Cyber fraud drama becomes most-watched film of 2023 in Chinese cinemas

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- "No More Bets," the hit Chinese film that spotlights overseas cyber fraud and was the highest earner in the country's lucrative summer moviegoing period, has surpassed Zhang Yimou's suspense comedy "Full River Red" to become the most-watched film of the year in Chinese cinemas.

The crime drama was released on Aug. 8 and has had a total Chinese viewership in excess of 91.85 million as of Wednesday, according to film data platform Beacon. That figure is higher than the 91.78 million people who saw "Full River Red" in cinemas.

"No More Bets" continues its theatrical run, generating an approximate total revenue of 3.81 billion yuan (about 531.14 million U.S. dollars) to date and now ranking third on China's 2023 box office chart.

"Full River Red" and sci-fi film "The Wandering Earth II," both released during the Spring Festival holiday in January, remain the top-two earners of this year, respectively grossing 4.54 billion yuan and 4.03 billion yuan.