A poster of Detective Chinatown 3. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As of 9:30 am Tuesday, the Chinese market in 2021 has seen 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) at the box office.

The stunning figure included presale tickets, according to local media. The statistics also showed that a total of 229 million movie tickets were sold.

"Detective Chinatown 3", the third installment of the title franchise, has soared as the box office champion in 2021. The movie story centers on the adventures of two amateur detectives solving mysteries.

"Hi, Mom", widely regarded as the leading dark horse thanks to its tear-jerking depiction of mother-daughter affection, took the second slot.

A scene from A Little Red Flower features pop star Yi Yangqianxi and actress Liu Haocun. [Photo/Douban]

The third top earner was a family drama, "A Little Red Flower", featuring pop star Yi Yangqianxi.