BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — For more than a week in a row, “The Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” a domestic fantasy film, topped the Chinese mainland’s workplace lists, grossing more than 1. 1 billion yuan. (about 154 million U. S. dollars) on Sunday, and last weekend it contributed more than 310 million yuan to its total revenue.
Amid the strong recovery of the Chinese film industry post-COVID, “Kingdom of Storms” stands out as a remarkable “made in China” blockbuster. Benefiting from a bountiful budget and a set of prominent characters from Chinese mythology played The film caught the attention of the audience. However, it is not the only domestic production that triumphed in this year’s thriving summer film season. China’s film industry has noticed several successful releases in this era of resurgence.
THE PUBLIC IN FAVOR OF THE NATIONAL FILM
According to workplace tracker Dengta Data, the mainland’s workplace earnings for the summer movie season that began on June 1 exceeded 12. 6 billion yuan on Sunday, nearly 3 billion yuan more than the figure for the same was in 2019 before COVID-19 broke out. .
However, the two Hollywood blockbusters “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Barbie”, released in mainland China almost at the same time as in the United States, did not meet expectations in terms of performance.
The seventh installment in Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible” franchise has grossed only about 330 million yuan since its launch in mainland China on July 14. The fantasy comedy “Barbie” has been the subject of much discussion on Chinese social media. It has raised more than 180 million yuan since its launch on July 21.
As of Sunday, 4 of the five highest-grossing films in this year’s summer film season were domestic productions, earning more than 8 billion yuan in total, according to Dengta Data. The 4 domestic films, in addition to “Kingdom of Storms”, constitute a wide range of genres.
The biggest hit “Lost in the Stars” is a crime mystery about a woman who mysteriously disappears during a vacation abroad with her husband. The drama “Never Say Never” tells the story of a former boxer who makes the decision to exercise orphans in rural spaces. to give them a future. The animated film “Chang An” focuses on prominent poets and poems of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
“Instead of saying that we are watching other types of films this summer, I would say that we can see more pronounced characteristics of the other film genres of domestic advertising films, which is indeed positive for the progress of the film industry,” Yang said. Xindi, a researcher at the Beijing Film Academy.
“As Chinese domestic films have more varied themes and more distinct genres, with the general progression of film industrialization, they are evidently for Chinese audiences,” Yang added.
CHINESE CULTURE IN INDUSTRIALIZED FILMS
“Kingdom of Storms” is the first installment in a trilogy about the Chinese fantasy novel “Investiture of the Gods,” which features mythological stories set between the Shang Dynasty of ancient China (1600-1046 BC). C. ) and the Western Zhou Dynasty. (1046-771 B. C. ) d. C. ) involving ancient figures such as the apotheotic strategist Jiang Ziya, the fox spirit Da Ji, and the last king of Shang, Zhou.
The trilogy is not the first adaptation of the classic, which has animated dozens of films, dramas and manga in China and even Japan and Singapore, but it is the ultimate ambitious attempt.
According to director Wuershan, the entire filming procedure of the trilogy took 18 months with the participation of thousands of crew members. The trilogy has over 1700 visual effects scenes, which have been produced through 8 corporations around the world. “We can say that our specifications and operating procedures were complex internationally,” Wuershan said in an interview with the People’s Daily.
On Douban, China’s leading movie review platform, “Kingdom of Storms” has scored 7. 8 out of 10 so far, more than 90% of the fantasy videos indexed on the site. “I already had this epic impression of the film in the first 15 minutes of screening,” read one of Douban’s most cherished comments. “The siege scenes were beautiful and the sound effects of thousands of arrows shot at once were so impressive. As an advertising film, it’s satisfying entertainment. “
According to Wuershan, the film has skillfully adapted some plot elements from the original “Investiture of the Gods” stories to resonate more with audiences, while preserving the essence and core of those stories. What goes back thousands of years is that it is the most valuable non-secular heritage and sentiments belonging to Chinese civilization,” he added. “It carries the cultural code of our nation. “
“Chang An,” the third highest-grossing film to date of the summer season, magnificently explores the theme of the transmission of a cultural heritage through generations. The animated film tells the stories of the brilliant poet Li Bai, also known as the “immortal poet”. ” in China, from the attitude of one of his friends. It features 48 well-known poems from the Tang Dynasty, some of which were taught in schools and recited through scholars across the country, and struck a chord with a wide diversity of young audiences. .
“Although it lasted almost 3 hours, the film kept me on my toes,” Wu Qianli, a 21-year-old student, said after watching the film. grossed more than 1. 5 billion yuan, the fourth-highest-grossing animated film ever screened on the mainland, according to Dengta Data.
Jiang Zhulang, a researcher at China University of Communication, called “Chang An” “beyond expectations. “is to explore the essence of Tang Dynasty culture and social life and engage audiences of other ages with a bright and brilliant narrative,” Jiang said.
“The focus on other people’s lives and its close connection to classical culture, deeply rooted in the Chinese population, reflects proactive efforts to establish themes for Chinese films. These points contribute to making domestic films more attractive to Chinese audiences. compared to foreign films,” Yang Xindi said.
He added that national cinema will have to continue prioritizing issues that correspond to the interests and demands of the audience.