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China quake film ‘Aftershock’ sets domestic box office record
Posted on August 10th, 2010 2 comments
China quake film 'Aftershock' breaks domestic box office record
China’s summer blockbuster “Aftershock” (唐山大地震 in Chinese) has broken the box-office record for a Chinese movie in the domestic market, taking in 532 million yuan ($78.6 million) on the mainland since it opened last month.
The film, directed by perennial hitmaker Feng Xiaogang (冯小刚 in Chinese), is a tear-jerker about a family torn apart by the 1976, 7.8-magnitude Tangshan earthquake, which killed more than 240,000 people, and reunited decades later in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that left more than 85,000 dead or missing.
“Aftershock”, with a budget of US$25 million, quite high by Chinese standards, is also the first Chinese-directed movie to be screened in IMAX theaters.
“Aftershock” has broken the previous record held by Han Sanping and the China Film Group for “Founding of a Republic,” which made about 420 million yuan last year.
Aftershock -- a tale based on the lives of survivors of the 1976, 7.8-magnitude Tangshan earthquake which killed more than 240,000 people
Although little known in the West, Feng one of China’s most commercially successful filmmakers. Since his first film, the 1994 comedy Gone Forever with My Love, Feng has directed a dozen box-office hits, including the comedies “If You Are the One”, about a newly wealthy Beijinger seeking love, and “Big Shot’s Funeral,” along with the Chinese Civil War saga “Assembly.”
Perennial hitmaker Feng Xiaogang's latest film, Aftershock, is based on the Zhang Ling's 2006 novel of the same title.
The highest-grossing movie ever in China is the Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar,” which took in $204 million this year, smashing the previous record held by disaster film “2012.”
“Aftershock” is already released in mainland China, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and will continue to roll out in other parts of Asia and the United Kingdom over the next few months. No release date has been set for the film’s debut in the United States.
Trailer for Feng Xiaogang’s blockbuster film “Aftershock”
2 responses to “China quake film ‘Aftershock’ sets domestic box office record”
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15 Cents for emotional damages – Film-goer sues over “Aftershock” ads
Twenty minutes of on-screen advertising ahead of the Chinese boxoffice hit “Aftershock,” so irked one ticket-buyer that she decided to sue the cinema and the film’s distributor, Huayi Brothers Media, for wasting her time.
Moviegoer Chen Xiaomei, who is a lawyer, filed a suit alleging the plaintiffs had violated her freedom of choice, the official Xinhua reported late Tuesday, citing a statement from the People’s Court of Yanta District in Xian, the capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.
Chen is demanding the companies refund her 35-yuan ticket (5.20 dollars), pay her 35 yuan in compensation and one yuan ($0.15) for “emotional damages” and write her an apology.
Chen’s lawsuit is the first publicized case of its kind at a time when Chinese consumers’ demand for choice and their power to vote with their wallets are both on the rise.
Chen is not alone among Chinese consumers to complain about increased commercialization in movies, long a medium for propaganda. Product placement, a practice pioneered in China by Feng and Huayi, is also on the rise.
Since its opening on July 22 – the biggest ever for a Chinese film — “Aftershock” has grossed a record 650 million yuan to become the most successful homegrown film ever in China.
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Wanda Lee January 16th, 2011 at 19:55
2010 Chinese box office surges to $1.5 billion
Chinese box office takings surged 64 percent to $1.5 billion in 2010. Film officials say the figure still lags more developed markets and urged local filmmakers to make better movies that can compete with Hollywood blockbusters like “Avatar” and “Inception.”
The North American box office made $10.6bn in 2009, according to the latest statistics from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
More than 300 new cinemas opened in China last year. Their 1,533 new screens bring the total number of screens up to 6,200.
China made 526 feature films in 2010 — up 15 percent from 2009 — making it the third-largest film producer after Bollywood and Hollywood.
The box office figures were boosted by the huge success of “Avatar.” The James Cameron 3-D sci-fi epic was the biggest hit in China last year with a total take of $204 million. The top-grossing Chinese film in 2010 was the Feng Xiaogang disaster movie “Aftershock,” which earned $100 million.
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ChristineP32 September 7th, 2010 at 12:12