Text | Rhino Entertainment, author | Shen Wanting, editor | Pu Fang
Since "Flowers", the recent drama market has seemed somewhat "calm".
However, judging from the 2024 major drama lists previously released by major platforms, there are not a few in the "drama waiting to be exploded" camp. As for the drama companies behind these "to-be-exploded dramas", in addition to the major labels at the head, most of them are content newcomers who have relatively little experience in making hits or have limited production capacity.
Who can take the lead in breaking through the encirclement in the next year will also be a major attraction of the 2024 drama market. Can
continue their glory?
First of all, let’s take a look at the 2024 drama reserves of emerging companies that have created hit dramas in the past two years, including Liubai Film and Television, Xixi Pictures, Xinglian Film and Television, Wow, Quantum Pan Entertainment, and Da Otter Culture, Xinguang Film, Stellar Gravity, Zuishi Culture, Haohan Entertainment, Wannian Film, Chunyu Film and Television, 2016 Film and Television, etc.
, which successfully broke through last year with its "big hit" "Crazy", will launch dramas such as "Chang'an's Lychee" and "The Great Doctor" this year. Both are adapted from Ma Boyong's novels. The former has officially announced part of its lineup. The director is Cao Dun and the male protagonist is Lei Jiayin. This is another collaboration between the two actors and Liubai Film and Television after the well-known work "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an". The drama will be broadcast on Tencent Video.
"Sauvignon Blanc Season 1" launched last summer by Star Lotus Film and Television, the majority shareholder of Tonghua, is second only to "Horse" in the 2023 major lists. The biggest trump card this year is undoubtedly the second season of the series. According to various sources, "Sauvignon Blanc Season 2" is expected to meet the audience in Q1 2024.
Xixi Pictures, which has a short history but is developing vigorously, launched three works of different types in 2023, "Good Things Come in Twos", "The Sea in the Dream" and "The Hidden God". There is still a lot of inventory this year. In addition to continuing its advantages in the female and reality fields with dramas such as "Her and Her Islands", "Six Sisters" and "Huan Yu", it will also continue to focus on the ancient costume track.
Wow, who came from a brokerage company to "cross the border", won a share of the leading drama track last year with the two dramas "Secretly Can't Hide" and "The Boy Who Calls the Dragon". This year's most watched project is The popular contemporary puppet drama "Difficult to Coax" has been frequently searched from project establishment to casting process. Both the drama and the original work of "Secretly Can't Hide" were written by Zhu Ji, a well-known female video author in Jinjiang.
Otter Culture, a new label under Quantum Pan Entertainment, came to the forefront last year through the debut of the ancient puppet "Long Moon Ember". This year's head project is the fantasy martial arts drama "Water Dragon", adapted from the Martian female Pinteng Ping's novel "Thousand Tribulation Eyebrows", starring Luo Yunxi, will be broadcast on Hunan Satellite TV, Mango TV, and Migu Video. Projects in the pipeline of Quantum Pan Entertainment also include the costume fantasy adventure drama "Legend of the Hidden Sea" directed by Zheng Xiaolong, and "Southern Files" adapted from the novel of the same name by Uncle San from the Southern School.
Stellar Gravity and Xinguang Pictures, which are slightly bleak in 2023, may be able to make a comeback this year. The former has three popular series of "Fox Fairy Little Matchmaker", "Eternal Night Star" and "Gu Le Feng Hua". "Record" and other big IP projects, the latter including "Girls' School in the Mountains" adapted from Zhang Guimei's true deeds, and "Dear Enemy" adapted from the popular modern female-themed work of the same name. These works may allow the two to regain the "kingdom" established in 2022.
Most World Culture, the company behind Guo Jingming, created "Yun Zhi Yu" last year, which was its first work to switch from a movie to an online drama. It is only one step away from becoming a hit drama; this year's dramas to be broadcast include "The Big Dream Returns" "Disarmment", "Long Night in Chang'an", etc. Among them, the costume drama "The Big Dream Returns" has officially announced its lineup, starring Hou Minghao and Chen Duling, and will be broadcast on iQiyi.
Haohan Entertainment, which produced "Imperfect Victim" and "Lan Gui's Happy Affair" last year, will present two urban reality-themed drama series "My Battle with Marriage" and "Little Days" in 2024, focusing on women's growth and development respectively. Family Life, both cooperate with Tencent Video.
will return to the suspense track in 2023 with the costume detective drama "Under the City". Wannian Pictures, which has produced hit movies such as "Undocumented Crime" and "The Hidden Corner", will bring many movies this year The works that have attracted more attention include the crime suspense drama "The Chess" starring Wang Baoqiang and Chen Minghao, and the female growth urban drama "Today's Them" starring Song Yi and Charmaine Sheh.
Chunyu Film and Television, founded by Zheng Xiaolong in 2020, has successfully created the gift drama "Meritorious Service" and the heroine rural drama "Happiness to Ten Thousands of Homes". The drama "Reconnaissance Heroes" produced by it to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea is currently on the air; in addition, adapted from The police light comedy "Small Station Police" based on the novel "Station" has been included in the CCTV Year of the Dragon drama list.
2016 Film and Television, which has successfully created the series of family drama "Pi" in the past two years, will continue to launch "Pi 3" this year. Other dramas to be broadcast include the family light comedy "Happy Parents" starring Zhang Jiayi and Chen Hao "Group", the costume detective suspense drama "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" adapted from the novel of the same name by Dutch writer Gao Luopei, etc.
Can they become an instant hit?
Then there are the drama companies that have not output hit works in recent years, but have reserved big dramas "to be exploded" in 2024, including Enlightenment Pictures, Pangpangxiong Production, Drama World, Xingge Media, and Xinge Media Power Films, Litian Pictures, Phoenix Linkage Pictures, Seven Impressions, Yitong Production, Xingying Alchemy Pictures, Xiangongfu Culture, Qingmei Pictures, Dekun Pictures, Winter Warm Sun Culture, etc.
Enlightenment Pictures, which once launched the "Holiday Warm Ocean" series under the "Lunar New Year drama" genre label, its key projects in 2024 include "Going North" and "The Wind and Waves" directed by Yao Xiaofeng. The former is adapted from Xu Zechen's novel of the same name, which won the 10th Mao Dun Literature Award; the latter stars Wang Yibo, Li Qin, and Wang Yang, and both will be broadcast on CCTV and iQiyi. Pangpangxiong Production, led by
director Deng Ke, has previously created "small but beautiful" works. In 2024, he served as one of the producers of the ancient puppet IP "Broken Back", which has the potential to be "explosive".
Drama World, which has created many urban emotional dramas in the past few years, will launch the period drama "South to North" this year. It will be jointly created by director Zheng Xiaolong and screenwriter Gao Mantang, and will include new and old actors such as Bai Jingting, Jin Chen, Ding Yongdai, Zuo Xiaoqing, etc. Powerful actors are in charge.
Xingge Media, which is involved in dramas and dramas, will bring the contemporary financial workplace drama "City Within a City" in 2024. The play is adapted from the novel of the same name by Teng Xiaolan, winner of the Lu Xun Literature Award. It is directed by Teng Huatao and stars Bai Yufan, Yu Hewei, etc. CCTV participated in the project during the start-up stage.
New Force Film and Television, which has cooperated with iQiyi on many projects in recent years, will continue to cooperate with iQiyi on dramas such as "Orange Ray" and "The Price of Silence" this year. The former is an urban workplace drama adapted from Gao Daguo's novel of the same name, starring Tan Zhuo, Gao Ye, Liu Yijun, etc.; the latter will be launched at Mist Theater, starring Zhang Yi and Qin Lan.
Litian Pictures, which failed to debut with the urban drama "Unparalleled Beauty" last year, will jointly produce the family emotional drama "Little Couple" with CCTV and iQiyi in 2024. The play is adapted from the novel "Full-time Dad" by the famous emotional columnist Mao Li. It stars Yin Tao, Guo Jingfei, Qi Xi, Zhang Yunlong, etc. It has quite a lot to watch.
The key project of Phoenix Linkage Pictures, which launched the "Zeng Boy" series last year, in 2024 is "The Day of the Detective" jointly produced with CCTV and Tencent. The play is adapted from the novel "The Days of a Detective" by author Lan Yi, starring Ou Hao, Zhang Jianing, He Bing and Wang Jiajia.
Seven Impressions, a subsidiary of the famous film director Guan Hu, will launch a number of works in 2024, both of which are cooperating with Ayouteng. Among them, the official cast of the puppet drama "When I Wake Up" starring Jing Tian and Zhang Xincheng was announced. and the realistic legal drama "The Distance between Us and the Court" starring Gong Jun and Ren Min.
Chen Sicheng's co-production will also participate in drama projects, including "Ball Lightning", "Detective Chinatown 2", "Small Town", etc. Among them, the most eye-catching one is the science fiction drama "Ball Lightning", which is closely related to this year's The new year's drama "The Three-Body Problem" is also adapted from Liu Cixin's novel of the same name, starring Tong Yao, Wang Anyu, and Yang Lixin, and will be broadcast on CCTV and iQiyi.
Cao Baoping's Alchemy Pictures will cooperate with CCTV and Youku in the suspense adventure drama "Once Upon a Time in Bianshui", starring Guo Qilin and Wu Zhenyu, and filming has been completed.
Kung Fu Pictures’ labels Xian Gong Fu Culture and Kung Fu Xiaoxi will serve as one of the producers of "Sea of Dreams" and "The Code of Along the River During the Qingming Festival" respectively. The former is adapted from Liu Cixin's science fiction novel of the same name, and the script development took 5 years; the latter is adapted from Ye Wenbiao's novel of the same name, starring Zhang Songwen and Bai Baihe.
Qingmei Pictures, which has successfully produced "White Nights", will launch the ancient puppet IP "Hua Hua Nian" this year, starring Zhao Jinmai and Zhang Linghe, and another work of the original author Mo Shubai, "Chang Hua Nian" "Wind Crossing" received good broadcast results last summer.
Dekun Pictures and Winter Warm Sun Culture, which have not been established for a long time, will launch "The City of Dance" and "Spring Love" respectively this year. Both dramas are urban themes and are respectively adapted from Jinjiang Qingshan Luotuo's novel "Who is on the Other Side of Time" and Douban Reading Shemusi's original novel "Lover"; the former is starring Zhong Hanliang and Qin Lan, and the latter has a starring cast. Including Li Xian, Zhou Yutong, Liu Lin, etc.
The last thing that needs attention is that most of the projects listed above are "white horse dramas" that each platform focuses on "taking care of"; and based on the experience of the past two years, the drama market in 2024 may also have a few "dark horses" , and then led the production team behind the scenes to "kill" out of the siege.
