Martial arts movie tops charts overseas

Blades of the Guardians, a martial arts blockbuster, topped the Chinese-language films' box-office charts in North America for six consecutive days, according to a seminar held at the China Film Archive on Thursday.

The film also gained popularity in other foreign markets, evidenced by topping single-day box-office rankings for multiple days in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as becoming the box-office champion during Spring Festival in Malaysia, said Liu Kailuo, the film's chief producer and chief executive officer of Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company.

Adapted from artist Xu Xianzhe's popular comic series of the same name, the film stars actor Wu Jing as Dao Ma, a former member of a royal army who has turned fugitive. Accepting a dangerous escort mission — both as a favor to an old friend and for the money — Dao, stumbling upon several unlikely companions, embarks on a perilous journey across a vast desert to the capital city of the late Sui Dynasty (581-618).