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Monkey King Overpasses Kung Fu Panda
This summer， China’s homegrown movies， attracted the world’s attention， with the box office breaking records.
Just three days after hitting the screen across China， the China-made animated feature Monkey King： Hero is Back evoked enthusiasm among audiences and ticket sales have exceeded 100 million yuan （$6.11 million）. Web celebrities and many fans even posted topics about the animation film， on Weibo， China’s version of Twitter， at which heated discussions were sparked.
As of August 20， “Monkey King： The Hero is Back” had raked in 914 million yuan， surpassing the record held by Hollywood-made popular animation film， Kung Fu Panda 2， and becoming the highest grossing animated film in China. Kung Fu Panda 2 made a record of $66 million earning.
Monkey King： The Hero is Back is based on the wellknown legend of the Monkey King named Sun Wukong， a playful monkey character in the novel Journey to the West hat protects the journey of monk Huang Tsang or Xuanzang to India， but tells a not-so familiar story. However， it’s still a Chinese style heroic legend and an exciting adventure against evil and darkness in troubled times.
Sun Wukong is playful and occasionally mischievous making him a darling of children in China. He is also the reason why Chinese children learn about India from early childhood.
The film is considered as a big success in China after years of attempting to produce a successful animated film that can rival imported ones.
In a recent interview， Tian Xiaopeng， director of the animated film， said that the film presents a reimagined version of Sun Wukon， reimagined as a down-and-out figure who is no longer invincible and must show relatable traits like perseverance and courage to find his way again.
“Chinese people have their own values， which means we don’t need to follow the mindset of the West， especially that of the Hollywood，” said Tian. “We used our own traditional stories to resonate with our audiences’ emotions， and technically we tell the story by means of the West.”
Monster Hunt Rakes in over 2 Billion Yuan
Another summer blockbuster movie Chinese fantasy comedy “Monster Hunt”， which is about a young man who magically becomes pregnant and gives birth to a cute monster named Huba， made a bigger success.
The comedy firm is directed by Hong Kong’s Raman Hui， who co-directed the 2007 American animated comedy Shrek The Third. Monster Hunt was reshot due to the drug scandal of its former hero T Kai Ko， who is a Taiwanese star best known for his roles in the Tiny Times movie franchise. Ko was arrested in Beijing on charges of drug abuse， together with Jaycee Chan， son of movie legend Jackie Chan. They both tested positive for marijuana and 100 grams of the drug was later seized at Chan’s Dongcheng apartment.
Due to the scandal， Ko was banned from working in Chinese show business and actor Jing Boran replaced Ko in the role of the young man who gives birth to Huba. The reshoot cost 70 million yuan， bringing the total production budget of the comedy to 350 million yuan. But it is worthy to do that， as the film made such a huge success， breaking several box-office records for a Chinese-made movie
Within just 10 days after hitting the screen， the firm took in more than 1.268 billion yuan. As of August 20， the fantasy comedy， had raked 2.25 billion yuan， snatching Lost in Thailand’s crown to become the country’s biggest homegrown box office hit of all time. The comedy movie also set opening-day and single-day records by a Chinese film.
Chinese filmmakers and movie houses are seeing a marked change in box-office performance of homegrown movies as the industry improves. The success of Monkey King： The Hero is Back and Monster Hunt are regarded as two prime examples of what Chinese filmmakers are capable of today.
Brighter Future
China is the world’s second-largest cinema market， which has great potential to expand. For a long time in China， how- ever， audiences mostly preferred Hollywood-made big-budget action and superhero flicks over domestic fare.
Now， the situation is changing. With Chinese filmmaking technology and funding catching up with Hollywood， Chinese films are holding their own at the box office. In 2013， ticket sales for homegrown Chinese films increased 144%， while box office of imported films experienced a 21% drop to $670 million.
In the first half of 2015， China’s total box office totalled 20.4 billion yuan. During the period， imported movies like “Furious 7” and “Jurassic World” are no longer as culturally dominant over Chinese movies as they used to be.
This summer， with the large number of admissions boosted by the ongoing school and college vacations Chinese films accounted for a majority of top movies， according to data.
Judging from the upbeat trend， China-made movies will embrace for a long-waiting bonanza.
This summer， China’s homegrown movies， attracted the world’s attention， with the box office breaking records.
Just three days after hitting the screen across China， the China-made animated feature Monkey King： Hero is Back evoked enthusiasm among audiences and ticket sales have exceeded 100 million yuan （$6.11 million）. Web celebrities and many fans even posted topics about the animation film， on Weibo， China’s version of Twitter， at which heated discussions were sparked.
As of August 20， “Monkey King： The Hero is Back” had raked in 914 million yuan， surpassing the record held by Hollywood-made popular animation film， Kung Fu Panda 2， and becoming the highest grossing animated film in China. Kung Fu Panda 2 made a record of $66 million earning.
Monkey King： The Hero is Back is based on the wellknown legend of the Monkey King named Sun Wukong， a playful monkey character in the novel Journey to the West hat protects the journey of monk Huang Tsang or Xuanzang to India， but tells a not-so familiar story. However， it’s still a Chinese style heroic legend and an exciting adventure against evil and darkness in troubled times.
Sun Wukong is playful and occasionally mischievous making him a darling of children in China. He is also the reason why Chinese children learn about India from early childhood.
The film is considered as a big success in China after years of attempting to produce a successful animated film that can rival imported ones.
In a recent interview， Tian Xiaopeng， director of the animated film， said that the film presents a reimagined version of Sun Wukon， reimagined as a down-and-out figure who is no longer invincible and must show relatable traits like perseverance and courage to find his way again.
“Chinese people have their own values， which means we don’t need to follow the mindset of the West， especially that of the Hollywood，” said Tian. “We used our own traditional stories to resonate with our audiences’ emotions， and technically we tell the story by means of the West.”
Monster Hunt Rakes in over 2 Billion Yuan
Another summer blockbuster movie Chinese fantasy comedy “Monster Hunt”， which is about a young man who magically becomes pregnant and gives birth to a cute monster named Huba， made a bigger success.
The comedy firm is directed by Hong Kong’s Raman Hui， who co-directed the 2007 American animated comedy Shrek The Third. Monster Hunt was reshot due to the drug scandal of its former hero T Kai Ko， who is a Taiwanese star best known for his roles in the Tiny Times movie franchise. Ko was arrested in Beijing on charges of drug abuse， together with Jaycee Chan， son of movie legend Jackie Chan. They both tested positive for marijuana and 100 grams of the drug was later seized at Chan’s Dongcheng apartment.
Due to the scandal， Ko was banned from working in Chinese show business and actor Jing Boran replaced Ko in the role of the young man who gives birth to Huba. The reshoot cost 70 million yuan， bringing the total production budget of the comedy to 350 million yuan. But it is worthy to do that， as the film made such a huge success， breaking several box-office records for a Chinese-made movie
Within just 10 days after hitting the screen， the firm took in more than 1.268 billion yuan. As of August 20， the fantasy comedy， had raked 2.25 billion yuan， snatching Lost in Thailand’s crown to become the country’s biggest homegrown box office hit of all time. The comedy movie also set opening-day and single-day records by a Chinese film.
Chinese filmmakers and movie houses are seeing a marked change in box-office performance of homegrown movies as the industry improves. The success of Monkey King： The Hero is Back and Monster Hunt are regarded as two prime examples of what Chinese filmmakers are capable of today.
Brighter Future
China is the world’s second-largest cinema market， which has great potential to expand. For a long time in China， how- ever， audiences mostly preferred Hollywood-made big-budget action and superhero flicks over domestic fare.
Now， the situation is changing. With Chinese filmmaking technology and funding catching up with Hollywood， Chinese films are holding their own at the box office. In 2013， ticket sales for homegrown Chinese films increased 144%， while box office of imported films experienced a 21% drop to $670 million.
In the first half of 2015， China’s total box office totalled 20.4 billion yuan. During the period， imported movies like “Furious 7” and “Jurassic World” are no longer as culturally dominant over Chinese movies as they used to be.
This summer， with the large number of admissions boosted by the ongoing school and college vacations Chinese films accounted for a majority of top movies， according to data.
Judging from the upbeat trend， China-made movies will embrace for a long-waiting bonanza.