'Iron Man 3' stays atop China's box office

BEIJING - "Iron Man 3" continued to rule the Chinese box office by taking in 206 million yuan ($33.5 million) in the week ending Sunday, China Film News reported on Tuesday.

Adding to its take since it opened with record ticket sales amounting to 116 million yuan on May 1, the superhero sequel by American director Shane Black had raked in 610 million yuan by the end of the week.

Performers pose for a photo during a promotional event of the movie "Iron Man 3" before its release in China at the Imperial Ancestral Temple of Beijing's Forbidden City, in this April 6, 2013 file picture. [Photo/Agencies]

"So Young," a domestic drama by actress-turned-director Zhao Wei, who was catapulted to fame in TV series "Huan Zhu Ge Ge," or"Princess of Pearl," first shown in 1998, was a respectable no. two, taking 145 million yuan in the week.

Tom Cruise's sci-fi adventure "Oblivion," debuted on Friday, came third with 59 million yuan.

Not far behind was "The Croods," a cartoon set in the stone age, which took 54 million yuan in the week, according to the paper.

In fifth spot was "Django Unchained," back on Chinese theater screens on Sunday more than a month after the movie was suspended due to "technical reasons."

The oscar-winning film, which is Quentin Tarantino's first commercial release in China, raked in 3.8 million yuan on its opening day, according to China Film News.