By Brendan Swift
Chinese-Australian co-production The Dragon Pearl has become the highest grossing film in China over the weekend after attracting an audience of more than half a million people.
The film, which was directed by Emmy award-winning Adelaide filmmaker Mario Andreacchio and produced by his company AMPCO Films, was shown across more than 18,000 sessions and grossed 16.2 million CNY ($A2.46 million).
The result was also the highest session dollar average for the week and the highest session attendance for the week, Andreacchio said.
"It's a remarkable achievement, not only because of the initial dollar value, but that we were able to make a film that crosses culture and resonates," he said.
The film follows teenagers Josh (Louis Corbett) and Ling (Li Lin Jin), who join their respective parents, Chris (Sam Neill) and Dr Li (Wang Ji) on an archaeological dig in China. However, they soon find a “monster” deep in a cave, which they soon realise is a mystical dragon that has lost its magical “pearl”, prompting a battle between good and evil.
The film had its co-premiere at the BigPond Adelaide Film Festival earlier this month and is expected to be released in Australia later this year.
Adelaide companies Rising Sun Pictures and Convergen completed the film's post-production. The film was produced in conjunction with China company Hengdian World Studios.