2011-06-23 09:17

BEIJING -- Nearly 3 million Chinese paid to watch "The Founding of a Party," an epic film marking the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in the first five days of screening, the film's releaser said Wednesday.

The film, which is expected to set a new box office record in China, reaped more than 105 million yuan ($16.15 million) as of Sunday, five days after it was officially released, said Lai Shen, deputy general manager in charge of distribution under the China Film Group Corporation.

Ticket sales of the film accounted for more than 57 percent of the country's current box office, said Lai.

However, the figure is a little lower than that of its twin movie, "The Founding of a Republic," which was released in 2009 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. That film brought in 125 million yuan in the first five days of its release.

"The Founding of a Party" is being shown on more than 7,800 screens in nearly 1,700 theaters across the country, said Lai.

The 140-minute film features an all-star cast and follows the market-oriented model set by "The Founding of a Republic," which attracted an audience of 13 million people with ticket sales totaling 420 million yuan.

Insiders expect "The Founding of a Party" to make double that amount in ticket sales and reach an audience of 30 million people.

Lai is optimistic about the film's box office in coming weeks as July 1, the day to mark the 90th anniversary, is approaching. Many people are expected to go to cinema as organized group audience, Lai said.

However, Hollywood blockbusters "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and "Kungfu Panda 2", together with upcoming "Transformers 3" and "Harry Potter 7" are also scrambling for a chunk of the Chinese audience, Lai said.

"The Founding of a Party" tells the story of the founding of the CPC during the early half of the 20th century, when China was experiencing political disunity.

The film will later make its way into theaters in over 10 countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore.