For the first time ever, Chinese box-office revenue for February topped earnings in the United States.

In part due to the week-long Spring Festival for the Lunar New Year celebrations, Chinese theaters brought in $650 million for February, while the U.S. earned $640. Though the total North American box office for February was $710 million, earnings from Canada accounted for $70 million of the sum.

Meanwhile, the Chinese holiday, which clears out foreign films to allow domestic films to be featured at theaters, took in a record total, topping its previous record of $580 million last July. THR reports:

The holiday period is kept clear of foreign movies to give domestic films a clear run. The biggest Hollywood movie in the month was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which brought in $36 million. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, the latest installment in Lionsgate's YA film franchise, brought in $35.5 million in China in February.

Before February, the biggest box-office month ever in China was July last year with $580 million, thanks to Transformers: Age of Extinction's release that month. The Lunar New Year has become the peak movie-going period in China. This year, it ran Feb. 18-Feb. 24. Box office during that week alone amounted to $270 million, according to data site 58921.com.