A trio of nationalistic films cleaned up at the box office Monday as the People’s Republic of China prepared to celebrate its 70th anniversary.
Patriotism dominated the Chinese box office on the eve of the country’s 70th anniversary celebrations Tuesday, as three new films celebrating China’s achievements took in a combined 646 million yuan ($90.3 million) on their first day of release. The flicks’ early success represents a shot in the arm for the country’s struggling domestic film industry, which is increasingly turning to nationalism to lure in moviegoers.
According to Maoyan, China’s biggest movie ticketing app, the three films — “My People, My Country,” “The Climbers,” and “The Captain,” — accounted for 98.6% of the pre-holiday box office Monday, though they also accounted for 98.7% of total screenings.
“My People, My Country” came out on top, with 278 million yuan. The movie consists of seven separate stories filmed by seven directors, each of an ordinary person caught up in a key moment of the People’s Republic of China’s history, such as the nation’s founding on Oct. 1, 1949; the handover of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997; and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The movie’s pre-release marketing highlighted both its patriotic content and its star power, including 1993 Cannes Palme d’Or-winning director Chen Kaige and Wu Jing, star of the popular “Wolf Warrior” film series.
“The Captain,” directed by Hong Kong-based director Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, finished the day in second with 203 million yuan. Continue to read the full article here.
– This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
