Aftershock, a movie about the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, has grossed over 160 million yuan ($23.5 million) at the Chinese box office since its opening on July 22, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) said Monday.

The figure does not include the movie's earnings from IMAX screenings.It's the first Chinese movie to be screened in IMAX.

The movie earned more than 100 million yuan within three days of its release, breaking the Chinese box office record previously held by The Founding of a Republic.

The Founding of a Republic, which earned a total box office of 420 million yuan, took three and a half days to earn 100 million yuan when it was released in September 2009.

Aftershock set its first box office record on its release day when it earned 36.2 million yuan--the highest box office ever for a local movie on its opening day.

The movie's director, Feng Xiaogang, one of China's most successful commercial directors, said Monday in an interview with Xinhua that the movie's box office is close to what he had expected and that there was "no big problem" for it grossing between 350-400 million yuan over the next two weeks.

As to whether the movie's box office will reach 500 million yuan--a mark no Chinese movie has ever achieved--Feng said it would depend on whether the movie can attract another three to four million viewers 20 days after its release.

Satisfied with the box office result so far, Feng said the movie's sustainability at the box office would be "no doubt" stronger than his popular romantic comedy If You Are the One, which earned about 350 million yuan.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2010)