Chinese animated film Ne Zha has proved to be a big winner in this summer's box office.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese animated film "Ne Zha" has been leading Chinese mainland box office for 17 straight days until Sunday since its debut, the China Movie Data Information Network said Monday.

The feature, already the highest-grossing domestic animated film on the Chinese mainland, earned 177.11 million yuan (about 25 million U.S. dollars) on Sunday, with a total box office of more than 3.5 billion yuan.

Loosely based on the tale of Nezha, a beloved Chinese mythical figure, the film features a daring overhaul of Nezha's appearance and depicts him more as a mischievous boy instead of the hero kid in previous cinematic works.

Coming in second was "The Bravest," a Chinese feature film putting spotlight on firefighters, which grossed 81.01 million yuan on Sunday.

Action crime drama "Line Walker 2" ranked third by raking in 68.2 million yuan on its fifth day of screening.