Operation Red Sea

[GeneChing]

JUNE 29, 2018 7:02AM PT
Local Hits Power Chinese Box Office to Strongest First Six Months Ever
By Vivienne Chow


CREDIT: T.NOR

Local blockbusters “Operation Red Sea” and “Detective Chinatown 2” powered the Chinese box office to its best-ever first six months of the year, with domestic productions accounting for nearly 60% of receipts, a significant increase from the same period last year.

According to the half-year industry report from China’s Ent Group, box office as of Friday for the first six months of 2018 totaled 31.6 billion yuan ($4.77 billion), with 889 million viewers, up more than 16% from the 27.2 billion yuan ($4.1 billion) recorded in the first half of 2017.

Domestic productions accounted for 18.8 billion yuan ($2.8 billion), or 59.6%, of the total. It was a huge increase from the 10.5 billion yuan ($1.59 billion) that accounted for 39% of total box office during the same period last year. Of the 40 movies released this year that have achieved more than 100 million yuan ($15 million), 18 were domestic productions.

The wild success of homegrown films was driven largely by military blockbuster “Operation Red Sea” and crime thriller “Detective Chinatown 2.” The former raked in more than 3.6 billion yuan ($544 million), becoming the second-highest grossing film of all time in China after last year’s “Wolf Warrior 2.” “Detective Chinatown 2” grossed 3.4 billion yuan ($513 million). Fantasy comedy “Monster Hunt 2” took in 2.2 billion yuan ($332 million).

Box office records show Chinese audiences continue to embrace foreign-language films produced outside of Hollywood, particularly Bollywood. So far this year, four of the five best-performing films imported into China for a flat fee (instead of for revenue-sharing) were Indian titles, with “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” on top, with 285 million yuan ($43 million). “Secret Superstar,” co-produced by Aamir Khan and imported on a revenue-sharing basis, scored the most out of all Indian films in China, earning 747 million yuan ($112.8 million).

China overtook North America as the world’s biggest movie market in the first quarter of 2018 but lost the throne mid-year, with North American box office hitting nearly $6 billion through June.

We have a thread on Detective Chinatown 2 but not Operation Red Sea. I should start one...

[GeneChing]

I copied the post above from our Chollywood Rising thread.

Of course you know this film because it's the 7th highest grossing film IN THE WORLD so far for 2018. #1. Infinity War #2. Black Panther #3. Jurassic World #4. Incredibles 2 #5. Deadpool 2 #6. Ready Player One and this is #7. Yup.

This is the 2nd in Director Dante Lam's Operation film franchise, the first being Operation Mekong. It's got the PLA behind it so that means a lot of hardware - mortars, grenades, tanks, copters, mortars, drones, lots of soldiers and everything is full-auto. It starts with catching some Somalia pirates and then moves into the desert for lots of explosions. Lotsa of them. Big Booms. So many big booms. An orgy of explosions. Which is sufficiently entertaining to some degree if you like to watch things get blown up. There's a plot to rescue hostages and to recover some yellowcake and a recipe for a WMD dirty bomb. But who cares about that? A crack team of 8 soldiers have to get through 150 terrorists. Explosions, man, lots of explosions. The bulk of the end of this film is solid full-auto firefights. And it gets sanguineous, so very sanguineous. There's more bloodshed in this than all six of the higher grossing films. At a certain point, towards the end, it goes to some new places in terms of ultravi. Fresh blood. And explosions.

It's long, 139 minutes, the bulk of which is explosions, and there's moments of irrelevant English as is the trend with PRC films lately, but if you get to the final fight, you will be rewarded with new tasty ultravi. Personally, I think Operation Mekong is a better film - it's more panoramic and goes to some grittier places with the plot. This film has its moments of total badassery but it just didn't hold together as well for me. Nevertheless, it's a must see for any Chinese action movie cinephiles, in the same vein as the Wolf Warrior franchise, a modern Chinese propagandist military flick with a flag waving finale.

[GeneChing]

Enter to win KungFuMagazine.com's contest for Operation Red Sea Blu-Ray™+DVD Combo Pack! Contest ends 5:30 p.m. PST on 8/2/2018.

[boxerbilly]

Looks good.

[GeneChing]

I'm launching a new thread for International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week, and copying the comment above from our Jackie Chan's franchises because this event has become quite a thing and will hopefully continue for years to come.

Jackie Chan closes film fest with stunts
2018-07-26 09:22:41 China DailyEditor : Mo Hong'e ECNS


Jackie Chan waves to fans at the closing ceremony of fourth annual International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week. (Photo: China Daily/Feng Yongbin)

Jackie Chan's annual film festival recently concluded in Datong with a Chinese action hit topping the awards.

Top Chinese actor Jackie Chan, who has performed perilous scenes in more than 200 films over the past four decades, entertained his guests with stunts at a recent film event he has founded.

At the closing ceremony of the International Jackie Chan Action Movie Week held in Datong, Shanxi province, on Sunday, the 64-year-old superstar used a rope to alight from a helicopter that was hovering around 70 meters above the ground, thrilling his audience. The annual festival, in its fourth edition this year, was held in Shanghai for the past three years.

This year's event screened a dozen action blockbusters and honored industry talent.

For Chan, who ranked 59th on US magazine Forbes' 2018 highest-paid celebrity list, the festival is a recognition of stunt performers in the movie business. Chan, who's also a martial arts expert, began his film career as a stuntman in Hong Kong in the early 1970s. He wasn't paid much at the start, but the action scenes that included a lot of jumping, rolling and falling were risky.

"I was once slammed down hard against a cement floor, six times in a week. Every day I clenched my teeth to stand up. I was paid just HK$5 ($0.64) a day," Chan told his audience in Datong.


Chan recalls his early years of struggle as a stuntman during a forum in Datong. (Photo: China Daily/Feng Yongbin)

Chan has had a successful career, from the golden era of Hong Kong martial arts films to his foray into Hollywood and through more recent years when he switched to the Chinese mainland market. But most others in the field have not achieved similar success. The work of stunt performers and action stand-ins is undervalued, he says.

With the festival, Chan is using his star power to bring more attention to such actors and actresses.

"It's (the festival) still young, but I hope it will enjoy a popularity similar to some top events such as the Hong Kong Film Awards in the future," he told reporters on the sidelines of the action movie week in Datong.

Chan has an event to raise public awareness about environmental protection and at least seven new films on his busy schedule. "I don't dare to sleep. I have so many things to do."

Aside from an expansion in scale and size, the festival he founded has gathered more celebrities. Presided over by Hong Kong filmmaker Ng See-Yuen, the seven-member jury includes Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, Chinese mainland director Lu Chuan, actor Huang Xiaoming and actress Bai Baihe.


Operation Red Sea's actress Jiang Luxia (second left) and Dangal's actress Fatima Sana Shaikh (center) jointly win the best action actress award at the movie event. (Photo: China Daily/Feng Yongbin)

Operation Red Sea, an action-packed blockbuster based on the Chinese navy's real evacuation of more than 800 people from Yemen during a civil war in 2015, was the top winner in Datong, with awards for the best picture, stunts and actress.

The award for the best actor was given jointly to Wu Jing and Duan Yihong for the crime thriller Explosion. Wu also got the best action director award for Wolf Warriors II.

The best actress award was also given jointly to Jiang Luxia for Operation Red Sea and Indian actress Fatima Sana Shaikh for the Hindi film Dangal, based on the real-life story of a wrestler and his daughters, which was a hit in China.

During the festival week, Chan visited some underdeveloped areas in rural Datong to promote local products. He says he was among an early group of top celebrities to launch a campaign targeting poverty alleviation. The Chinese government is aiming to eliminate absolute poverty by 2020.


Chan with stunt performers at the movie week. (PHOTO BY FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY)

The festival saw many industry insiders, film scholars and critics discuss the future of Chinese action movies, which are among the most popular Chinese cultural exports in the modern world.

"Action is one of the most influential genres in the history of Chinese cinema. Superstars such as Bruce Lee and Chan have made 'kung fu' a buzzword across the world," says Li Wei, president of 1905.com, the site of China Central Television's movie channel and a major sponsor of the film festival.

The highest-grossing Chinese films in North America are still martial arts titles, such as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Zhang Yimou's Hero (2002) and Fearless(2006), starring Jet Li.

Still, the genre has struggled in recent years and needs better storytelling for today's audience, says Yin Hong, a professor of Tsinghua University.

Also copying this to our Operation Red Sea thread.

[GeneChing]

See our WINNERS: Operation Red Sea Blu-Ray™+DVD Combo Pack thread.

[GeneChing]

I'll be amazed if this film makes it to the semis. It's entertaining, but not really Academy material. It's like nominating Rambo.

Oscars: Hong Kong Selects 'Operation Red Sea' for Foreign-Language Category
1:57 AM PDT 9/24/2018 by Karen Chu


Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

The military drama, directed by Hong Kong helmer Dante Lam with a predominantly Chinese cast, was the second highest grossing film of all time in China, but only took $1.1 million in Hong Kong.
The blockbuster in Mainland China, Operation Red Sea, has been selected to represent Hong Kong in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 91st Academy Awards, the Federation of Motion Film Producers Hong Kong announced.

Directed by Hong Kong helmer Dante Lam, Operation Red Sea leaped to the top of the Chinese box office when it opened in February 2018 to become the second highest grossing film of all time in China with $579.2 million. It faced a decidedly lukewarm reception in Hong Kong, though, and saw a disproportionately weaker performance of taking only $1.1 million in the special administrative region during a two-month run.

Produced by China's Bona Film Group, Film Fireworks and Star Dream Studio Media, the film was also backed by one Hong Kong studio, Emperor Motion Pictures.

The film's cast also just one Hong Kong actor, Simon Yam, in a lead role.

Centered on the evacuation of Chinese nationals during the 2015 Yemeni civil war, the military drama was seen as a companion piece to the 2016 actioner Operation Mekong, also by Lam. Operation Red Sea was made with the assistance of the Chinese navy, and was presented to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party's 19th National Congress.

Director Lam's work has previously been chosen to represent Hong Kong as a Oscar contender. His cycling drama, To the Fore, was the Hong Kong selection in 2015.

[GeneChing]

I only listed the PRC & HK entries for the Academy Awards Foreign film entries because I think the only two of these that we've discussed have been Hidden Man and Operation Red Sea, right? Follow the link to the article if you want to see the full list.

NOVEMBER 8, 2018 8:45AM PT
Oscars: A Guide to the 2018 Foreign-Language Entries Accepted by the Academy
By ALISSA SIMON
Film Critic


CREDIT: COURTESY OF TRIGON-FILM

Among the 87 entries this year, down five from 2017’s whopping 92, there are more documentaries than ever, plus two African countries submitting for the first time: Malawi and Niger. Here’s a guide to the films, including logline, sales, and production contact.

...



China
“Hidden Man”
Director: Jiang Wen
Logline: A martial arts-infused spy thriller set in 1930s Beijing in which a young man gets revenge on bad guys who killed his family in his youth.
Key Cast: Eddie Peng, Liao Fan
Intl. Sales: Warner Bros. China

...


CREDIT: T.NOR

Hong Kong
“Operation Red Sea”
Director: Dante Lam
Logline: When a terrorist plot to obtain nuclear materials is hidden under the cover of a violent coup, the Chinese Navy’s elite Jiaolong Assault Team has to handle the situation.
Key Cast: Zhang Yi, Huang Jingyu
U.S. Distributor: Well Go USA

[GeneChing]

MARCH 14, 2019 1:00AM PT
‘The Wandering Earth’ Is Leading the Sci-Fi Charge at China’s Box Office
By REBECCA DAVIS


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, it's still Wu Jing.

THREADS
Wandering Earth
Crazy Alien
Operation Red Sea