The Battle at Lake Changjin: War film smashes box office records

A blockbuster set during the Korean War has racked up hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales and become the highest-grossing film ever in China, according to box office data.

“The Battle at Lake Changjin”, a chest-thumping war epic, is the latest entry in a new era of Chinese action films.

The film, released on the eve of China’s annual October public holiday, proved popular with audiences, smashing the previous box office record of 5.6 billion yuan ($891 million) in ticket sales, ticketing platform Maoyan said Wednesday.

Related: ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’: Chinese war movie tops global box office

The movie depicts a crucial battle in winter 1950, where Chinese soldiers forced US-led UN troops to evacuate from North Korea, fighting in freezing temperatures.

The movie shows the clash as an absolute victory necessary to stop the US from capturing North Korea.

“The Battle at Lake Changjin” is not the first patriotic blockbuster to garner widespread public support.

The smash-hit success of the “Wolf Warrior” franchise — where a swashbuckling Chinese soldier defeats foreign mercenaries — is credited with kicking off the new wave of nationalistic action films.

The vast majority of films shown in China are domestically produced, with only 34 foreign films allowed domestic release per year.