'Monster Hunt' sets China box office record

Domestic live-action animation "Monster Hunt" beat Hollywood blockbuster "Furious 7," setting the record for highest-grossing film in the Chinese market and becoming the first Chinese film to take the top spot in 21 years.

Its total box office sales exceeded 2.428 billion yuan (385.3 U.S.dollars) as of Friday since its debut on July 16, according to statistics released by an office affiliated with the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT).

"Monster Hunt" surpassed "Furious 7," whose total ticket sales hit 2.426 billion yuan in May, to become the most successful movie in Chinese cinemas.

It is the first domestic film to dominate China's box office since the Chinese mainland reopened its market to foreign movies in 1994.

The movie has run for an extra month and will leave cinemas on Sept. 17.

According to statistics, the animated feature "Monkey King: Hero is Back," a 3D animated adaptation of the classical epic "Journey to the West," grossed 955 million yuan in total as of Sept. 9 after opening on July 10, setting a box office record for domestic animated films.