A Chinese film about Japan's infamous WWII germ warfare Unit 731 and its inhumane medical experiments on Chinese victims premiered worldwide on September 18, setting a new benchmark in China's film industry with a record-breaking 255,000 screenings on its opening day.

Hitting global cinemas on the anniversary of the 1931 September 18 Incident, which marked the start of Japan's 14-year war of aggression against China, "731" – internationally titled "Evil Unbound" – recounts the atrocities committed by Japan's Unit 731 in Harbin, northeast China. The top-secret Japanese military unit subjected at least 3,000 people to human experiments between 1940 and 1945, according to historical records, and Japan's use of biological weapons claimed the lives of more than 300,000 people in China.

History cannot be buried. It endures in the evidence left behind, in wounds that remain unhealed, and in lessons yet to be learned. With "731," audiences are choosing to remember.

According to ticketing platform Beacon, the film achieved the highest number of screenings ever for an opening day in Chinese film history. By 2 p.m. on September 18, its box office revenue had already surpassed 200 million yuan (over $28 million).