Live-action animation "Monster Hunt" has become the most successful Chinese film of all time, the country's entertainment watchdog said Sunday.
According to the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), Monster Hunt had raked in more than 1.268 billion yuan ($204 million) in box office by Sunday, just ten days after its public launch on July 16.
Previously, China's box office record was held by "Lost in Thailand," a 2012 low-budget comedy directed by local director Xu Zheng, followed by Hong Kong writer-director Stephen Chow's 2013 adventure comedy "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons."
A sequel to the new blockbuster is already in the works.
Director Xu Zheng on Sunday congratulated "Monster Hunt"'s success, posting on his Sina Weibo microblog a picture showing a crowned Huba - the name of the monster in the new box office champion - dancing on top of his iconic shaven head.
"Records are set to be broken," the posting read, "Go ahead, Chinese movies."