I have the impression that 2024 is portrayed as a hopeful year in which Chinese kung fu movies will reignite the enthusiasm of audiences.
Just like the heroes of the past who rekindled their dreams.
However, the gears of fate often turn unsatisfactorily.
Like the setting sun, this type of film seems to be heading towards dusk, their brilliance fading day by day, and the glory that has passed.
It seems that it is impossible to capture it again.
Even though it's been a while this year, we've had the privilege of witnessing many action stars launch their new titles.
It seems to be a combination of action movie stars and kung fu movies.
However, what makes people laugh and cry is that the large-scale works they have staged in turn recently seem to be squibs.
Neither the expected popcorn nor the audience applauded.
This series of "tragedy" scenes can't help but make people wonder if even the directors and actors in the movie are secretly playing "hide and seek" behind the scenes.
As a result, the most important task was forgotten - to entertain the masses.
The action superstars gathered but were dumb, and the three "Martial Emperors" lost in a row
"No One in My Eyes 2", as a highly anticipated 2024 martial arts masterpiece, has already aroused widespread heated discussions before it was released.
starring Xie Miao, he followed Jet Li with a small kung fu.
Until 2022, he became a hot upstart in the film industry with a unique theme and well-made online movie "No One in My Eyes".
The scene of the snow throwing knife in the film shocked many fans at the time.
This film has received high scores on Douban, and the box office results are also very eye-catching, and the revenue has exceeded 26 million yuan.
And all this is just the beginning.
With the success of the film, the producers decided to ride the wave and announced that they would launch the next spin-off to meet the growing fan demand.
So,Influenced by the previous work。
The movie "No One in My Eyes 2", with its huge investment - a full 30 million, has become the focus of heated discussions among fans.
It was originally planned to share this visual feast with the world in 2023, when the stars are shining.
But fate seems to have had something else arranged.
Due to force majeure factors on the schedule, the premiere of this film had to be postponed until the Spring Festival in 2024.
But as we all know, the Spring Festival stalls have always been a place of competition for blockbusters.
Competition, on the other hand, increases costs.
Faced with such a market environment, the film made a bold decision: to abandon traditional theatrical publicity and move to the online market.
Semyon finally became the male lead in a big movie this time, but behind this scenery, there is a series of helpless trials.
It's as if Uncle Fate made a joke.
Let him not only play a good role in front of the camera, but also have to deal with all kinds of unexpected "surprises".
On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, when the sound of festive firecrackers gradually rises, a colorful audio-visual feast will be staged on the online screen.
This brand new film debuted in the dawn of the Lunar New Year.
It not only carries the hard work of the creators, but also faces the challenges of comedy masterpieces starring stars such as Jia Ling and Shen Teng.
As of recently, the film has been released on the Internet for 67 days and nights, and its charm has attracted countless audiences.
Jointly created a box office legend of 17 million in the Internet University.
Although such a performance is rare in the online movie industry, this report card seems to lack a little luster for the popularity of the previous work.
In the past, those stories of swords and swords, chivalry and pride were a hot topic of discussion after dinner.
Every character, every scene resonates.
However, with the passage of time and the surge of new trends, these former heroes seem to have gradually withdrawn from the center of the stage.
On the other hand, the situation is different in Knives of the Stranger.
Initially, the film was just a small production positioned on an online platform, and people hoped that the addition of Zhang Jin would bring a ray of life to it.
But fate always likes to joke.
In the end, it chose to turn around and appear on the big screen of the cinema.
The box office of the movie was dismal, with only 536,000 results, which made it look particularly bleak in the market.
Even in just one week, it was ruthlessly removed by the theater chain, as if it was an unfinished dream, quickly dissipating into the air of reality.
However, fate does not seem to have given up on it.
It's being put back into the infinite world of the web, where there are no strict scheduling restrictions and no discerning audiences.
However, the online account box office was only 8.28 million.
This is undoubtedly an unprecedented challenge for Zhang Jin.
Although on the screen of "Kill the Wolf 2", he is like a rising star, not only conquering the audience with his excellent acting skills.
also received the much-anticipated protagonist aura.
However, fate seems to have played hide and seek on his subsequent journey.
Whether it is in the wild roar of "Wild Beast", or in the glory contest of "Nine Dragons Undefeated", or in the teamwork of "Wolves", his charm and brilliance have not burst out again.
So, he used online movies as a springboard to try to regain the glory of the past.
didn't expect the fiasco of "Strange Knife" to smash his ladder to the throne of kung fu superstar through a crack like a heavy hammer blow.
In fact, speaking of which, this movie is very good, whether it is the play, camera movement or picture quality, but the plot really has no market.
And "Blocking the Horse and the Sword" is in a similar situation.
It is considered a big regret in the martial arts film industry in recent years.
Although during the publicity phase, Wu Yue's name was put in the spotlight, as if to foreshadow that he would play a key role in the film.
But the audience soon discovered that his appearance was nothing more than a flash in the pan.
For the grand narrative of the movie, Wu Yue's character is like a rushing landscape, and the appearance time is less than ten minutes.
This made the audience, who was originally full of expectations for him, feel a misguided sense of loss.
It was launched for 84 days, but the box office only received 6.27 million, which is in stark contrast to the expectations behind it.
You must know that Wu Yue is not only the producer, but also the producer behind the scenes.
However, the voices of the audience converged, and they underplayed the propaganda figures, if not the key characters in the plot.
should not be over-hyped in propaganda.
What should be sought is the truth and proportion of the story, not the flashy exaggeration.
On the whole, the production level of the movie can honestly be regarded as average, and the situation of the protagonists Song Tianshuo and Zhang Xintong is also quite special.
As a male star who made a name for himself in comedy competitions.
Song Tianshuo's sense of humor is unmatched, but he seems a little powerless in action scenes.
And Zhang Xintong, a beautiful and moving former beauty pageant champion, her charm in front of the camera is unstoppable, but she looks rusty when performing tense and exciting action scenes.
In addition, the plot is also the problem, and the plot development lacks novelty to make the audience interested enough.
It's time for Wu Jing to show off his skills
This year, three action stars who have danced with their fists and feet have lost their former glory in the latest movie journey.
Gorgeous and ephemeral, but it can't capture the enduring and fiery enthusiasm in the hearts of the audience.
Nowadays, inside and outside the film industry, people are beginning to whisper,
Does this indicate that modern audiences are less enthusiastic about traditional kung fu movies, and whether their interest is shifting to other genres?
But fortunately, in the coming days, there will be surprises from big-name actors.
Looking back at 2019, Donnie Yen announced his endless attachment to kung fu films on the screen of "Ip Man 4", and at the same time opened the prelude to a new journey.
He will no longer be limited to the framework of the past, but step into the vast world of action movies with a fashionable style, which makes people look forward to what kind of attitude he will take to conquer the hearts of the audience again.
However, fate is always full of twists and turns.
He had set targets for the future under the bright stars of the stars.
All signs seem to imply that he is preparing for the role of "Bruce Lee", and changing actors seems to be a sure thing.
But deep down, his love and sense of responsibility for "Ip Man 5" made him unable to let go easily.
So, he chose to stay, put on that familiar martial arts uniform again, and continue to play the venerable protagonist in the world of "Wing Chun".
For this reason, everyone began to gear up, curious like a cat discovering a new toy.
Everyone is thinking, is "Ip Man" going to have a big reversal and become a prequel kingdom, or a fantasy journey in a parallel universe?
But that's just a fantasy we do.
The future development of the Ip Man series, and whether it will continue to be loved by audiences, is still unknown.
In recent years, there has been a boom in the Hong Kong film industry to relive old dreams, and many classics have been brought back to the big screen.
Trying to be able to touch the heartstrings of the audience again.
However, the performance of these attempts in the market can only be described as mediocre and failed to cause as much of a stir as expected.
In such an environment, Chinese kung fu films are also looking for a way to break the game, pinning their hopes on Donnie Yen, a kung fu superstar.
It is hoped that he will be able to lead the genre to a revival.
But with the pace of 2024 going further and further.
On the list of expectations of the Chinese film industry, a kung fu film called "Knife" is emerging with an unstoppable momentum.
This film is not only a visual feast, but also a profound tribute to traditional martial arts culture.
Remember 2016's "Dangerous City"?
That was the last time Wu Jing turned over the clouds and showed his might in a kung fu movie.
Since then, he seems to have pressed the pause button and decided to give the costume kung fu drama a long vacation, and so far he has not seen any signs of "re-emerging from the rivers and lakes".
As we all know, Wu Jing at that time did not have the brilliant performance of "Wolf Warrior 2".
Therefore, in "Dangerous City", he can only stand under Peng Yuyan's aura in obscurity, an inconspicuous foil.
However, when he appears in front of the camera, he fights.
Fluid and powerful, every punch and roll reveals an innate look.
The following year, "Wolf Warrior 2" swept the major screens, and with its amazing charm and shocking visual effects, it not only refreshed many historical records.
It also reached an eye-popping 5.6 billion at the box office.
This unstoppable craze has pushed Wu Jing to the pinnacle of the Chinese film industry, and his name has become a bright star in the entertainment industry.
Remembered by countless audiences as the superstar who created a box office miracle.
Subsequently, he was not satisfied with the status quo and began to dabble in a variety of genres, carefully planning and launching a series of film masterpieces with different styles.
Not only are these works visually shocking, but the story is also gripping.
Whether it's a thrilling detective story, a spectacular epic adventure, or a light-hearted romantic comedy.
His work always achieves good results.
However, his signature kung fu movie style, like playing hide and seek, is so long ago that people almost thought that it followed the time machine to ancient times.
Now, the kung fu idol Wu Jing, who frightened the bad guys and kept fans awake at night, is about to return to kung fu movies.
A series called "Swords, Guns, Swords, Sticks, and Long Nantai".
A tribute to traditional martial arts, waiting to be sung like a poem, heralds the magnificent opening of an audiovisual feast.
It is worth mentioning that it is said that the first step in this series of films, "Knife", was inspired by director Tsui Hark's iconic Hong Kong film in 1995.
So, would you look forward to such a kung fu movie about Wu Jing's return?