BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese thriller "Sheep Without a Shepherd" led the Chinese mainland box office Friday, raking in more than 16.5 million yuan (about 2.4 million U.S. dollars) on its 36th day of screening, according to the China Movie Data Information Network.

File photo: VCG

The film depicts the story of a father trying to cover up his daughter's crime, who committed the manslaughter of a police officer's son, dragging the girl's family into struggles against the police.

It was followed by "Ip Man 4," the latest installment in the Chinese martial arts film franchise "Ip Man" based on the life of a legendary Wing Chun master.

The film grossed 15.63 million yuan, accounting for nearly 23 percent of the daily total, and its total box office revenue has exceeded 1.1 billion yuan.

Chinese comedy film "Adoring" ranked the third with ticket sales of 11.7 million yuan.