South Korean sci-fi thriller "Snowpiercer" took second place in the Chinese box office, posting a strong 8.2 billion won (US$7.5 million) in the opening week, the film's distributor said Tuesday.
Released last Monday throughout China, the film was ranked No. 2 on the Chinese box office with 8.2 billion won, following 3-D Hollywood action film "Need for Speed," CJ E&M Corp. said, citing a Chinese box-office tracker.
It marks the best opening for South Korean films released in China. "Snowpiercer" beat out the previous No. 1 -- 7.7 billion won of "Late Autumn" in 2010.
"Late Autumn," starring South Korean actor Hyun Bin and Chinese actress Tang Wei, currently holds the record as the top-selling South Korean film in China with 11.7 billion won.
Insiders say "Snowpiercer" would easily break the record as its title has recently been the most-searched movie-related keyword in China's own Twitter-like social network service Weibo and received well among critics.
Starting in France last October, the English-language debut film by director Bong Joon-ho has since opened in 10 countries around the world, including Taiwan, Japan and Italy, and is now awaiting release in North America, the world's largest movie market, on June 27.
Based on the French graphic novel "Le Transperceneige," the sci-fi action thriller depicts inter-class struggles among the world's last-remaining inhabitants aboard a perpetually moving train.
The flick brought together an international cast featuring South Korean film star Song Kang-ho, Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Jamie Bell and Ed Harris. (Yonhap)
