CHINA BOX OFFICE: War movie The Hundred Regiments Offensive topped the China box office for the week August 31-September 6, grossing $39.4m for a cumulative total of $61.97m after 10 days.

Hundred Regiments Offensive

The patriotic film, released to coincide with the anniversary of the defeat of the Japanese in the Second World War, has been the subject of online speculation that it has received a boost from cinemas that are under pressure from the authorities to hit certain box office targets.

Chinese film execs and other netizens on social media platforms such as Weibo and WeChat have claimed that box office takings from other movies, including Terminator Genisys and Cao Baoping’s The Dead End, have been re-assigned to the film.

Terminator Genisys came in second over the week, according to EntGroup figures, grossing $26.67m for a cume of $111.92m after 15 days.

Police thriller The Dead End came in third with $22.38m for a cume of $42.95m after 11 days.

Johnnie To’s Office opened in fourth position, grossing $6.9m in five days. Based on Sylvia Chang’s musical Design For Living, the film stars Chang, Chow Yun-fat and Eason Chan.

Raman Hui’s Monster Hunt inched closer to becoming the biggest film of all time in China, grossing $4.83m for a  cume of $389.07m. The current record holder is Furious 7, which grossed $390.9m earlier this year.

Han Yan’s Go Away Mr Tumor came in sixth with $3.45m for a cume of $81.59m after 25 days.

It was followed by Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Cannes title The Assassin, which grossed $3.02m in its second week, and has taken $9.39m after 11 days.

Three new releases rounded out the top ten – French-Brazilian family adventure Amazonia grossed $1.76m in three days; local animation Enchanted Mirror Romance took $1.67m in four days; and Hong Kong romantic comedy All You Need Is Love grossed $1.46m in three days.