Last weekend, movie theaters turned into a battlefield for new films, with five movies competing like five beauty pageants.
However, just like there is always such a beautiful woman who is particularly eye-catching, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes IV" has become the only focus, and the other films are like small roles that accompany the runner.
Obscure, the audience can't even remember their names after watching them.
But even though "Rise of the Planet of the Apes IV" debuted with high expectations, its box office results failed to surpass the glory of the previous works in the series.
This unsatisfactory performance not only overshadowed this new film, but also made the mainland film market look extremely deserted, like a fallen leaf in winter, silently falling on this vast land.
Fans' desire for a great sequel to the film was not realized.
However, this week's gloom seems to be about to be swept away, as 18 fantastic new films are gathering momentum.
Each is ready to shine in the theater.
Their release not only injected new vitality into the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival schedule, but also brought fans a touch of exciting expectations.
One is hot for pre-sale, and one is unexpectedly cold
It is reported that a number of new movies will be released next week, among which works such as "Wandering Blade", "Stunt Maniac" and "Morning Clouds and Twilight Rain" are highly anticipated.
Among them, especially the work "Wandering Blade", since the announcement of its release, it has become the focus of fans' expectations.
Its popularity has not only sparked widespread discussion on major social media, but also achieved remarkable results at the pre-sale box office, reaching 1.766 million.
And this highlight undoubtedly makes it stand out among many new films.
Facing the huge light of the screen, Wang Qianyuan, Wang Jingchun and Qi Xi, three acting actors, co-starred in this new work.
Their acting skills converged into a force to be reckoned with under the guidance of director Chen Zhuo.
Although Chen Zhuo's past film works have not caused much splash, this time, his directorial talent seems to be ready to bloom in the film industry.
However, although Wang Jingchun and Qi Xi have won numerous awards at various film critics and film festivals, they seem to lack the charm to attract box office.
To put it bluntly, it does not belong to the ranks of traffic stars.
Therefore, their previous films often have a good reputation, but it is difficult to become the market box office direction.
And Wang Qianyuan's film works in recent years have not met expectations, and he has won many well-known awards for his profound character portrayal and unique acting skills.
But the box office and reviews of the last few works have failed to reach the previous high level.
Speaking of which, the reason why "Wandering Blade" has attracted the attention of many fans is due to the wonderful story in the film.
Those who know the story can actually guess one or two by looking at the name.
It is like a contradictory double-edged sword, revealing both the complexity of the story and the emotional entanglement.
Born out of Keigo Higashino's deep brushwork, it depicts a gripping picture of a lonely father, hovering on the edge of love and pain, who embarks on a journey against the harsh reality of a group of youthful but psychologically twisted teenage murderers in search of justice for his daughter.
I don't know if you in front of the screen, do you still remember the incident that happened some time ago when a minor was bullied on campus in Hebei Province and buried his body after death?
And the story of "Wandering Blade" has similarities with this event.
Therefore, this movie also benefited from the overlap of the incident, which aroused social attention, and the response was strong, and the popularity was general.
After all, there is no more indelible impact than public indignation.
From the trailer alone, we can see the core conflict of the film, revealing a fascinating narrative world.
In this world, justice and compassion are intertwined into a complex web.
The police, as enforcers of local laws, were supposed to be steadfast in their pursuit of the protagonists.
However, as the story develops, he gradually feels the other party's suffering, helplessness, and inner unwillingness in the confrontation with the protagonist.
This resonance made him begin to reflect on his position and beliefs, and even to some extent, he began to wonder whether those seemingly unshakable rules really represented absolute justice.
Fortunately, this original novel did not engage in any restrictive finale surprises, but chose to end uneventfully.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to pass the trial on the revenge alone.
This also just allows our mainland audiences to jump directly into the original world of Keigo Higashino without guessing, and experience an original "reasoning feast".
As for the fate of "Stunt Maniac", a new Hollywood work, it seems somewhat bleak in comparison.
The film was originally scheduled to meet the audience on April 29, hoping to capture the spring breeze at the box office during the Golden Week of May Day.
Unfortunately, the recent Hollywood light in the Chinese market has been too weak, affecting the confidence of distributors, as if the storm in early summer has delayed the blooming of flowers, and they have to postpone the dream of the screen until May 17, when they are looking forward to a more dazzling appearance.
What do you say about the plot in this movie, I don't know if you have seen or heard of our Chinese version of "Dragon and Tiger Warrior" in front of the screen?
And "Stunt Maniac" can be seen as the Hollywood version of "Dragon and Tiger Warrior", which tells the story of a special effects actor working in Hollywood.
The special effects of the movie are excellent, while the main character is portrayed as a superhero.
The film is said to have cost a whopping $130 million, but it did not perform well in overseas markets, recouping only $75 million at the box office.
This result was far from expectations, and the production company was under unprecedented pressure to lose money.
Previously, the producers had confidently thought that Chinese fans would be their superheroes, jumping out to save the box office war.
However, when the clock points to 23 o'clock on the evening of May 12, in which the results are inexorably frozen on the 77,000 advance ticket office, the gap between reality and expectations is ruthlessly revealed.
Zhang Guoli and Zhou Dongyu teamed up, but the pre-sale box office was still sluggish
Movie fans, grab your popcorn and adjust your sitting position, because "Morning Clouds and Twilight Rain" is coming next week!
This is not only a movie, but also an audio-visual feast jointly created by director Zhang Guoli and producer Han Sanping, which is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry, make people think deeply, and it is definitely worth the money!
This film brings together many famous actors, including Fan Wei, Zhou Dongyu and Song Jia.
Thinking back then, Zhou Dongyu's salary was not a joke, and it jumped to the 100 million mark, which made many bank accounts red!
And that movie also made a lot of money, and the production cost was the same as Zhou Dongyu's salary at his peak, which was 100 million.
Judging from the lineup, presumably several of the big names belong to friendship performances.
But despite the fact that the film brings together a strong cast of many stars and their fans are all over the world, as of 15 p.m. on May 13, the data shows that the advance box office only exceeded 358,000, which is undoubtedly quite disappointing for such a highly anticipated film.
Media projections suggest that the film's final box office revenue may only reach around 32.5 million.
Imagine a bride dressed in a dreamy white veil, but instead of looking for a happy wedding, she's creating a bloody mess.
That's right, the movie is based on the true story of that "murderous girl in a wedding dress", which is guaranteed to keep you watching!
Lao Qin, played by Fan Wei, can be said to be the most unfortunate lucky person.
He spent 27 years in prison, not because he liked the free food and lodging there, but because of a big misunderstanding.
After being released from prison, he thought he could enjoy his old age quietly, but who knows, his family suddenly became a thorn in the side of the developer.
As a result, he got a check for several millions.
Now it's okay, Lao Qin is not only famous, but also a rich man, who can be called a "prison" and turn into a local tyrant!
At a certain corner of this story, Zhou Dongyu incarnated as Chang Juan, not to borrow soy sauce, but to stage a romantic comedy with Lao Qin "You chase me and run".
The relationship between the two is more bloody than those soap operas, but it can make the screenwriter's keyboard cry.
Imagine a 61-year-old actor and a 32-year-old youth idol falling in love on the screen, this is not an old spring dream, but a highlight of this movie! Coupled with the addition of Song Jia and other actors, this drama is even more lively than the TV series.
However, the current audience is not very interested in such hyped films, and they seem to be tired of blockbusters that are overly packaged and promoted.
Even if the film belongs to the genre of adaptation of real events.
Although the audience thought that Zhou Dongyu's acting skills were excellent at the test screening, and her performance in the rivalry with Fan Wei was not inferior, which fully proved her identity as a powerful actor, at the same time, her personal charm seemed to have diminished.
As a new "little giant" in the entertainment industry, Zhou Dongyu has easily broken the table with her personal box office, reaching an astronomical figure of 11.9 billion.
However, to be honest, she can have today's achievements thanks to those big-name directors and blockbuster production teams, without their "insight", she may still have to work in small roles.
It is worth mentioning that in the past two years, several works she starred in, "Burning Winter", "Parrot Killing" and "Hot Search" have neither won praise in word-of-mouth, nor have the box office results met expectations, which undoubtedly shows that her personal charm seems to be going through a period of decline.
So, even though "Morning Clouds and Twilight Rain", with its deep narrative and unique perspective, tries to find a place in the busy film market.
However, despite the film's deep themes and superb acting, its pre-sale box office results fell short of expectations, a result that did not shock industry insiders.
The unexpected calmness also seems to reflect the audience's calmness and rationality to some extent.