'Monster Hunt' remains China box office leader

BEIJING- Domestic live-action animation "Monster Hunt," which is already the highest grossing Chinese film of all time, continued to rule China's box office in the week ending July 26.

Its total box office hit 1.37 billion yuan (about $221 million), with 707 million yuan added in the week.

It surpassed "Lost in Thailand," a 2012 low-budget comedy directed by director Xu Zheng, to become the most successful Chinese film on July 26, with more than 1.268 billion yuan in box office after its debut on July 16.

"Jian Bing Man," a domestic comedy that tells the story of an actor's experience in the film industry, came in second, grossing 438 million yuan, China Film News reported on Sunday. Its total box office has reached 860 million yuan since opening on July 17.

Third place went to animated feature "Monkey King: The Hero is Back," which reaped about 204 million yuan in the week. It is a 3D animated adaption of the classical epic "Journey to the West." Its total box office stood at 670.8 million yuan after opening on July 10.

"Only You," a domestic romance, came in fourth during the week, with 46 million yuan in sales. It was released on July 24.

Rounding out the top five was animated adventure "Seer Movie 5: Rise of Thunder," with 41.5 million yuan. It was released on July 23.