娱乐英语新闻:Movie about Tangshan earthquake sets Chinese box office record

"Aftershock" is about a mother's three-decade journey leading to an emotional reunion with the daughter she thought she had lost in the earthquake. The Tangshan earthquake left more than 240,000 dead.

A survey on Sina.com, one of China's major news portals, shows nearly half of the 20,015 people surveyed said the movie was "very good and surpassed expectations."

About one quarter of those surveyed said the great performances of the movie's cast moved them the most.

In a popular movie theater in central Beijing, most of the audience in one screening of the movie were moved to tears, as their weeping could be heard from time to time throughout the movie.

Also there was laughter during the movie's screening, especially when advertisements were inserted into the story line of the movie and given close-up shots.

The advertisements include those for a luxury car company, an insurance company, a large state-owned bank, a sports wear company, and a Chinese wine maker.

Fifteen minutes of the movie's total length of two and a half hours were for these advertisements, which have drawn criticism from the media as well as the public.

In an interview with Xinhua on Monday, Zhang Hongsen, vice director of the SARFT film department said advertisements placed in movies were necessary for film makers to make profits, as piracy poses a threat to their revenues.

He said a tougher crackdown on piracy was essential to solving the problem of such advertisements placed into movies.