During a flight not long ago, film producer Fujii Shu was pleasantly surprised to find that an old movie "See You or Die" was being shown on the plane. It was just after New Year's Day, so it was very fitting to choose this movie on the plane. After all, it was born in that prosperous year when Feng Xiao just created a Lunar New Year movie. Many past events cannot be remembered clearly, but films like Fung's Lunar New Year films, which bear clear marks of the times and popular style, seem to be able to connect the fragments of the old time one by one. Once they are used as coordinates, everything suddenly becomes vivid. Come alive.
The "American Dream" described in "See You or Separate" was probably the hottest topic in the 1990s. Two hardworking strangers supported each other and cherished each other. They experienced a lot of bloodshed and embarrassment together, which was exaggerated and absurd. Looking back now, , that "no tone" actually contains a lot of content, which gives people a distant comfort. Looking at Ge You's unaging face and his determination to talk nonsense without a serious job, Fujii couldn't help but sigh: "In 1998, this movie was really pioneering." A few days ago, She happened to have also watched "If You Are the One 3" and felt that the film was not as bad as many people thought. From a producer's point of view, she thought it was a very sincere work, but she must also admit that the film was unreliable from beginning to end. It's like a person's life experience or self-payment, which has no connection with the present. Ge You, who is 66 years old and still talking about "colourful" love, is no longer the common people he played in those days, Yao Yuan, Liu Yuan, Han Dong...
In fact, it has been several years, and people can hardly remember "New Year's Eve". The concept of "file". The most popular "Lunar New Year stalls" back then refer to the slots around New Year's Day that span the New Year. But now, the blockbuster movies that used to get together until the end of the year and the beginning of the year have moved back and rushed to the Spring Festival stalls, leaving the New Year's Eve stalls before and after the New Year. Young people, those who are in love or preparing to fall in love, are willing to have a sense of ritual when the old and the new change.
Feng Xiaogang, who had already retired with the cancellation of the Lunar New Year festival, once again made a comeback with the comedy Lunar New Year films he was once good at, and people only remembered the Lunar New Year festival again. However, those born in the 70s and 80s who used to laugh and make fun with Feng Xiaogang and Ge You have already withdrawn from the mainstream of movie watching because of their old and young lives. A love story about a middle-aged and elderly rich man rushing to turn 70, two Can teenagers born in 1995 or 2000 empathize?
On November 20, 2007, posters of Feng Xiaogang's works were displayed in the theater during the "10th Anniversary Show of Feng Xiaogang's New Year Movies" held at Beijing New Century Cinema. Picture/Visual China
The audience has iterated, and the phenology of the times has long changed, but Feng Xiaogang still remains in the old dream, but the young audience is already looking for a new love.
Where did the Lunar New Year movie come from
"Many viewers complained about the dopamine colors in "If You Are the One 3". In fact, those colors are not random. Every piece of clothing, every accessory and color they wear is carefully considered. I believe it must be It took a lot of effort to create this world that looks very colorful." Fujii Shu told "China News Weekly" that this film, which checks the multiple choice question between the ideal perfect robot and a real partner, can be watched at Fujii Shu Come on, there is actually a lot to like about it.
But the audience just didn’t buy it. Five feature films were released before New Year's Day in 2024, and "If You Are the One 3" was at the bottom, forming a cliff-like gap with other films. As of January 10, the number one New Year's Eve movie "Twinkle Twinkle Star" had a box office of 667 million, the number four "Stealth" also had a box office of 313 million, and "If You Are the One 3" had a box office of only 82.9 million. The most criticized aspect of Feng's comedies is probably the "joke-like" and "sketch-like" nature of the film, but another comedy of the same period, "The Annual Party Can't Stop!" ", ranked second in the New Year's Eve with a box office of 611 million, and quickly overtook it to become the champion, with a Douban score of 8.2.
Is it because Feng Xiaogang is old, so the jokes are not funny or outdated? This judgment seems too simple and crude, so who is watching the Lunar New Year movie? What kind of New Year’s film do they need? If we go back to the birth of the Lunar New Year stall and the subsequent decades of development, perhaps we can find the answer.
Today, many people believe that the concept of "Lunar New Year films" originated from "Party A and Party B" filmed by Feng Xiaogang in 1997. In fact, the time of Chinese New Year films can be pushed back more than ten years. Ishikawa, a professor at the Shanghai Theater Academy, told China News Weekly that New Year films originated in Hong Kong in the 1980s.
The concept of "schedule" comes from the United States. Based on the principle that the same film will produce different effects and bring different profits when shown at different times of the year, film producers choose to release specific movies in specific periods. This concept was introduced to Hong Kong in the late 1970s. In China, Hong Kong is probably the place that is best at creating entertainment myths. Not long after imported products such as "summer stalls" and "Christmas stalls" appeared, Hong Kong people created a schedule of their own.
Starting from the mid-1970s, comedy films began to have a place in Hong Kong. In 1981, Xu Guanwen wrote, directed and starred in a comedy "Modern Bodyguard", which was released on the first day of the new year and did well at the box office. Drawing on this successful experience, New Art City Film Company launched the comedy action film "The Best Partner" in 1982. The release date was chosen between the New Year and the Spring Festival. Sequels have been released one after another. With the success of several films and the deepening of the concept of "scheduling", Hong Kong filmmakers with a keen sense of smell saw opportunities. As a result, at the end of every year or shortly after the New Year, Hong Kong will release several movies in the name of "Lunar New Year films" and screen them until after the Spring Festival, gradually evolving into the concept of New Year and New Year Lunar New Year schedules.
At this time, "Lunar New Year films" were basically starred by artists who were good at comedy, such as Alex Shum, Eric Tsang and others. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Hong Kong film industry was getting better and better, and they creatively introduced the "New Year" tradition of the old opera house - at the end of each year, a large number of famous actors would gather together to sing a big show. A large number of popular stars didn't care about the pay, just to appear in Lunar New Year films. Hong Kong Lunar New Year films at that time often even had well-known actors in the supporting roles. Lunar New Year films almost became a touchstone to get a glimpse of an artist's popularity back then. The content of
movies can be seen from the names: "Wealth and Fortune", "Lucky Stars Shine", "Eight Stars Announce Good News", "Lucky Stars Gongzhao", "Wealth and Auspiciousness", "Happy Events in the Family", "Happy Events in the Flower Field" and "The Rich Family" ...It was full of joy and auspiciousness. No matter how bizarre and whimsical the story was, the ending was always happy. At the end of the movie, all the actors gathered together, pulled out banners and ribbons, and said "Congratulations on getting rich" and "Good luck, wealth and longevity" . The main colors of the movie are red, which represents happiness, and gold, which expresses wealth and nobility. At first glance, it is full of joy. "They don't pay attention to lens language or film art. That's not what these films are about at all. They fulfill the social functions required for the New Year very simply and straightforwardly - New Year greetings, family fun, and having fun together," Fujii said.
Entering the 1990s, Hong Kong movies have reached the peak of prosperity. With the support of several large companies such as Golden Harvest, New Arts City, Debao, etc., they not only withstood the competition of Hollywood movies, but even dominated Chinese movies in Asia. market. As a Lunar New Year stall created by myself, it has gathered the most talented and influential filmmakers in Hong Kong. In January 1992 and at the end of December 1992, Stephen Chow, who had just become a box office elixir, entered the Lunar New Year season with "Family Happiness" and "The Fighting Master Su Qier" respectively. This year, Jackie Chan also brought his kung fu comedy "The Club of Two Dragons" Aiming at the Lunar New Year holiday, the killer will come in.
Many years later, the Lunar New Year showdown between Stephen Chow and Jackie Chan became another "Double Dragon Party" in the Hong Kong film market. The box office battle between the two for their Lunar New Year films was simply the most talked about topic in the Hong Kong entertainment media during the New Year period. The most noteworthy one is undoubtedly the year 1995. At the beginning of this year, Stephen Chow released "Moonlight Treasure Box", which later became a god, but suffered a failure in the same year. Jackie Chan came up with "Red Zone" that allowed him to successfully enter the Hollywood market, and it was this "Red Zone" "Red Zone" and became the "first crab eater" in the Mainland.
"Red Zone" poster
"Red Zone" is the first movie to be promoted in the mainland under the name of "Lunar New Year film".Ishikawa, a professor at the Shanghai Theater Academy, recalled that the mainland’s film market at that time could be described as depressed. In addition, pirated DVDs have also blocked a large number of viewers from cinemas. Hong Kong's Lunar New Year films are screened from the New Year to the Spring Festival, but during the same period in the Mainland, it is a different story. During the Chinese New Year, all theaters are closed and do not open until the third day of the Lunar New Year.
"Red Zone" was scheduled to be released in the mainland on January 29, 1995, more than a week later than Hong Kong. It was the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, so the box office of "Red Zone" was not optimistic, and people were worried about the Spring Festival There is no one in the cinema. Gao Jun, the former deputy general manager of Beijing New Film Federation, remembers that he spent a lot of effort in mobilizing theaters to allow "Red Zone" to be screened normally during the Spring Festival. On the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1995, when many theater staff in Beijing opened their doors with pessimism and reluctance, they were shocked by the scene in front of them. "It was almost the whole family who came to watch the movie, supporting the old and the young." Gao Jun still finds it incredible when he recalls the situation at that time.
In 1995, the first time a "blockbuster" appeared in the context of Chinese films that had always only been "feature films", "documentaries", "science and education films" and "artistic films", "Red Zone" grossed 95 million at the box office in an era when movie tickets were less than 10 yuan. Ranked second all year, behind "True Lies". The next year, Jackie Chan took "Police Story 4: A Simple Mission" (also known as "Platinum Dragon") to the top of the mainland box office that year. Jackie Chan twice used "Lunar New Year" as a marketing punch to bring huge impact and excitement to the mainland movie market that was deserted and sluggish at the beginning of the year, and "beat" the mainland filmmakers who were confused by the sluggish box office.
On January 29, 1995, Jackie Chan signed autographs for fans at the premiere of "Red Zone" in mainland China at the Kempinski Hotel in Beijing. Photo/China News
Feng's New Year's Film
In early 1997, Gao Jun had dinner with Han Sanping, then director of Beijing Film Studio, and Zhang Heping, then general manager of Beijing Forbidden City Film Company. Everyone talked about the disadvantages of domestic films. The impact of the boom and imported blockbusters makes me wonder, since Hong Kong filmmakers can make their own New Year films, why can’t mainland filmmakers? They "plot" to do something big.
Just after the Spring Festival, Han Sanping called director Feng Xiaogang over and asked to have a chat with him. At that time, with "The Story of the Editorial Office" and "Beijingers in New York", he already had a place in the TV drama industry. Feng Xiaogang recalled in his autobiography "I Dedicate My Youth to You" that Han Sanping told him to make a New Year movie, and it would be a comedy. That summer, Feng Xiaogang adapted the scripts from Wang Shuo's novel "You Are Not a Common Man", including "Sweet Dreams for You", "Heart Hotter Than Fire", "I Can Help You and Cultivate Me"... after changing several names, finally It is designated as "Party A and Party B".
This short-form comedy film about "A Day Trip to Dreams" was completed in 1997 in only 46 days with the support of Han Sanping who made all the projects of the Beijing Film Studio make way for this film. Released on December 24th.
Ishikawa told "China News Weekly" that although Jackie Chan's "Red Zone" once opened the door to theaters during the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year movie in the mainland was originally scheduled to be before New Year's Day to avoid the Spring Festival because people still I don’t have the habit of watching movies during the Spring Festival. There is a hardware factor that cannot be ignored. In the 1990s, the number of screens in China was less than 2,000, and they were concentrated in first- and second-tier cities. During the Chinese New Year, migrant workers returned to their hometowns, and there were no movie theaters at all. In the perception of people in big cities at that time , I also think that it is most important for the whole family to get together to eat and chat during the Chinese New Year. How can I go to the cinema?
In 1998, when layoffs became a hot topic in society and movies were in recession, "Party A and Party B" used Wang Shuo's humorous language to tell the story of four unemployed people who worked together to help people realize their dreams. Xu Shi just clicked on people's thoughts at the time. This "big absurd, small comedy" with only about 4 million invested in it became a sensation when it won 36 million at the box office. It was called the first New Year's Eve movie in the Mainland.In the next ten years, Feng Xiaogang filmed a total of 6 Lunar New Year films, all of which were among the top three box-office films of the year, including "See You or Die", "Endless", "A Sigh" and "Big Shot"... Feng's Lunar New Year comedies have formed their own brand. , an appointment with Feng Xiaogang has become the expectation of many people at the end of the year.
"It is no exaggeration to say that Feng Xiaogang is the pioneer of the trend." Film critic Mei Xuefeng told China News Weekly, "At that time, there were very few famous directors who made films based entirely on commercial demands. If we want to talk about China In the industrialization and marketization of movies, Feng Xiaogang is definitely a character that cannot be avoided, and can even be said to be a coordinate system character."
The comedy expressions of Feng's films were deeply influenced by Wang Shuo, and it was writers such as Wang Shuo who contributed to him The movie provides a model of characters under the drastic changes in life - cynical, absurd and decadent, bad-mouthed but good-natured on the inside. They are by no means villains, but ordinary people who can be seen everywhere. Therefore, in Feng Xiaogang's early films, there are no heroes, no emperors or generals, and no magnificent faces. Instead, they are all about the market and the present, and they are filled with the fireworks of this place.
In January 1998, a poster for the Lunar New Year film "Party A and Party B" outside a cinema in Beijing. Picture/China News
In Mei Xuefeng’s view, Stephen Chow, Feng Xiaogang and Wang Shuo, who were popular in that era, all represented a kind of deconstruction. At this level, it coincides with the collective psychology of the 1990s. "Feng Xiaogang's popularity is actually logically consistent with the public psychology reflected in Stephen Chow's popularity, except that Stephen Chow is more grassroots, while Feng Xiaogang is more culturally conscious because he regards Wang Shuo as his spiritual mentor. Although it is an entertainment movie, But he still has a certain degree of thinking, taste and interest, rather than being straightforward. He is critical of society, but relatively gentle and not ruthless."
At that time, Feng Xiaogang had almost no opponents. At the 25th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards Ceremony, "Big Shot" won the Best Film Award, and Ge You was the Best Actor. In 2001, at the premiere of "Big Shot", Feng Xiaogang was still in high spirits. But once the New Year rolled around, the situation changed. In 2002, Feng Xiaogang was absent from the Lunar New Year festival, and Zhang Yimou came with "Hero", a film with unprecedented investment. This film set a global box office record of US$177 million (approximately 1.4 billion yuan) for a Chinese film, and the box office in the mainland also reached 250 million. Yuan, this is the first movie in Chinese film history with a box office of over 100 million, and it is also the starting point for Zhang Yimou to turn to commercial blockbusters. The emergence of "Hero" quietly rewrote China's Lunar New Year blockbusters and comedy routes. After that, Chinese directors began to rush on the road to Lunar New Year blockbusters. From "The Promise" in 2005 to "The City of Gold" in 2006, Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, the most influential fifth-generation directors in China who are also recognized as "backbones of the film", have embarked on this path.
Starting in 2002, private companies were allowed to participate in film investment, and large amounts of money poured into the film market, making commercial blockbusters begin to become mainstream. Driven by the endless stream of commercial films, watching movies has become the most important entertainment lifestyle for most people. The Lunar New Year period has also grown into an annual prime time period. All film producers are trying to squeeze into this period.
Feng Xiaogang, who created the era of "Lunar New Year films" with his warm and witty stories about ordinary people, perhaps felt that his Feng style comedy had reached its peak, and quietly began to change. The 2003 Lunar New Year film "Mobile Phone" has already begun to take shape. . When the film was screened at the Beijing Film Academy, someone asked Feng Xiaogang: ""Cell Phone" is different from previous New Year comedies. It has a heavier ending. Is this kind of film still a New Year film?" At that time, Feng Xiaogang, who was full of energy, was called " "Little Steel Cannon", he criticized colleagues, reporters and the audience when he disagreed. He replied: "Many people told me how to do it, but they are not qualified to teach me. I started making New Year films, so I don't need others to tell me. How to make a Lunar New Year movie."
On New Year's Day 2004, the Lunar New Year film "Mobile Phone" grossed 35 million yuan at the box office in just 10 days after its release.Photo/China News
The 2004 "A World Without Thieves" is undoubtedly an "alternative" one. For the first time, a dead protagonist appeared in Feng's comedy, but in any case, there is still comedy baggage, 2006's "The Night Banquet" and 2007's "The Banquet" "Assembly" completely started the transformation of Feng's Lunar New Year films. He is getting more and more involved in serious themes, and he is going in the wrong direction with Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and other people with a professional background.
Mei Xuefeng understands Feng Xiaogang's change: "Mainland directors are different from Hong Kong directors. Hong Kong directors can regard themselves as craftsmen and product managers, but in the cultural context of the mainland, Feng Xiaogang must not be reconciled to just being recognized by the box office. He hopes to move up the hierarchy It is understandable for an author to try to achieve a higher level of cultural and film history as he attempts to achieve self-improvement." What is rare is that after Feng Xiaogang's transformation, the films that are closer to self-expression still retain commercial attributes and achieve box office success.
People who have no money want to be rich, rich people want to be famous, and famous people want to be recorded in history. The change from subject matter to type is actually not only Feng Xiaogang's personal choice, but also a confirmation of the development process of the Lunar New Year film. Lunar New Year films have finally expanded from comedy films to various genres.
Split Lunar New Year stalls
People can no longer remember exactly when the Spring Festival movie theaters stopped closing, but even in the first ten years of the 21st century when the Lunar New Year stalls were so prosperous that they became a must-have for military strategists, the Spring Festival lasted seven days. It’s still a box office bummer. No one expected that the habit of not going to the cinema during the Spring Festival would be broken by Hollywood.
In mid-December 2009, "Avatar", which was originally scheduled to be released in North America in time for the Lunar New Year in China, was postponed to January 4, 2010 due to various reasons, 10 days before New Year's Eve. Ding Rong, marketing manager of Heping Cinema City, still remembers the overwhelming and unstoppable movie-going craze. As the earliest IMAX theater in China, Heping Film has become the target of audiences in the entire "Yangtze River Delta" region. "Many movie fans from surrounding cities come all the way to get the best viewing experience, such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nantong, Wuxi, Changzhou..." Ding Rong told "China News Weekly" that the popularity of "Avatar" is hard to get. It continued until the Spring Festival movie theaters were packed with people. People in line took cash and walked three times around the "Raffles City" where Heping Film City is located. The cash flow of Heping Film City in one day even exceeded that of the bank.
"Avatar" poster
On the morning of January 10, 2010, many viewers queued up to watch the movie "Avatar" at the China Film Museum outside the East Fifth Ring Road in Beijing. Picture/China News
"Avatar" became the first movie in the history of Chinese movie box office to exceed 1 billion yuan with a box office of 1.339 billion yuan. The Chinese movie box office also entered the 10 billion mark this year. It was once again the keen Hong Kong filmmakers who saw the huge potential of mainland Chinese New Year movie viewing. Three years later, Stephen Chow, who was already a "star", avoided the Lunar New Year period when mainland blockbusters were crowded and aimed at the Spring Festival with "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". The film selection was released on the first day of the new year. The four words "Invincible New Year" were clearly marked in red letters at the bottom of the poster. "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" officially set the tone for the Spring Festival. The box office of 1.246 billion not only made "Watch the New Year on the first day of the new year" Movies" has since become a prescribed action, and the word "New Year's Eve" has gradually moved from New Year's Day to Spring Festival.
This year, after Feng Xiaogang briefly returned to Feng's comedy and directed "If You Are the One" I and II, he came up with "1942", which was heavier than "Assembly Number", and wanted to revisit a period that had been erased. , painful history, he suffered the first disastrous defeat since his film career. In the same period, "囧" was a dark horse and won the annual championship with a box office of 1.27 billion, while "1942" with an investment of 200 million only had a box office of 360 million. Today's Douban, after 10 long years, has corrected the name of "1942" - a high score of 8.2, but you can still see a large number of 1 and 2 stars from 2012. Netizens from that year commented: "The whole thing is from 2012 to 2012." From miserable to very miserable... Feng Xiaogang should go back to making comedies."
Ishikawa appreciated that Feng Xiaogang was not satisfied with Feng's comedy formula to explore more self-expression. He felt that "1942" is a profound film. If Feng Xiaogang made any mistake, it was choosing the wrong schedule: "This This film is not suitable for the "New Year consumption" atmosphere of the Lunar New Year film. To put it bluntly, people feel that it is a bit of a "bad luck" to watch such a film after a hard year and the end of the year. If it were released in the National Day film or even the summer film, it might be a box office hit. It's not like this. "
At this time, the mainland's film market is undergoing a vigorous change. 2012 coincides with the 10th anniversary of the theater reform. The film market in first- and second-tier cities is close to saturation. The consumption power of third-tier and below cities continues to increase. Major majors Cinema chain companies have gradually shifted their business development focus to third-, fourth- and fifth-tier cities, and China has ushered in the "Great Leap Forward" of movie screens. In 2017, the number of screens in third-tier and lower-tier cities accounted for 54.11%, officially catching up with First- and second-tier cities. Coupled with the rapid development of China's high-speed rail, it is becoming easier and easier to return to hometowns for the New Year. Movies, a form of entertainment and leisure for metropolitan people, have spread to counties and towns.
Feng Xiaogang, who has a strong metropolitan taste in the movie , seems to be even more lonely. After filming "Private Customization" which was criticized as a copy of "Party A and Party B", he faded out of the Lunar New Year film. If it is said that the Spring Festival film had a conflict with the Lunar New Year film when it was first born. After a lot of wrestling, as movie watching gradually changed from a person's urban cultural life to a new folk custom of family reunion during the Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year period was completely silent with Feng Xiaogang's retirement, and the Spring Festival period was established at the right time, becoming the most popular period of the year. , there are a lot of blockbusters. For example, "Detective Chinatown" was released in the Lunar New Year movie at the end of the year in 2015. When the second part was released in 2018, it had been moved to the first day of the Lunar New Year. That year, the competing "Monster Hunt 2" ", the first one was released in the summer of 2015.
blockbusters have left, and the end of the year and the beginning of the year are left to young people, especially young couples. After all, celebrating New Year together is a ritual in the world. So , "Whoever wins the young lovers wins the world", whoever can achieve the ultimate sense of ritual can rush out. For example, "The Last Night on Earth" in 2008 shouted "New Year's Eve with a kiss", even though everyone has finished watching this It was a dull literary and artistic film, but with this marketing, it sold 264 million box office and was called the most brilliant domestic literary and artistic film in history. Another example is this year's love movie "Twinkle, Twinkle, Shining Star", no matter how it is regarded Complaining about the unreasonable plot, but still relying on the romantic "Snow Field", pre-sales are overwhelming, and the theaters marked "Snow Field" in theaters across the country are almost full.
Stills of "The Last Night on Earth".
Reluctant to leave
The Lunar New Year festival in the memory of a generation has gone away, and has become a distinct New Year's Eve and Spring Festival festival, but Feng Xiaogang seems to be unaware of it. In 2016, "I'm Not Pan Jinlian" was selected on November 18 was released, and the announcement stated that it was "a Lunar New Year movie that started in advance." This film was almost unanimously praised by film critics, but its box office of 480 million only ranked 29th in the box office rankings that year. In 2017, "Youth", 2019 "Only "Only Yun Knows" is still scheduled during the traditional Lunar New Year schedule.
When "Only Yun Knows" finally exceeded 100 million in box office, the publicity staff issued a congratulatory poster. In the early morning of that day, Feng Xiaogang "accepted defeat" for the first time on social platforms. He recalled He recalls the year when "A World Without Thieves" was invincible after the box office exceeded 100 million. How proud he was. He lamented, "Today, the world has changed again and again, and a group of new directors are vigorous and vigorous, destroying the camp. A film often starts with 2 billion, but only 3 billion." I’m too embarrassed to celebrate... I can’t help but sigh, the hero is getting old.” When the audience criticized the film as "a dull and clumsy pure love film for middle-aged and elderly people" and "Feng Xiaogang has turned old", he was no longer a "little steel cannon" who caught anyone he caught, but responded humbly: "You You should spend money and vent your anger with a few curse words. This is human nature. No explanation."
Time begins to show its power. In and out of the extremely slow camera language of "Only Yun Knows", Feng Xiaogang is no longer dead to life. knock.But no matter what, a soothing pure love film is naturally niche, and it can still find excuses with a box office of only 138 million. "If You Are the One 3" released this year is Feng Xiaogang's most familiar formula. According to current box office trends, the total box office will be less than 100 million.
Fujii felt a little sorry for Feng Xiaogang. She felt that Feng Xiaogang still chose the wrong schedule: ""If You Are the One 3" is obviously the end of a series and a gift to the viewers of the former "If You Are the One" series. How could these viewers appear on the New Year's Eve schedule?" ? They are all middle-aged. If they are placed in the Spring Festival slot when middle-aged people are most likely to enter the theater, it might be much better."
Perhaps Feng Xiaogang doesn't know that the Lunar New Year slot that he created with his comedy has long been eliminated. Or maybe he knew, but was reluctant to leave. Everyone rushed to the new battlefield, and the veteran who was the first to attack the mountain chose to stay where he was. He also doesn't understand the pain points and laughter of young people today. His age, identity, and experience have long taken him away from the roughness of life. Starting from "Mobile Phone", Ge You is no longer a common citizen. Not long after he appeared in the first part of "If You Are the One", he has gained financial freedom. "If You Are the One 3" is naturally a story about an elderly rich man.
film critic Mei Xuefeng agrees with what many people say, "Feng Xiaogang has changed." But from another perspective, this may just show that Feng Xiaogang is a fairly sincere creator - "Don't mess around with things you don't understand. If Isn’t this another kind of hypocrisy when you have already established a certain distance from life, but you still have to force yourself to be down-to-earth just to please others?” In Mei Xuefeng’s view, with the change of experience, she will understand and be interested in what she sees. , the kind of life that can be moved, and still maintain a frank and honest attitude, which is more important.
Those pioneers of his time are still old after all. He can no longer give them new vitality. As time goes by, the public psychology that resonated with his criticism of current ills, self-deprecation and deconstruction has also changed. “You don’t need to watch the movies to understand the current public psychology. You can understand it by reading the comments on Douyin and Toutiao.” Mei Xuefeng said, of course, this cannot form a simple cause and effect with the creator’s works, but it is a concrete and inseparable factor. Context and background.
So, what happened to Feng Xiaogang? Maybe it's nothing, just age. A rational audience, if it requires a 65-year-old director to maintain the power and sharpness of his youth, may be thinking that creation is too easy. Sitting in an empty theater with only four or five people, I heard the ending song of "If You Are the One 3" playing and the subtitles were playing, and the "Party A and Party B" from 27 years ago appeared in front of my eyes. The ending scene stared into the snow in the distance. Looking back, Ge You said: "1997 has passed, and I miss it very much."
Published in the 1126th issue of "China News Weekly" magazine on January 22, 2024
Magazine title: 25 years of Lunar New Year: Glory and nostalgia
Reporter: Li Jing ([email protected])
