Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” held onto the top spot at the mainland China box office for the third consecutive weekend, grossing RMB174.4 million ($25.6 million) over the Aug. 28–30 frame, according to data from Artisan Gateway.
Directed by Wen Muye (“Dying to Survive”) and produced by Ning Hao, the summer breakout has pushed its cumulative haul to $283.7 million since its August 11 launch. Starring Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman, and Omar Sherif, the story follows a debt-ridden Chinese chef in a fictional Middle Eastern city who transforms his restaurant into a sanctuary for local orphans and civilians after armed conflict breaks out.
Pearl River Film Group’s crime drama “V” maintained second place in its sophomore weekend, generating $14.4 million to push its cumulative Chinese earnings to $59.6 million. Directed by Han Yan (“Love Never Ends”), the feature stars Tony Leung Ka Fai, Zhu Yilong, Tan Jianci, and Kara Wai in a narrative chronicling an ambitious man’s rapid rise to power and the dark fallout that threatens his success.
Universal’s epic “The Odyssey” held third position, collecting $10 million in its third weekend. The film has amassed a cumulative gross of $87.4 million across mainland theaters.
