Text | Ling Hu Boguang
On February 12, the total box office of "The Wandering Earth 2" exceeded 3.652 billion, surpassing the box office of "Operation Red Sea" to enter the top ten of the Chinese film box office list, but there is still more than 300 million away from 4 billion, and according to the forecast, the final box office is only more than 3.9 billion, which seems to be only one step away from 4 billion.
Of course, if you count the overseas box office that has exceeded 10 million, as well as the box office that has not been released in Russia and Africa, it is still very stable to finally exceed 4 billion. To say that it entered the top ten at the box office is also an achievement to be congratulated, although the influence of "The Wandering Earth 2" does not need to be talked about.
Among the top ten films in Chinese film history at the box office, some domestic films are still controversial, but now they don't seem to have much meaning. Because from the perspective of Chinese film industrialization, Chinese films, and Chinese pop culture values, "The Wandering Earth 2" has milestone significance.
Most of the external information that people receive relies on sight and hearing, and movies and TV series are the carriers of this audio-visual.
Just speaking of cultural export, when foreign audiences see space elevators, planetary engines, drone battles, I think they will be as shocked as us. In addition to shock, the understanding of China's image will be powerful, powerful, technologically advanced, etc., even if it is fear, these are all perspectives of looking up and awe.
This cultural output is so cool, once wuxia represented Chinese popular culture, but it represented the past and could only be spread in the Chinese cultural circle. Science fiction represents the future, represents hope, and represents the Chinese pop culture of the technology industry in the new era. Liu Cixin is of great significance in this regard, and he is at the level of a grandmaster.
"The Wandering Earth 2" is also a milestone, and the trilogy may be world-level.
The box office has entered the top ten in Chinese film history, but it is difficult to break 4 billion? The Wandering Earth 2 got it right
Many films in the top ten miles of Chinese film history box office, the box office exceeds "Ball 2" has various factors, now it seems that netizens are not small controversy about them, this is because the current Chinese market environment is still rising, now China is like half a century ago in Europe and the United States, people watch science fiction for the purpose of having any deep thinking.
Instead, like in "Ball 1" four years ago, I went to the happy ending of the family.
So we can see that when "Blade Runner" was released in 1982, the situation was even worse than the current "Ball 2" encounter, and the family fun that the audience wanted to see did not appear, but it was a headache for people who thought deeply about reality.
From God's point of view, "Blade Runner" was followed by "Terminator" in 1984 and five years before "Star Wars" in 1977, these two sci-fi films are not particularly hard compared to "Blade Runner", and there are many action movie elements, which makes them easier to understand and largely promotes the popularity of science fiction works.
This is also why many people who don't watch science fiction are now impressed by "Star Wars" and "Terminator", but they don't know much about "Blade Runner", which has a higher status in science fiction history, and the higher "2001: A Space Odyssey" is even more that, and many people may not have heard of it.
Therefore, in the West, "Star Wars" and "Terminator" have also gained a high historical status, and many lists are among the top ten in science fiction history. Brought into the present, there are not many real sci-fi fans among the audience who watched "Ball 1" four years ago (corresponding to European and American audiences half a century ago),
"Ball 2" did not dominate the Spring Festival file like "Ball 1", so I think that now Chinese science fiction also needs a Chinese "Terminator" and "Star Wars", combining science fiction with other popular genres without losing the essence of hard science fiction. "Star Wars" and "Terminator" are just not particularly hard compared to ultra-high threshold works such as "Blade Runner", and in general, they are still hard science fiction, thus playing a role in popularizing science fiction.
In the end, sci-fi with a high threshold like "Ball 2" has more room to play, and then there will be "China's "Matrix", China's "Jurassic Park", China's "Interstellar", etc., which will also make sci-fi films with a certain threshold like "Ball 2" not like "Blade Runner".
In general, many of the works in the top ten of the box office are decent commercial entertainment films, and if you want to pass the time, you won't lose a lot, and if you want to see what shines in front of you, there is no more.
It can be said that now the top ten at the box office and "Ball 2" is a horizontal movie. If other films are the best films that can be produced in the Chinese film market now, the "The Wandering Earth" series is like a strange breed and should not appear in the Chinese film industry.
But it appeared, he proved that China can also make films that foreign countries can't make, "Ball 2" can be said to be not only a milestone of Chinese science fiction, he is also a milestone of world science fiction films, the best hard science fiction film in the world in recent years, but also the benchmark of Chinese blockbusters.
In addition to hard science fiction, the Chinese film and television industry, the breakthrough of "The Wandering Earth 2" is bigger than you think
Recently, in addition to "The Wandering Earth 2" has just entered the top ten at the box office, another is that foreign media criticized "The Three-Body Problem" as a mediocre work loyal to the original, the key is that this media has also criticized "The Wandering Earth 2" before, what does this mean?
China has also made many good movies before, such as war films (showing a series of excellent works showing the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and the War of Liberation), which are good because there are real war examples, real battle hero prototypes, and the heroic temperament and revolutionary spirit at that time, so the early war films were really good. This kind of film can reflect the spirit of China and the style of the times, and is worthy of the face of the country.
After opening up in the 80s, there were also some feature films that were made well, basically for the same reason, reflecting the social changes and the true feelings of the people's lives at that time, and also achieved success, such as the now controversial literary films of the fifth generation represented by Zhang Yimou.
Although there have been some quarrels in the era above the core and expression, the artistic level of film is the undisputed pinnacle.
However, after 2000, China's film resources have been abundant, and the box office has increased, but there are fewer works that can reflect the spirit and culture of China. "Small Times" and "Mermaid" are good at the box office, very good, can they reflect the face of the country? No. But "Wolf Warrior" and "Operation Red Sea" can, and so can "The Wandering Earth".
There are all kinds of movies in Hollywood in the United States, but the ones that can represent the face of the United States are "Star Wars", "Terminator", "Alien", "Independence Day", and even "Titanic", "Forrest Gump" and so on. The latter feature film is not mentioned, only the former such an industrial blockbuster is made in the United States, other countries cannot make it.
"Ball 2" is equivalent to "Alien 2" to "Alien 1" compared to "Ball 1", and "Terminator 2" to "Terminator 1", which is a famous work that can be passed down to 2-3 generations. The reason why it can represent the face of Chinese blockbuster movies is because it not only shows China's soft power, but also shows China's hard power, and it is shot directly in front of you in an irrefutable and undeniable way.
"Ball 2" is not only better than the previous game, but not a little better in all aspects. Compared with his predecessor, he is closer to the theme of science fiction films, and at the same time explores richer content. If you watch it carefully enough, you can experience the shock brought by science fiction movies anytime and anywhere. Unique chronicle narrative structure, as if this is not science fiction, but depicts future history.
Foreign media gave "The Wandering Earth 2" a score of 30, which is very good. Otherwise, it cannot show the breakthrough and influence of "The Wandering Earth 2", and this score can be used as an indicator of the Wandering Earth 2.
If "The Wandering Earth 3" can fully break through in the future, the degree of completion will be even higher. Then the "Wandering Earth" series obviously surpasses "Interstellar", and then competes with the "Alien" series, the "Terminator" series, the "Matrix" series, etc., to compete for the throne of the best sci-fi series blockbuster in film history.
At that time, you can enter the golden temple of global science fiction movies with "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Blade Runner" and other classics.
Is it a work of consecration, or is it touted? The meaning of "The Wandering Earth 2" should have a standard
I believe that many people may think that "The Wandering Earth 2" is just a science fiction film, and some people may think of the laying of the Chinese film and television industry, and then deeply think of the influence on Chinese pop culture. To be honest, this is all underestimating this movie, underestimating this series and the meaning that may be behind it.
Film or product carrying cultural content, it naturally has an attribute that other industries do not have, it can directly allow human beings in different spiritual worlds to carry out high-quality communication, can cross the difference in living environment and other factors, eliminate the influence of "middlemen", and directly let people under the two civilization systems blend emotionally and communicate culturally.
No matter how strong the country's political, military, scientific and technological and economic forces are, it also needs a platform for mutual understanding of the spiritual and cultural world, so that others can empathize with you and identify with you. Otherwise, it is like an abyss, because it cannot be understood and understood, and it is easy to intensify unnecessary contradictions and differences.
"Ball 2" is such a work, it can be said to be a historical story, the story of China's thousands of years in the face of natural and man-made disasters. It is said that some people give up their personal interests to make choices, they do true, good and beautiful things to others, and then sacrifice themselves to stand up and bear great responsibility, which is a force in cultural values.
This power has allowed us to move mountains and reclaim seas, allowing us to create thousands of things, and come to where we are today, thousands of years later. Like the conversation between Moss and Liu Peiqiang, Moss said that the fate of mankind depends on its own choices. Liu Peiqiang said, I choose hope.
Therefore, this "The Wandering Earth 2", which tells this story well and has such a cultural core, is not just a movie. He is the embodiment of Chinese culture from the perspective of science fiction. This time is destined to go forward, and one day someone will ask what is the Chinese culture of our generation.
We will be glad that this generation Chinese have representative works, Chinese sci-fi blockbusters such as the "Wandering Earth" series, which is the representative of Chinese pop culture in this era.
In contrast, for the Chinese film and television industry, the Chinese film industry, to Chinese pop culture and so on. These are only for the construction of current Chinese cultural works, and the biggest significance is that when we see works like "The Wandering Earth 2", we will not only feel that many domestic movies in the same period are not interesting.
The same is true for Hollywood commercial blockbusters such as Marvel and DC, which is also good for ordinary audiences! After all, movies all over the world are getting worse and worse, especially commercial special effects blockbusters!