Jiang Wen epic Hidden Man proves a hit at China box office

Opening to a box office haul of over 300 million yuan ($44.9 million), Jiang Wen's latest epic Hidden Man may have proved a hit with domestic audiences, but it has still failed to knock off Dying to Survive from the top of China's box office charts.

As the sixth film by the acclaimed actor-director, Hidden Man was adapted by Jiang from a martial arts novel by Zhang Beihai, which follows the struggles of a young secret agent as he tries to take on the invading Japanese forces in Beijing in 1937.

With a stellar cast led by Eddie Peng, Jiang himself, Zhou Yun, Liao Fan and Xu Qing, the movie hit Chinese theaters — including more than 500 IMAX screens — on July 13, grossing around 330 million yuan to date.

Although the movie has been widely acclaimed by critics and fans, it still hasn't managed to surpass the phenomenal success of the Xu Zheng-starring Dying to Survive, an emotional story about a leukemia sufferer trying to secure affordable medicine, which has raked in 2.5 billion yuan since it opened on July 5.

Occupying the second slot in China's box office charts, Hidden Man is followed by animated feature New Happy Dad and Son 3: Adventure in Russia, and Animal World in fourth position.