BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Local cinema-goers have been braving the winter's chill over the weekend, flocking to see actor-turned-director Jiang Wen's latest offering "Let the Bullets Fly" ("Rang Zidan Fei").

The movie, which opened on December 16, has made a strong debut at China's box office.

A still from movie "Let the Bullets Fly" ("Rang Zidan Fei").

The period dramedy, starring Jiang, Chow Yun-Fat, Ge You, and Carina Lau, took in about 60 million yuan (US$9 million) on Saturday alone, overtaking "Avatar's" 57 million yuan for a single day take.

Despite its strong opening, "Bullets" is expected to face some stiff competition from "Aftershock" director Feng Xiaogang's upcoming film "If You Are the One 2" ("Fei Cheng Wu Rao 2") which opens on December 22.