'Wolf Warrior 2' takes Chinese box office to new monthly high

A promotional photo for "Wolf Warrior 2." [Photo: movie.mtime.com]

The August numbers from the Chinese movie box office are out, and not surprisingly, action-packed "Wolf Warrior 2" has proven to be the biggest winner.

The blockbuster topped the list of the highest grossing films last month with 4.2 billion yuan in ticket sales, accounting for nearly 60% of the total.

Directed by and starring action-star Wu Jing, the film tells the story of a former Chinese special forces agent, as he adventures in Africa and fights against militants and mercenaries.

Released in late July, the film's total box office receipts have reached 5.5 billion yuan.

A promotional photo for "Once Upon a Time." [Photo: movie.mtime.com]

Meanwhile, fantasy love story and costume drama "Once Upon a Time" has become the runner-up, raking in 530 million yuan last month.

The film stars actress Liu Yifei and actor Yang Yang.

Based on a popular novel of the same title, the film is about a love story that unfolds through three lifetimes.

Hong Kong police action drama "Paradox" trails behind at the third spot with 490 million yuan, followed by Hollywood import "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," which took home 330 million yuan.

Aided by the whopping success of "Wolf Warrior 2," China's August box office figures have become the highest for a single month in the country, totaling 7.3 billion yuan, or more than 1 billion US dollars.

The figure represents an 80% year-on-year growth compared with that of August 2016.