Crazy Alien

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5WAQEdTFo4

[GeneChing]

I called Wandering Earth (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71046-The-Wandering-Earth&p=1312567#post1312567) for the Spring Festival (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71112-Year-of-the-Pig-2019) winner, not Crazy Alien (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71198-Crazy-Alien). It's now ahead of White Snake (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71053-White-Snake).


FEBRUARY 5, 2019 4:21AM PT
Ning Hao’s ‘Crazy Alien’ Leads $200 Million Day at Chinese Box Office (https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/ning-hao-crazy-alien-heads-200-million-dollar-day-at-chinese-new-year-box-office-1203128600/)
By PATRICK FRATER
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/crazy-alien-movie-poster-copy.jpg?crop=2px%2C0px%2C1083px%2C610px&resize=1000%2C563
CREDIT: COURTESY OF DIRTY MONKEY FILMS

“Crazy Alien,” a comedy caper by hit-making director Ning Hao, led the box office in China on the first day of the Chinese New Year holiday period. By 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the film had earned $55 million in mainland Chinese cinemas.

The top eight movies earned a combined $200 million (RMB1.35 billion) by 7:30 p.m., according to data from China Box Office.

“Crazy Alien,” in which two brothers hope to make a fortune from an alien who lands in their lap, is the third film in Ning’s “Crazy” franchise. It follows 2009 black comedy “Crazy Stone” and 2006 title “Crazy Racer.” Once again it stars Xu Zheng and Huang Bo.

The early score, and a 28% market share, is a solid start for the film, which is backed by Huanxi Media, the stock market listed vehicle in which Ning and Xu are major owners. The company announced last year that distributors had provided a minimum guarantee that “Alien” would achieve $415 million (RMB2.8 billion) in China.

“Pegasus,” by celebrity blogger-turned-film director Han Han, was in second place with $42 million (RMB282 million) at 7 p.m., for a 21% market share. “New King of Comedy,” a remake of Stephen Chow’s 1999 title, was third. It had earned $36 million (RMB243 million) for a 19% share of the early evening pie.

“Wandering Earth,” heralded as China’s first genuine sci-fi movie, earned $24.8 million (RMB167 million) in fourth place and a 13% market share. “Boonie Bears: Blast Into the Past,” the sixth film in a Chinese animation franchise, earned $10.9 million on its first official day of release. But with previews, it has already amassed $16.8 million. Its producer, Fantawild has gone on record to forecast a result of more than $100 million.

Jackie Chan-starring family friendly historical adventure, “Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang” was in sixth place on Tuesday with $9.3 million by 7 p.m. It was narrowly ahead of Chinese-British animation “Peppa Pig,” which had raked in $9 million. In eighth place was “Integrity,” stuffed with a cast of Hong Kong veterans, which had earned $7.9 million (RMB53 million).

Cinema attendance could increase on subsequent days, following family get-togethers on the first day of celebrations. The Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival) holidays run through the whole of the week in mainland China.

[GeneChing]

Bummer. I wasn't even close with my Wandering Earth (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71046-The-Wandering-Earth&p=1312567#post1312567) for the Spring Festival (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71112-Year-of-the-Pig-2019) winner. It's all about Crazy Alien (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71198-Crazy-Alien). I haven't seen any of the Crazy trilogy yet. :o


FEBRUARY 5, 2019 4:21AM PT
Ning Hao’s ‘Crazy Alien’ Leads $200 Million Day at Chinese Box Office (https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/ning-hao-crazy-alien-heads-200-million-dollar-day-at-chinese-new-year-box-office-1203128600/)
By PATRICK FRATER
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/crazy-alien-movie-poster-copy.jpg?crop=2px%2C0px%2C1083px%2C610px&resize=1000%2C563
CREDIT: COURTESY OF DIRTY MONKEY FILMS

“Crazy Alien,” a comedy caper by hit-making director Ning Hao, led the box office in China on the first day of the Chinese New Year holiday period. By 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the film had earned $55 million in mainland Chinese cinemas.

The top eight movies earned a combined $200 million (RMB1.35 billion) by 7:30 p.m., according to data from China Box Office.

“Crazy Alien,” in which two brothers hope to make a fortune from an alien who lands in their lap, is the third film in Ning’s “Crazy” franchise. It follows 2009 black comedy “Crazy Stone” and 2006 title “Crazy Racer.” Once again it stars Xu Zheng and Huang Bo.

The early score, and a 28% market share, is a solid start for the film, which is backed by Huanxi Media, the stock market listed vehicle in which Ning and Xu are major owners. The company announced last year that distributors had provided a minimum guarantee that “Alien” would achieve $415 million (RMB2.8 billion) in China.

“Pegasus,” by celebrity blogger-turned-film director Han Han, was in second place with $42 million (RMB282 million) at 7 p.m., for a 21% market share. “New King of Comedy,” a remake of Stephen Chow’s 1999 title, was third. It had earned $36 million (RMB243 million) for a 19% share of the early evening pie.

“Wandering Earth,” heralded as China’s first genuine sci-fi movie, earned $24.8 million (RMB167 million) in fourth place and a 13% market share. “Boonie Bears: Blast Into the Past,” the sixth film in a Chinese animation franchise, earned $10.9 million on its first official day of release. But with previews, it has already amassed $16.8 million. Its producer, Fantawild has gone on record to forecast a result of more than $100 million.

Jackie Chan-starring family friendly historical adventure, “Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang” was in sixth place on Tuesday with $9.3 million by 7 p.m. It was narrowly ahead of Chinese-British animation “Peppa Pig,” which had raked in $9 million. In eighth place was “Integrity,” stuffed with a cast of Hong Kong veterans, which had earned $7.9 million (RMB53 million).

Cinema attendance could increase on subsequent days, following family get-togethers on the first day of celebrations. The Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival) holidays run through the whole of the week in mainland China.

[GeneChing]

MARCH 14, 2019 1:00AM PT
‘The Wandering Earth’ Is Leading the Sci-Fi Charge at China’s Box Office (https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/wandering-earth-sci-fi-china-box-office-1203161818/)
By REBECCA DAVIS

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/the-wandering-earth-chinese-sci-fi-movie.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1
CREDIT: COURTESY OF CHINA FILM GROUP

China’s first mainstream science-fiction film, “The Wandering Earth,” has surpassed “Operation Red Sea” to become the country’s second-highest-grossing movie of all time, with $679 million at the local box office and counting. “Crazy Alien,” another title released during last month’s competitive Chinese New Year period, has raked in $327 million domestically. Two more sci-fi movies are in the pipeline for release later this year.

Together, the films are charting a course for a previously nonexistent genre in the Middle Kingdom and are inspiring immense pride in rapt Chinese viewers. Although the country is home to a world-renowned sci-fi writer (Hugo Award winner Liu Cixin) and a burgeoning fan base, such domestically made sci-fi movies have exploded onto the scene only now that local production budgets and technical know-how can realize them.

Whether these blockbusters can blast off beyond China remains in doubt, however. Insiders say their popularity is more a sign of China’s growing cultural confidence than proof of a work of international quality and potential. But the Chinese market is so vast that the films can achieve huge financial success solely at home.

“The Wandering Earth” now ranks behind only “Wolf Warrior 2” as China’s all-time box office champ. Adapted from a novella by Liu, the godfather of Chinese sci-fi, the futuristic epic tells the story of people working to save the world from the imploding sun by propelling Earth into another solar system.

Another of Liu’s works provided the basis for “Crazy Alien,” a comedy about a zookeeper who discovers an extraterrestrial. “Shanghai Fortress,” which sees the city holding out against an alien attack, and “Pathfinder,” about a crew of space pioneers who crash-land on another planet, are expected later this year.

“The Wandering Earth” has struck a special chord, garnering near-perfect ratings on key user-review platforms. Proud that their still-maturing industry could produce such an ambitious film, reviewers were eager to forgive its flaws and thrilled to see familiar details like Chinese school uniforms and iconic buildings that place the story squarely in the Middle Kingdom.

“For Chinese audiences, watching ‘The Wandering Earth’ is far and away more meaningful than watching a flawless foreign blockbuster,” declared the People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party.

Such warm feelings of identification and patriotism can translate into cold, hard numbers. Fox’s sci-fi offering “Alita: Battle Angel” is projected to take in a mere 20% of the expected gross of “The Wandering Earth,” despite being technologically slicker. China’s two other top-grossing films of all time, action films “Wolf Warrior 2” ($854 million) and “Operation Red Sea” ($576 million), are both extremely nationalistic in tone.

“For a film to surpass the first one or two billion RMB [$150 million to $300 million] in ticket sales in China, there’s got to be some sort of other emotional hook besides just the subject matter itself that can reel in people,” says independent critic Yu Yaqin. “It comes down to pride in one’s country.”

Richer than ever and more prominent on the world stage, China now has the confidence to envision itself going toe to toe with the U.S. “There’s very little that’s particularly unique about ‘The Wandering Earth,’ but for many Chinese people, it’s quite important that we made a film in a genre that typically only Americans have been really good at,” Yu says.

No American characters are featured in the movie, and the language of world government is French. The film has nevertheless been praised for being less heavy-handedly political than other Chinese blockbusters. It was recently acquired by Netflix and is playing in select cities in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where it has collectively grossed about $6 million.

Nathan Hao, CEO of distributor Times Vision, says Chinese sci-fi films might have a better shot overseas than other types of movies, thanks to the common language of a genre that’s recognizable the world over. But he passed on the chance to take “The Wandering Earth” on the road.

“Chinese sci-fi is capable of attracting audiences abroad,” he adds, “but I don’t think it’ll happen in the short term.”

It remains difficult for a non-English-language film of any caliber to break into the global mainstream. While Chinese art-house movies have earned international recognition, winning awards at top festivals, critics feel it may be a long time before a big-budget foreign blockbuster can match its U.S. peers. EuropaCorp’s expensive sci-fi gamble “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” is a prime example of a non-Hollywood sci-fi film that failed to pay off globally.

For now, it seems more probable for Chinese films to travel via companies investing and participating in international productions, Yu says. But she adds that China shouldn’t get trapped into feeling that a work is successful only if recognized by foreigners. “Chinese films don’t necessarily have to chase after the goal of being fully understood by Western audiences,” she says. “You don’t have to be global to be good.”

Even if it surpasses Wolf Warrior 2 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70311-Wolf-Warrior-2), it's still Wu Jing. :cool:

THREADS
Wandering Earth (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71046-The-Wandering-Earth&p=1312567#post1312567)
Crazy Alien (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71198-Crazy-Alien)
Operation Red Sea (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70858-Operation-Red-Sea)

[GeneChing]

This was one of the top 10 grossing films in PRC so it's been on my list for a while now - it was last year's Chinese New Year blockbuster. It's the 3rd of Ning Hao's 'Crazy' trilogy but I've not seen the others. It's based on a The Country Teacher by Liu Cixin. I should really read something by him.

It's like E.T. but instead of a cute alien, it's more like green CGI Gollum. And instead of falling in with cute kids, it lands with a performing monkey trainer loser and his loser friend who tries to sell liquor. There's this underlying Journey to the West (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50181-Monkey-King) theme that will go completely past the uninitiated, but is somewhat poetic in its homage. There's weird Kung Fu moments. Mr. Schuester from Glee is in it as the goofy selfie-taking gwailo astronaut. Been wondering what he's been up to. For some reason I couldn't discern, it's Armenikans for Americans. It's surreal in that 'this is Chinese cinema now' way, and I'm not sure how much I enjoyed it in the end. It took a few turns that I didn't see coming, and there were some ideas that got me thinking, like good sci fi should, but it's really just an absurd comedy about losers getting their shot and totally flubbing it, then struggling to recover whatever they can in the aftermath. There was one moment that got a genuine laugh out loud from me, but that might just be my quirky sense of humor.

No sword fights but some Kung Fu.