A new film, Hero (also known as Her Story), opened this weekend in China at No. 2 on Friday, ending at No. 5 on Sunday. It’s worth noting its release as it is the first film in the Chinese film industry made entirely by women filmmakers, according to the Global Times.

The film is co-directed by three women – Li Shaohong, Joan Chen, and Sylvia Chang. It stars well-known actors Zhou Xun, Jackson Yee, Sammi Cheng, and Stephen Fung, the men in supporting roles. It is also produced by a woman, Jennifer Wenjie Dong.

Set in 2020, the film tells of the perseverance of ordinary people in the face of the life-changing challenges of the pandemic – death, loss of jobs, fractured relationships – and is in the form of three short interconnected stories simultaneously unfolding in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Wuhan.

Chen, known by US audiences for her roles in films like The Last Emperor and Twin Peaks, wrote on her social media account, “Her Story is a hymn to my life. I hope everyone who has watched this film can see my reflections and feel my passion for life as a female film worker.”

She told the Global Times, “The advantage of female filmmakers is that they can pay more attention to female characters. And they can see the emotions, impulses, wishes, and desires hidden under the surface.”

Here are the top ten films for the weekend of September 9-11.

The No. 1 film for the weekend is Give Me Five, a Chinese film about a young man who magically time-travels to the 1980s to help his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father revive his memories about his mother and his life. It is directed by Zhang Luan and stars Chang Yuan. The film made $20.93 million in three days of release.

The animated Xin Shen Bang: Yang Jian (New Gods) comes in at No. 2, making $62.56 million in 24 days of release with a weekend take of $5.29 million. It is directed by Ji Zhao and stars voice actor Kai Wang. Gkids has acquired the rights for both Chinese and English-dubbed versions for theatrical distribution in North America next year.

Moon Man, the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster comedy, continues its triumphant run at the box office, coming in at No. 3 and earning $442.65 million in 45 days with $4.82 million over the three-day weekend.

New Saturday entry Song of Spring is at No. 4. It is about a mother-daughter relationship, with the daughter being the victim of Alzheimer’s. It stars Estelle Wu as the mother and Xi Mei Juan as the daughter and is directed by Yang Lina. It made $3.74 million in two days of release.

The aforementioned Hero ends the weekend at No. 5, earning $4.93 million in three days of release.

Table for Six, which was in previews last week, is at No. 6 and took in $3.39 million. This comedy is another Covid holdover, initially set for release last February. It premiered at the Far East Film Festival in April where it was nominated for Best Screenplay. The film is about the complicated relationships of three brothers played out over a family reunion. It stars Dayo Wong, Stephy Tang and Louis Cheung and is directed by Sunny Chan.

Minions: The Rise of Gru takes seventh place with a total of $33.88 million in 24 days.

In eighth place earning $2.47 million is the new film In Search of Lost Time, based on true events between 1960 and 1963 when 3,000 children who were orphaned during a famine in South China were adopted by the nomads of Inner Mongolia. The children are known as ‘children of the country.’ The film opened the Beijing Film Festival in August and is directed by Derek Yee and stars Chen Baoguo, Ma Su, and Ayanga. 

At No. 9 is another new film, the military thriller Wolf Pack, which is described as the story of a mercenary who goes to a foreign country to rescue missing children. It stars Zhang Jin, Aarif Rahman, and Jiang Lu Xia and is the directorial debut of Michael Chiang. It opened at $2.02 million over the weekend.

Rounding out the top ten is the new animated Quing Wa Wang Guo (Frog Kingdom), about a Frog Princess who runs away from her kingdom dressed as a commoner. It made $0.73 million in two days of release.