Chinese-language films soar over national Mid-Autumn Festival holiday

The film “A Chinese Odyssey: Part Three” topped China’s box office last week, grossing $37.7 million in its opening five days.

The Chinese-Hong Kong fantasy-comedy film, directed by Jeffrey Lau, grossed $6.26 million on its first day, Sept. 14, according to data from film industry consulting firm Artisan Gateway.

The movie’s weekend box-office performance was buoyed by its release during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a national Chinese holiday that gave most workers Thursday and Friday off.

The film is loosely based on the epic Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” and was produced by Chunqiu Time Co., a Chinese production company.

Last week’s second- and third-highest-grossing films were also Chinese-language films that were released to coincide with the holiday. In second place was the Hong Kong action-thriller “Z Storm II,” which grossed $18 million, followed by the crime caper “Cock and Bull,” which took in $11.9 million.

“Star Trek Beyond,” the previous week’s No. 1 film, fell to No. 5, raking in $6.21 million over five days. “Star Trek” opened in China on Sept. 2 and had earned $55 million in the country by early last week, according to Artisan Gateway.