CHINESE patriotic blockbuster “The Battle at Lake Changjin” has beaten domestic comedy “Hi, Mom” to become the highest-grossing movie so far this year, both in China and globally. The historical epic’s cumulative total since Sept. 30 has reached 5.5 billion yuan (US$860 million) as of Oct. 31, surging past 5.41 billion yuan, the amount earned by “Hi, Mom,” the maiden directorial project of comedienne Jia Ling, according to data from box office tracker Maoyan. More than 115 million moviegoers have watched “The Battle at Lake Changjin” in cinemas across China so far. The war film is currently the second-highest-grossing title of all time at China’s box office, trailing only Chinese action film “Wolf Warrior 2” (2017), which raked in 5.69 billion yuan. In its newly upgraded estimation, Maoyan predicts “The Battle at Lake Changjin” will complete its Chinese box office run with over 5.6 billion yuan. Set during the Korean War (1950-1953) and starring Wu Jing and Jackson Yee, the three-hour movie tells the story of Chinese soldiers fighting against the American troops in freezing temperatures in a key campaign at Lake Changjin, or Chosin Reservoir. The film was helmed by directors Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam. According to an official announcement made via social media last Thursday, “The Battle at Lake Changjin” is set to have a sequel called “Water Gate Bridge,” which will see the return of Wu and Yee, as well as other principal members of the original cast. The new film, whose release date has yet to be announced, follows the Chinese soldiers of the same company as they take on a new task. And this time, their battlefield is a crucial bridge on the retreat route of American troops. (Xinhua) | 