The American animated 3D film "How to Train Your Dragon 2" has taken in more than 200 million yuan, or about 35 million US dollars since it opened in China a week ago. That's the biggest box-office take for an animated film in the country.
The second chapter of the epic "How To Train Your Dragon" trilogy brings us back to the fantastical world of Hiccup and Toothless, five years after the two have successfully united dragons and Vikings on an island. While exploring a secret ice cave with hundreds of new wild dragons, the two find themselves involved in a battle to protect the peace.
"The fighting in the film looks more real than that of the previous one. When the characters fly in the sky, it's very beautiful," an audience said.
Ticket sales topped 200 million yuan just five days after it was released on the mainland. Cinema managers say the movies success was due to a mixture of a quality movie and good timing.
"It is the only animation among the films that were released in the same period. Since it's summertime, many children come to the cinema and they prefer cartoons," Palace cinema manager Sheng Quan said.
Globally, the film has made more than 530 million US dollars at the box office. The first chapter of the series was released four years ago and brought in about 490 million US dollars. Dreamworks released the second chapter this year on its 20th anniversary.