Though quite a few people have complained that it was too confusing, the ‘Sherlock’ special length episode ‘The Abominable Bride’ has become an international box office success in cinemas in addition to its high ratings on British television.

The feature-length episode, starring its regulars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman reprising their roles as Holmes and Watson but in the Victorian era of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories, received the highest viewing figures in Britain over the festive period when it was broadcast on New Year’s Day.

SherlockThe 'Sherlock' Victorian special episode 'The Abominable Bride' has become an international box office success

The BBC reported that 1.7 million people in China visited cinemas to see ‘The Abominable Bride’ when it was released on Monday (January 4th), and Deadline separately claimed that it had netted $5.39 million and topped box offices.

The limited run in China is down to a deal between BBC Worldwide and Shanghai Media Group, who are screening the one and a half hour episode plus an extra 25 minutes of footage not shown in the UK on television.

More: ‘Sherlock’ Victorian special draws largest TV audience during the festive period

This success has been replicated in Korea, with box offices reporting $5 million in takings, with the ‘Sherlock’ special outselling the new Star Wars movie The Force Awakens by four to one, rather incredibly.

As well as ‘Doctor Who’, the show is one of the strongest programmes in the BBC’s portfolio worldwide, with hundreds of millions of fans in territories all over the world tuning in. With series four set to begin filming later in 2016, ‘The Abominable Bride’ should keep those fans satisfied in the meantime, with the episode receiving a cinematic release in 20 countries around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United States and Mexico.

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