LOS ANGELES – Chinese Hong Kong crime thriller "Cold War 1994" opened Friday in a limited theatrical release in North America.

The film is a prequel to the long-running "Cold War" police thriller franchise, set in Hong Kong on the eve of its return to the motherland in 1997. A high-profile kidnapping case pulls multiple parties -- British authorities, police, wealthy businessmen and criminal networks -- into a shifting struggle for control, deepening the political and institutional backdrop of the series.

Directed by Longman Leung, the third installment in the acclaimed crime saga stars Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Ka-fai reprising their roles.

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CMC Pictures is releasing the film in more than 70 selected theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, Austin, Houston, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver and other North American cities with large overseas Chinese populations. It features Cantonese audio with English and Chinese subtitles.

According to ticketing platform Maoyan, the "Cold War 1994" has grossed approximately 225 million yuan (about $33 million) since its Chinese mainland debut on the first day of the May Day holiday.