Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” retained the top spot at the mainland China box office for the fourth consecutive weekend, grossing RMB82.6 million ($12.1 million) over the Sept. 4–6 frame, according to data from Artisan Gateway.
The blockbuster hit has now crossed a major milestone, lifting its cumulative total to $305.6 million since its nationwide launch on Aug. 11. Directed by Wen Muye (“Dying to Survive”) from a script co-written with Lang Qunli and Wei Zhong, the film stars Shen Teng as a debt-ridden Chinese chef in the Middle East who, alongside his floor manager (Jiang Qiming), transforms his eatery into a vital safe haven for civilians and orphans amidst erupting regional conflict. The cast also features Aarif Rahman and Omar Sherif.
Pearl River Film Group’s crime thriller “V” maintained second place, bringing in $7.9 million in its third weekend for a cumulative total of $75.4 million. Directed by Han Yan (“Love Never Ends”), the film stars Tony Ka Fai Leung, Zhu Yilong, Tan Jianci, and Kara Wai in a cautionary tale charting an ambitious figure’s rise to prominence and the dangerous consequences that accompany his ambition.
Universal’s “The Odyssey” took third position in its fourth frame, collecting $5.5 million. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the Imax-shot adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic has amassed a cumulative gross of $97.4 million.
