korean comedy film with the same title, came in second place and took a total of 128 million yuan.
Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster," which happens to be its second screening in 3D version, took a total amount of 31 million yuan, while the animated film "One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes" raked in 25 million yuan more and now has a gross of 110 million yuan.
