A poster of the film the Battle at Lake Changjin hangs up outside a cinema in Shanghai on Thursday. Photo: CFP

China's war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin has become the highest-grossing film worldwide in 2021 on Friday, as well as the second highest-grossing film in Chinese film history following Wolf Warrior 2. 

According to Chinese ticketing platform Maoyan, the film crossed the 5.47 billion yuan ($854 million) mark in the Chinese mainland on Sunday, allowing it to surpass the Chinese New Year tear-jerker film Hi, Mom, which grossed 5.41 billion yuan in 2021, to put it behind Wolf Warrior 2, which ranks at No.1 with 5.69 billion yuan. 

A poster for a sequel about a battle at Lake Changjin's Shuimen Bridge was released on Thursday. Insiders have revealed that shooting will begin in the winter of 2021.