Advertisement

‘Go Away Mr. Tumor’ dethrones ‘Monster Hunt’ at China box office

Share

After four weeks atop the mainland box office charts, “Monster Hunt” fell to second place in the seven days ending Sunday. But the live action/animation film still has a chance to surpass “Furious 7” as the top-grossing movie ever in China.

“Go Away Mr. Tumor,” starring “Monster Hunt” lead actress Bai Baihe, opened Thursday and collected $30.8 million in its first four days, according to data from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway. The inspirational Wanda Pictures film is based on a popular Chinese comic series created by cartoonist Xiang Yao, aka Xiong Dun, who chronicled her struggle with cancer before she died in 2012.

The family-friendly “Monster Hunt,” directed by DreamWorks Animation veteran Raman Hui and produced by Bill Kong’s Edko Films, added $25 million to its haul, bringing its total gross to $346.2 million over five weeks. That’s about $32 million shy of the all-time China record held by Universal Pictures’ “Furious 7.”

Advertisement

SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter >>

“To the Fore,” a bike racing story directed by Hong Kong’s Dante Lam, dropped to third place, and has earned about $20 million since opening Aug. 6.

Chinese cinemas have been starved for new product this month, as government authorities have imposed a blackout on all foreign productions until next week in order to boost the takings of domestic movies.

Two other stale July holdovers eked out a bit more revenue last week: The animated “Monkey King: Hero is Back” added $7.5 million to its tally, which now stands at $140.5 million. The comedy “Pancake Man” came in at the No. 5 spot with $6.2 million; its total haul stands at $178.1 million.

Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China

Advertisement