'Running Man' topples 'The Hobbit' at China's box office

Domestic comedy "Running Man" threw Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" out of the top spot in China's box office in the week ending Feb. 8.

Running Man, debuted on Jan. 30, and pulled in 153 million yuan (about 24.5 million US dollars) in the week. Its total box office stood at 390 million yuan, China Film News reported Tuesday.

The Hobbit, which was box office champion for two consecutive weeks, raked in a respectable 125 million yuan in the week. Its total tickets sales have reached 714 million yuan since its opening on Jan. 23 in China.

Third was "Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter", the latest domestic animated franchise, which opened the same day as "Running Man", making 91 million yuan in the week. The figure has brought its total earnings to 199 million yuan.

The fourth spot went to American action-fantasy "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1", which took in 62.6 million yuan on the opening day of Feb. 8.

Rounding out the top-five list was a domestic comedy "Crazy New Year's Eve", which grossed 36 million yuan in the week after its debut on Feb. 6.