Monster Hunt, a hybrid animation-live action film centred on a baby monster who resembles a white radish, has become the top-grossing Chinese film ever, earning about $208 million (Dh764 million) in its first ten days of release, mainland government regulators said on Sunday.
The film was directed by Raman Hui, who previously worked on American animated films including Shrek 3 and Antz, and was produced by Bill Kong’s Hong Kong-based Edko Films. Monster Hunt surpasses the 2012 low-budget road-trip comedy Lost in Thailand, said the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.
A sequel to Monster Hunt is already in the works, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Monster Hunt cast includes Tang Wei, Sandra Ng and Bai Baihe. The production was forced to undergo significant reshoots after Taiwanese actor Kai Ko was arrested on drug charges in Beijing and authorities signalled that films or TV shows featuring performers with such criminal records might be barred from release.
Monster Hunt has had the benefit of no foreign competition from Minions, Inside Out or other Hollywood studio movies. Mainland Chinese regulators institute a regular summer “blackout” period when foreign films are barred from theatres in order to boost the local movie industry.
