China smashes world monthly box office record, as February takings top US$1.57 billion
Performance beats previous record held by North America in July 2011 when takings were recorded at US$1.395 billion. Action blockbuster Operation Red Sea, directed by Hong Kong director Dante Lam, plays key role in total tally
China set a global monthly box office record in February after topping 10 billion yuan (US$1.57 billion) for the first time, eclipsing North America’s previous high in July 2011, when the final Harry Potter and Transformer films boosted ticket sales to US$1.395 billion.
The final domestic tally was 10.05 billion yuan, official figures showed on Thursday, thanks to several blockbusters that included action hit Operation Red Sea, directed by Hong Kong director Dante Lam.
The film – produced to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the 19th Communist Party’s National Congress – features Chinese Navy elites thwarting a terrorist plot overseas and saving hundreds of Chinese citizens and foreign nationals during the 2015 Yemen Civil War.
The film has topped China’s box office over the past week and contributed 2.44 billion yuan to February’s total ticket sales.
“This is mainly due to explosive growth during the Spring Festival holiday,” said Hu Hao, an analyst for Beijing-based New Times Securities.
“Movie content is driving ticket sales, and Operation Red Sea saw box office spike within just a few days, largely through word of mouth,” Hu said.