Box office

    CHINESE cinemas took 3.347 billion yuan (US$487 million) in ticket sales during the seven-day Chinese New Year holiday, setting a record high, according to the film administration Friday. Box office from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 exceeded the 2016 holiday figures, which stood at 3.08 billion yuan.

    “Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back,” produced by Hong Kong comedian Stephen Chow and directed by Hark Tsui, grossed the most, taking 1.153 billion yuan over the holiday. China’s box office set a single-day record high Jan. 28, the first day of the Chinese New Year, reaching 805 million yuan.

    Breakup

    KYLIE MINOGUE has called off her engagement to fiancé Joshua Sasse.

    The Australian pop singer, who got engaged to the British actor in February 2016, confirmed rumors of their split with her 1.4 million Instagram followers Friday — with a serene photo of a sunset (or sunrise) over the ocean.

    Minogue, 48, and Sasse, 29, met in 2015 on the set of his show “Galavant” when she made a guest appearance. They began dating that September. It would have been the first marriage for both Minogue and Sasse.

    Rumor cleared

    LEAKED video showing a frightened dog being forced into churning water during filming of “A Dog’s Purpose” was misleadingly edited and the German shepherd was unharmed, according to third-party findings released by American Humane, the group responsible for overseeing animal safety on the movie set.

    An independent animal-cruelty expert found that preventative safety measures were in place to protect the dog, Hercules, American Humane said. The board-certified veterinarian,

    who was not identified, concluded that the dog was momentarily stressed but suffered no lasting ill effects.

    (SD-Agencies)