Submitted by: kirkland on Sunday August 29th, 2004 at 09:30 PM EST

Two years after opening in China, the martial arts thriller "Hero" set a record for an Asian film in North America, kicking off at No. 1 with a better-than-expected haul of $17.8 million, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

Miramax Films' Jet Li vehicle was the only highlight of an otherwise quiet weekend for movies. Ticket sales tend to be slow in late August and early September since studios have already released their big summer guns and are getting ready to roll out their Oscar contenders and holiday crowd pleasers.

"Hero," directed by Zhang Yimou, was nominated for a foreign-language Oscar in 2003. Jet Li plays a nameless warrior in the third century BC, when China was split into warring kingdoms.

In a rare development for a foreign-language film, Miramax distributed "Hero" in 2,031 theaters across North America. Most foreign films open in a handful of theaters in the top markets and slowly expand if ticket sales are good.

A Miramax spokeswoman said the delay was because the studio did not want it released too close to director Ang Lee's similarly themed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which won four Oscars in 2001.

It also wanted to advertise the film by putting trailers for both films in kung-fu buff Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" series.

» Read full story @ Reuters
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