Chinese Massacre Movie Opens to Buzz

According to the Associated Press, a controversial film about the 1937 rape and mass murder of Chinese citizens by Japanese troops is grossing a record $10 million in its opening week.

In a phone interview with international press Monday, Lu Chuan, director of City of Life and Death, said that the film grossed over 70 million yuan, the Chinese currency equal of $10 million, over a five-day period spanning from Wednesday to Sunday. According to Lu, it is unknown how many theaters are screening the movie. However, he estimated the figure to be 1,400 theaters in the country, or 35 percent of the nation's 4,000 movie houses.

The film, an account of the massacre, is one of the few major historical dramas to emerge in the number one slot at the Chinese box office. Red Cliff, a John Woo-directed drama about a battle during the end of the Han dynasty, grossed a meager 108 million Chinese yuan ($16 million), in its opening week.

Lu's film was almost never made. Because of the sensitive nature of the topic, the state-run Chinese Film Group and Chinese censors were wary of endorsing a movie about the Nanjing massacre. However, after an extensive edit of the script, the film was cleared for filming. Since its release, it has received critical praise from the Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television named it as one of the top 10 films commemorating the 60th anniversary of Communist rule, even though the Mao-led party wasn't in power in the period when the attacks began.

The Nanjing massacre continues to be a sore point in Sino-Japanese relations. When Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso donated over 50,000 yen ($526) for the installation of an evergreen tree at the troubled Yasukuni Shrine, which houses 14 A-Class war criminals including militarist leader Hideki Tojo, the Chinese government protested and requested that the tree be removed.