Boost for BBC Worldwide as over 1.7m people turn out to see The Abominable Bride in China.
The Sherlock New Year special – The Abominable Bride – has become an international cinema hit.
The episode – which aired in the UK on BBC1 on January 1 and attracted 8.4 million viewers – topped the box office in China and took the number two position in Korea.
BBC Worldwide reported that 1.7 million people in China turned out to see the special, with it taking $5.39 million at the box office (according to Deadline).
Meanwhile, in Korea receipts apparently hit $5 billion, with the BBC claiming that it outsold Star Wars: The Force Awakens by four to one.
Some 18,500 fans turned up to cinema screenings across the UK to watch Sherlock and Watson travel back to Victorian London.
The Abominable Bride has received a cinema release in over 20 countries including the US, Mexico, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.