BEIJING, Aug. 22 -- Chinese animated film "Ne Zha" continued leading Chinese mainland box office Wednesday, grossing a total of over 4.26 billion yuan (about 605 million U.S. dollars) in 27 days since its debut, the China Movie Data Information Network said Thursday.

The feature, already the fourth franchise raking in over 4 billion yuan on the box office chart covering all the films ever screened on the Chinese mainland, earned 47.63 million yuan on Wednesday.

Loosely based on the tale of Nezha, a beloved Chinese mythological figure, the film features a daring overhaul of Nezha's appearance and depicts him more as a mischievous boy than the heroic youngster shown in previous cinematic works.

Coming in the second was "The Bravest," a Chinese feature film putting spotlight on firefighters, which grossed 23.02 million yuan Wednesday.

Action crime drama "Line Walker 2" ranked third by raking in 13.13 million yuan on its 15th day of screening.