China sets 1.88-bln-USD monthly box office record

People watch a movie at a cinema in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) -- China's monthly box office revenue hit a record of 12.2 billion yuan (1.88 billion U.S. dollars) in February, marking the highest-grossing month the country has ever seen.

The figure surpassed the previous monthly record of 11.16 billion yuan for February 2019.

"Hi, Mom," the maiden directorial project of Chinese comedian-actress Jia Ling, led China's February chart compiled by the China Movie Data Information Network with a revenue of 4.82 billion yuan, or nearly 40 percent of the total.

"Detective Chinatown 3," the latest installment in Wanda Pictures' "Detective Chinatown" comedy film franchise, placed second, accounting for 35 percent of the total.

Fantasy thriller "A Writer's Odyssey" ranked third, with 895 million yuan.

The top seven earners were all domestic titles released on Spring Festival day, which was celebrated on Feb. 12 this year. The festival marked the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

"Hi, Mom" received the highest rating among all seven Spring Festival films. Box office tracker Maoyan has projected that the film will complete its run with total sales of 5.2 billion yuan.