Chinese mystery drama “Lost in the Stars” tops China’s box office chart for second week

The Chinese mystery drama “Lost in the Stars” continued its strong performance at the box office in China, taking the top spot for the second consecutive week. The film earned $117 million over the weekend, according to Artisan Gateway.

The film’s success comes as Hollywood blockbuster “Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny” failed to make a splash in China. The film earned just $2.4 million over the weekend, and did not even make it into the top five.

“Lost in the Stars” is a Chinese adaptation of the 1990 Russian movie “A Trap for the Lonely Man.” The film tells the story of a woman who disappears while on an overseas trip with her husband. She reappears just as mysteriously, but her husband refuses to believe that she is the same woman.

The Chinese adaptation was scripted by hitmaker Chen Sicheng (“Detective Chinatown” franchise) and co-directed by Liu Xiang (“Knock Knock”) and Cui Rui. The cast is headed by Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni, Janice Man, and Du Jiang.

In second place for the weekend was the Chinese comedy “Never Say Never,” which earned $25.6 million. The film is written and directed by actor Wang Baoqiang (“Lost in Thailand,” “Detective Chinatown”).

Rounding out the top five were the Chinese romance film “Love Never Ends” ($10.7 million), the American superhero film “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” ($3.8 million), and the Chinese animated film “Chang An” ($3.2 million).

The strong performances of the top two films helped to drive China’s box office to $170 million for the weekend. This is the third-highest weekend of the year in China, and is 56% ahead of the same point last year.