娱乐英语新闻:"Despicable Me 2" soars Chinese box office charts

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- "Despicable Me 2" became the biggest box office winner on the Chinese mainland as it outperformed all its cinematic rivals in the week ending Jan. 12, according to Tuesday's China Film News.

The 3-D cartoon, featuring voices from Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Miranda Cosgrove, raked in 97 million yuan (16.05 million U.S. dollars) in ticket sales during the week.

It is a sequel to Universal's iconic animated comedy "Despicable Me" and hit theaters on the Chinese mainland on Jan. 10.

The futuristic "Ender's Game," based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card, was second in the charts, taking in 69.4 million yuan since its release on Jan. 7.

It stars 16-year-old newcomer Asa Butterfield as a boy selected by the International Military to protect and save the human race from the invading insect-like outer space villains.

Hong Kong comedy film "Hello Babies," was third, raking in 15.8 million yuan in the week. The film features stories of couples of different ages and backgrounds and how they deal with reproduction issues in a hilarious and heartwarming manner.

"Police Story 2013," a police action thriller from Jackie Chan, ranked fourth and has roped in total revenue of more than 500 million yuan since its debut on Dec. 24.

"Personal Tailor," the latest comedy from popular Chinese director Feng Xiaogang, was fifth on the charts, grossing nearly 700 million since its release on Dec. 19.

In the week from Jan. 6 to Jan. 12, some 9.88 million people visited cinemas nationwide, up 2.7 percent year on year, while the weekly box office earnings saw a 1.6-percent jump with a total of 344 million yuan.