China has experienced an unprecedented boom in box office takings in recent years – and is already off to an impressive start to 2016.
Chinese theatres took in a record 6.87 billion yuan (US$1.05 billion) in February, according to Xinhua, surpassing North America for the first time.
Here are the top five highest-grossing films in China, three of which were in the last year.
1. The Mermaid (2016, 3.19 billion yuan by Wednesday)
Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s romantic comedy, took a staggering 3.1 billion yuan alone in the three weeks since the Lunar New Year holiday and is expected to continue its record-breaking splash.
Chow, the king of mo lei tau (nonsensical) comedies in the ’90s and early 2000s, tells the story of a young real estate tycoon who falls in love with a mermaid sent by her half-fish clan to assassinate him to protect their waters.
READ MORE: Hong Kong’s The Mermaid is part of an emerging trend: Chinese dominance at the box office
Chow continues in the mo lei tau comedy style in the film but also adds new flavours to deliver a message about China’s real estate frenzy and humanity’s relationship with nature.
