Chinese box-office revenue edged ahead of the United States in February for the first time ever as a record Lunar New Year bonanza brought in $650 million in the second-largest movie market, according to data from research firm Entgroup.
North American box office for February came in at $710 million, but once Canada is stripped out, the figure was $640 million, making China the biggest box-office market in the world for the month, the firm said.
The top movie in China for the month was Chow Yun-fat starrer The Man from Macau II, which brought in $104 million, followed by historical action movie Dragon Blade, starring Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Adrien Brody, which took $95 million during the month.
In fourth place was the $40 million Sino-French epic Wolf Totem, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, which brought in $72 million.
In fifth was Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal, a $30 million, 3D, VFX fantasy action adventure co-directed by Peter Pau and Zhao Tianyu and produced by Ann An of Desen International Media, with $56 million, followed by Xu Jinglei's romance Somewhere Only We Know with $44 million.
Running Man, an adaptation of a Korean reality TV format, made $42 million in February.
The holiday period is kept clear of foreign movies to give domestic films a clear run. The biggest Hollywood movie in the month was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which brought in $36 million. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the latest installment in Lionsgate's YA film franchise, brought in $35.5 million in China in February.
Before February, the biggest box-office month ever in China was July last year with $580 million, thanks to Transformers: Age of Extinction's release that month. The Lunar New Year has become the peak movie-going period in China. This year, it ran Feb. 18-Feb. 24. Box office during that week alone amounted to $270 million, according to data site 58921.com.