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HONG KONG – Audience flocked to see the Sandra Ng‘s Golden Chicken SSS during the Chinese New Year holiday, making it the box office champion of the Jan 30 through February 2 period.
The comedy raked up $1.8 million (HK$14 million) during the four-day period, according to Hong Kong Box Office Ltd., a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Motion Pictures Industry Association and the Hong Kong Theatres Association.
PHOTOS: China Box Office 2013: The Top 10 Movies
Four of the top eight new releases were Chinese-language Hong Kong productions or Hong Kong-China co-productions, breaking the traditional dominance of Hollywood imports during the Chinese New Year time slot. In 2013, the top grossing film during the same period was the Bruce Willis vehicle A Good Day to Die Hard, which took $1.54 million.
Coming in second is the casino comedy From Vegas to Macau, directed by Wong Jing and starring Chow Yun-fat (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) and Nicholas Tse (The Stool Pigeon), which grossed $1.48 million.
In third place is Hong Kong-China co-produced fantasy epic The Monkey King, which made $1.47 million. The Monkey King, starring Donnie Yen as the titular hero, as well as Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok (Cold War), is a record-making blockbuster in China, where it broke the record for the biggest opening day with $20.3 million (123 million yuan).
PHOTOS: Inside Hollywood’s Surprise Trip to China’s Huading Awards
The fourth on the Hong Kong list is Hello Babies, starring Raymond Wong (The Happy Ghost), Eric Tsang (Infernal Affairs), and Sandra Ng, which took $907,000.
Hollywood imports did not fare as well. Franchise relauncher Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit came in fifth place, taking $317,000, followed by the Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson starrer Saving Mr. Banks, which took $190,000.
Rounding out the list is Chinese animated feature Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf 6, which grossed $80,000, and the Spanish animation Justin and the Knights of Valour, which took $70,000.
Total box office during the four-day holiday was $6.6 million, a 15.6 percent rise from the $5.7 million gross during the same period in 2013.
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