BEIJING, Dec. 14 -- Hong Kong director Peter Chan's "The Warlords" took in more than 10 million yuan, or 1.3 million U.S. dollars, at the box office in the first few hours following its release.

Hong Kong director Peter Chan's "The Warlords" took in more than 10 million yuan, or 1.3 million U.S. dollars, at the box office in the first few hours following its release. (Source: CRIENGLISH.com) Photo Gallery>>>

    The war epic premiered in several Chinese cities at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

    Yu Dong, president of Poly-Bona, one of the movie's producers, told a reporter with Chinese Web portal sina.com that he believed box office income could double on Thursday, when the movie opens nationwide.

    "The Warlords" could potentially break the box office records set by Zhang Yimou's "Curse of Golden Flower," Yu Dong said.

    The movie, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei, tells the tale of three blood brothers and their struggles against a backdrop of war and political upheaval. It is scheduled for North American release next March.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)

"The Warlords" premieres in Beijing

Actors Andy Lau, Xu Jinglei, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Jet Li and director Peter Chan (from Left to Right) attend a press conference of the movie "The Warlords" premiered in Beijing, Dec. 6, 2007. (Xinhua/Lu Xin) Photo Gallery>>>

    BEIJING, Dec. 7 -- The 180-meter red carpet was rolled out to receive dozens of entertainment stars, and the cast led the audience in banging thousands of drums at what an investor in director Peter Chan's war epic "The Warlords" claimed was the grandest premiere ever held in China. Full story