Chinese-language film breaks box office record

The Chinese movie market is a lucrative one

A film based on a reality TV show took £9.8m on its first day of release, breaking the record for a single day's earnings for a Chinese language movie.

Dad, Where Are We Going? is based on the hit programme of the same name which aired last year.

The show followed five celebrity dads, who were used to spending lots of time away from their children, attempting to look after them single-handed.

The film was released on Friday, the first day of the Chinese New Year.

The TV version of Dad, Where Are We Going? spawned several parenting books while some of the children who appeared in it landed advertising deals, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In the film the fathers can be seen taking their children to a wildlife park, making dumplings and brushing their pets' teeth.

Boosted by the price of 3D and Imax tickets, 3D movie The Monkey King took £31m between Friday and Sunday, beating the £23.8m Dad, Where Are We Going? made over the same period.

Yet Dad Were Are We Going? reportedly sold 500,000 more tickets than its action rival between Friday and Sunday.

Both films will face stiff competition later this week when Disney's blockbuster animation Frozen is released on Wednesday.

Box office revenues in China have seen a steady growth in the past few years.