Bittersweet time-travel film "Hi, Mom" continued its reign at the top of the Chinese box office last week (March 8-14) for the fourth consecutive week, raking in 164 million yuan ($25 million) in weekly revenue, according to online movie-ticketing platform Maoyan.

By Sunday, the film had earned a total of 5.2 billion yuan ($800 million) since its release.

The tearjerker became one of the top 100 highest-grossing films in the world on March 10 – the second Chinese film to secure a spot on the coveted list after "Wolf Warrior 2." The movie turned its director Jia Ling, who also played the lead role in the movie, into the highest-grossing female director in Chinese film history.

In second place was sci-fi and fantasy epic "Avatar" which took in 137 million yuan ($21 million) since its re-release on March 12. The film originally premiered on the Chinese mainland on January 4, 2010.

'Avatar' dominates box office... again

The James Cameron blockbuster hit the big screen in the Chinese mainland 11 years after its domestic debut to much excitement. Its popularity among Chinese moviegoers this week upped its global revenue pre-re-release from $2.7 billion to more than $2.8 billion, enough for it to claim back its title as the highest-grossing film of all time.

Marvel's 2019 "Avengers: Endgame" had been No. 1 on that list with a total of $2.797 billion.

"Avatar" became known for its groundbreaking 3D effects and ahead-of-its-time Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) technology.

It is rated 8.8 out of 10 on Douban, a Chinese film review aggregator. "Avatar tells you that movies can build your dreams," reads one of the popular short reviews.

"Avatar" received nine nominations during the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010 and won Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

Chinese crime-comedy "Endgame" ranked third last week, and has grossed 675 million yuan ($103 million) since its release last month. Starring A-list actor Andy Lau and award-winning actress Wan Qian, the film tells the story between a top killer and an unfortunate actor.

The pandemic has led to a dearth in new releases, both Chinese and foreign, pushing movies already on the Chinese market to run longer than their original duration. The recovery of the Chinese box office, however, has been an opportunity for re-releases of blockbusters seeking commercial success. "Avatar" was a case in point, and Chinese media reported last week that "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" will be shown again in the Chinese mainland soon, although no official date has been set.

(Cover image by Xu Qianyun)