China's Box Office Hits Record Over New Year Week

BEIJING (AP) - China's box office hit a new record over the seven-day Chinese New Year holiday, according to figures released Monday.

There were more than 38 million visits to the cinema between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6 with a record box office of 1.41 billion yuan ($230 million), according to the official microblog of China Film News, which is overseen by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

That was an increase of about 85 percent over last year's take of 760 million yuan ($125 million), when there were 19 million trips to the movie theater, according to figures in state media.

The top two-grossing films during this year's holiday were both domestic ones and appealed to families during the holiday week. "The Monkey King," a 3D film loosely based on a classic Chinese folktale, grossed 618 million yuan ($101 million) and a reality TV show-turned-movie "Dad, Where Are We Going?" featuring celebrity fathers and their young children brought home 470 million yuan ($77 million).

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