Battling for box-office gold

Perhaps its most powerful rival, The Whistleblower, an action-packed thriller that sees actress Tang Wei team up with actor Lei Jiayin, will also be released across mainland theaters on Dec 6.

Featuring a twisting plot, the 139-minute film depicts a Chinese employee of an Australian energy company having a one-night stand with the wife of a Chinese mining tycoon. After the fateful night, the woman is scheduled to board a plane that later crashes into the sea. But the woman miraculously survives, and her secret draws the man into a cross-continent adventure to unravel a thrilling crime involving bribery and the security of an entire city.

The movie is the latest drama with director Xue Xiaolu at the helm, as she shifts from lighthearted romances to big-budget action flicks.

Shooting to fame after directing Ocean Heaven, starring Jet Li, Xue has solidified her position on the A-list through box-office hits like Finding Mr Right, Book of Love and My People, My Country, which she codirected with six other directors.

Xue told an audience at a special screening at the Golden Rooster festival that a news story about a Chinese Australian arrested in a bribery case in 2009 provided her with the inspiration for the film.