At China box office, local romance bests ‘Hunger Games’

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,” racked up $22.1 million last week at the mainland Chinese box office but was bested for the top spot by the local romance “Somewhere Only We Know.”

Boosted by Valentine’s Day, Xu Jinglei’s Prague-set love story took in $37.7 million, according to figures from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway, a strong showing for the female director of the 2010 hit romantic comedy “Go Lala Go!”

Lionsgate’s “Mockingjay,” released Feb. 8, has now taken in nearly $32.2 million on the mainland, the best performance in China of any “Hunger Games” film to date.

The Chinese animated movie “Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter” added an additional $8.4 million to its takings last week, putting it in third place and bringing the total gross for the Le Vision Pictures film to $40.5 million.

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is finishing out its mainland run and was in fourth place for the seven days ending Sunday, with $7.7 million. The third and final installment in the Warner Bros. series has earned nearly $123 million since its Jan. 23 debut.

Rounding out the top five was Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Wolf Totem,” which earned $7.4 million in preview screenings starting Saturday. The French director’s 3-D, Mandarin-language animal epic officially will open this week as the country heads into the Chinese New Year holiday, a prime movie-going period. The year of the goat, which begins Thursday, will see a slew of other new local releases in theaters, including Jackie Chan’s “Dragon Blade.”

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