The poster of the thriller Painted Skin (Photo: sina.com) 

Business boomed at the movie theaters in Shanghai during the week-long National Day holiday.

The Shanghai United Cinema Lines, the city's dominant theater chain, took in 18.76 million yuan ($2.75 million) during the holiday, up 150 percent from the same period last year.

Painted Skin, a horror movie with a romantic twist, by award-winning Hong Kong director Gordon Chan, topped the chain's mainland box office take with 11.5 million yuan.

At the Earth's Core, the first three-dimensional movie screened in China's mainland, grossed 3.66 million yuan.

Connected, by Hong Kong director Benny Chan, and Hui Buh: The Castle Ghost, a horror-comedy from Germany, ranked third and fourth in ticket sales over the holiday.

(Shanghai Daily October 8, 2008)