Patriotic blockbuster rises to 3rd in China's all-time box office rankings

Patriotic Chinese blockbuster "The Battle at Lake Changjin" on Wednesday beat out the 2019 top earner "Ne Zha" to become the third-highest-grossing title of all time at China's box office.

The historical epic's cumulative total since September 30 has exceeded 5.04 billion yuan (about US$786.65 million), the amount earned by the domestic animated fantasy "Ne Zha," according to data from box office tracker Maoyan.

Approximately 105 million moviegoers have so far watched "The Battle at Lake Changjin" in cinemas across China, according to Maoyan figures.

It is this year's second-biggest earner so far, both in China and globally, trailing only domestic comedy "Hi, Mom," which has raked in 5.41 billion yuan. US movie "F9: The Fast Saga" is now third in the global rankings.

Set during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) and starring Wu Jing and Jackson Yee, the three-hour movie tells the story of Chinese People's Volunteers soldiers fighting bravely in freezing temperatures in a key campaign at Lake Changjin, or Chosin Reservoir.

The story of how the young warriors were willing to risk it all to defend their motherland from the world's best-equipped army, despite their lack of food and warm clothing and amid the bitter coldness, has moved many moviegoers to tears.