War epic film drives daily China box office sales to new high

The Eight Hundred recounts the defense by Chinese soldiers of a warehouse in Shanghai in 1937 during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. （Photo from China Daily）

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Driven by the robust sales of war epic film "The Eight Hundred," daily China box office sales total on Sunday surpassed 250 million yuan (about 36 million U.S. dollars), a new high since movie theaters reopened on July 20 following months of closure due to COVID-19.

Sunday's China box office sales totaled about 256 million yuan, to which "The Eight Hundred" contributed over 227 million, or nearly 89 percent, showed data compiled by Maoyan, a movie-ticketing and film data platform.

"The Eight Hundred" won applause from moviegoers and critics alike after preview screenings began on Aug. 14 in China where it was formally released on Friday.

The film had grossed more than 800 million yuan from this market by the end of Sunday.

Directed by Guan Hu, "The Eight Hundred" shows Chinese soldiers fighting the invading Japanese army from inside a warehouse during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937.

Shot entirely with IMAX cameras, it is the first major Chinese film to hit movie theaters since the COVID-19 outbreak.