BOX OFFICE EXPLODES ON CHINESE NEW YEAR — UP 82 PERCENT FROM 2013

The Chinese box office over the Chinese New Year holiday between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6 soared 81.7 percent over the comparable period a year ago, Britain’s Screen Daily reported today (Monday), citing figures from local consultancy Entgroup. Soi Cheang’s The Monkey King, led the field with $100 million over the period. Surprisingly, a documentary film, Dad, Where Are We Going?, debuted in second place with $77 million over the seven-day holiday. The film is based on a popular Korean TV show and reportedly took five days to shoot. Screen Daily observed that the huge success of so many Chinese-produced films over the holiday period has fueled speculation that China may soon expand its quota for foreign imports to 44 per year. Meanwhile, IMAX Corp. announced over the weekend that Warner Bros.’ Gravity passed the $100-million mark worldwide over the weekend. It is only the third film to cross that benchmark, the others being Avatar and The Dark Knight.