Domestic film 'Better Days' beats latest Terminator at the box office

04:54

"Better Days," a domestic drama featuring school bullying and teenage crime grossed over 1.1 billion yuan (156 million U.S dollars) to top the box office in the past week, crushing Hollywood blockbuster "Terminator: Dark Fate" and Japanese animated film "Weathering with you."

Actor and singer Jackson Yee during the "Better Days" news conference. /VCG Photo

Science-fiction classic

"Terminator: Dark Fate" is the sixth installment in the sci-fi classic Terminator series. It opened on the Chinese mainland on Friday, November 1, taking second place at the box office with 220 million yuan (31 million U.S dollars). However, according to analysts, the film performed far below expectations, not just in China but also in North America.

Movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton return in their roles and reunite after 28 years in the James Cameron produced the film which picks up after "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" in 1991. Reviews of the latest Terminator film are mixed. Rotten Tomatoes reported a rating of 69 percent based on 247 reviews.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and other crew members at the "Terminator: Dark Fate" premiere. /VCG Photo

A long-awaited movie

Starring Jackson Yee, a member of pop group TFBoys, and award-winning actress Zhou Dongyu, "Better Days" has led the box office since its release. Originally set to be released on June 27, the film did not open until October 25, but it proved well worth the wait.

On Douban, China's popular film rating and review site, "Better Days" rated 8.4 out of 10 and has over 160,000 comments.

The drama tells the story of a teenage girl called Chen Nian, who was bullied by her classmates in high school, and it sparked a wide discussion of school bullying. Many netizens wrote that they resonate with Chen because they were bullied in school too.

Derek Tsang, the director of movie "Better Days." /VCG Photo

"Better Days" will be released in North America on November 8.

Japanese animated film "Weathering with You," by famous director Makoto Shinkai, also opened last week. The movie grossed 170 million yuan (24 million U.S dollars) since its release on November 1. It tells a romantic story about an orphan girl who can manipulate the weather.

"My People, My Country" and "The Captain" rank third and fourth respectively.