In the week ahead of the National Day holiday, three films made it to the top three box office list, with just pre-sales.
The three Chinese domestic films - "My People, My Country", "The Captain" and "The Climbers" – are all set to be released on Monday, but advance booking started on Saturday.
"My People, My Country" managed to grab over 37 million U.S. dollars by Sunday, according to Maoyan.com, China's biggest ticketing platform. In 158 minutes, the film tells seven stories about seven historical moments in China and how people's lives are changed with the transformation of the country.
Crew members of the "My People, My Country" attend the premiere held in Beijing on September 28, 2019. /VCG Photo
"We were very worried [during shooting], because seven directors for one movie is something that never happened before," Huang Jianxin, one of the seven film directors, said at the premiere in Beijing, on Saturday. He worked as a producer in the project.
Those seven landmark events include the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the successful explosion of the first atomic bomb in China in 1964, and the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997.
"Each episode in 'My People, My Country' reflected what touched the directors deep in their hearts and will surely resonate with all the audience," Huang added.
Crew members of the "The Captain" attend the premiere held in Beijing on September 25, 2019. /VCG Photo
Adapted from a true story, the adventure film "The Captain" came as the runner-up with pre-sale tickets revenues reaching 25.6 million U.S. dollars.
It focus on the story of a Chinese passenger jet forced into an emergency landing after a broken cockpit window sucked his co-pilot halfway out of the aircraft at 32,000 feet (9,753m) on May 14, 2018. Captain Liu Chuanjian braved the intense cold and blasting wind to land the plane in about 20 minutes. All 128 people aboard the Airbus A319 survived.
"The Climbers" is also based on a true story. The movie is a cinematic retelling of the first Chinese climbers to summit Qomolangma in 1960, the first ever to do so from the North Ridge, the most challenging side of the world's highest peak.
Crew members of the "The Climbers" attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd Shanghai Interntional Film Festival on June 15, 2019. /VCG Photo
Staring celebrated actors, including Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi, and Wu Jing, the film raked 22.6 million U.S. dollars in pre-sales.
"Mao Zedong 1949," a historical film about the People's Republic of China (PRC)'s founding, came in fourth, with 7.9 million U.S. dollars, bringing its total box office to 14 million U.S. dollars, since its release on September 20.
Besides historical movies, two Chinese animations also made their way on the list. "The Legend of Hei" grabbed 3.3 million U.S. dollars, ranking in eighth place. Its story focuses on the cat, Xiao Hei, who transforms into a man and goes to live in the forests, which he finds were destroyed by human settlements. It's scored 8.2 on douban.com and 9.3 on maoyan.com, two of the most popular film reviewing websites in China.
The all-conquering "Ne Zha" continues to find a place in the top 10 list, even after its release two months ago, on July 26. The animation film nabbed 2.5 million U.S. dollars this week, bringing its total box office to 695 million U.S. dollars.
Crew members of the "Abominable" attend the premiere held in Shanghai on September 20, 2019. /VCG Photo
The U.S. animation "Abominable" will be released on Tuesday. The story starts when a kid living in a huge city finds a frightened yeti, also known as snowman, hiding on the roof of her apartment. She and two friends then go on a 2,000-mile journey to reunite him with his family in the Himalayas.