"Painted Skin: Resurrection" Becomes China's Highest Grossing Film

After 25 days in release, “Painted Skin II: Resurrection” has broken the all-time box office record for a Chinese film with $109M. The previous record holder is “Let the Bullets Fly” (Chow Yun-Fat) at $103M.

It took a week longer than I had expected. It opened to a record-breaking $47M during its first week. By its second week, it has already made $84M. I was sure it would take the crown in its third week.

“Painted Skin II: Resurrection” is the sequel to a Donnie Yen film in 2008 about a demon that falls in love with a general and goes on to destroy everyone who stands between her and her love. Yen plays a demon hunter in that film and didn’t return for the sequel.

At $109M so far, the sequel has already grossed more than three times that of the original’s $33M. There are a lot more theaters in China now, so that helps.