is proud, is the keyword of this year’s Spring Festival movie.
not only performed well at the domestic box office, but also showed no signs of shyness on the international circuit.
" is hot and hot " has been reported by many mainstream media in North America. Even NBA star Jaren Jackson has become a fan of Jia Ling .
The North American box office of " 2" has reversed its decline. Even the special effects artist of "The Avengers" was full of praise for the film's racing scene.
" Article 20 " was released in many overseas countries. In some North American cities, it was even "hard to get a ticket".
The various performances of domestic films above seem to send a signal:
domestic films going overseas is no longer a daydream of "closing doors and enjoying themselves", and commercial films can also have a worldwide audience.
In contrast, Hollywood has been relegated to the sidelines in China.
Qingshi has some box office data here, and it will be clearer after reading it.
" Neptune " in 2018 was 2.01 billion, and " Neptune 2" in 2023 was 450 million.
"Mission: Impossible 6" in 2018 was 1.24 billion, and " Mission: Impossible 7" in 2023 was 350 million.
"Captain Marvel" in 2019 will have 1.03 billion, and "Captain Marvel 2" in 2023 will have 110 million.
For Hollywood, the Chinese market is no longer the "goose that lays golden eggs";
Even if it uses all kinds of tricks, in the end it can only follow the domestic films and have some leftover soup.
Not only domestically, Hollywood's global box office has also seen a significant decline.
In 2023, there were only two movies that exceeded 1 billion US dollars in the whole year. Especially Disney, which was the only one in the past, completely lost money and made money.
Those sequel movies that relied on their popularity to survive have gradually degenerated into model dramas that make people sigh.
The personal charm of the old guys is still there, but the stories are just like AI-generated things, and they look like crap at a glance.
Among all the boring series, I still noticed one movie that may become an unexpected "potential stock".
This is " Kung Fu Panda 4" which will be released on March 22.
In 2008, "Kung Fu Panda 1" was released to catch up with the popularity of the Olympic year. The English-speaking panda Po instantly became popular all over the world.
In the following eight years, the popularity of this series soared, and Kung Fu Panda became the most popular brand image at the time.
2016's "Kung Fu Panda 3" was a box office hit, becoming the first animated film to earn over 1 billion in box office in the Mainland.
has faded. Can this reboot live up to the feelings and expectations?
1
There is no shortage of Chinese elements in Hollywood movies.
In "Mission: Impossible 3", the splendid Lujiazui and the quaint Xitang Ancient Town are shown.
In "Mulan", the historical story of Mulan joining the army and serving the country.
In " The Meg ", the "Chinese hero" Wu Jing fights the monster together with Jason Statham.
But none of them have managed to understand Chinese culture as thoroughly as "Kung Fu Panda".
First of all, it is the signature of Panda + Kung Fu.
Panda, the most adorable Chinese symbol, a popular star among all ages.
Kung Fu, the Chinese culture most sought after by Westerners, is a mysterious and mysterious existence.
turns the laziest panda into a martial arts practitioner. Although this idea is not advanced, it has a brilliant idea.
Secondly, the corners of the movie are also filled with collage assemblies of Chinese elements.
Traditional techniques such as shadow puppetry, paper-cutting, and ink painting create the film’s national style.
There is also the acupuncture performed by Mantis on Po.
The favorite entertainment item of the panda babies in the Panda Village is kicking shuttlecock.
Of course, noodles, steamed buns and other Chinese delicacies are also included.
What impressed Qingshi the most was the words "brothers fighting against each other" in the scroll about the grudges between Wugui and Tiansha. Although the words
are inconspicuous in the picture, it can be seen that these foreigners pay attention to details.
To put it bluntly, "Kung Fu Panda" is a stew of Chinese elements.
But the chef in charge controlled the heat just right, making it messy but not messy, exuding an alluring aroma from the inside out.
As the saying goes, it is difficult to draw the bones when painting a tiger's skin. The skin of Chinese elements is not difficult to imitate;
"Kung Fu Panda" actually explains the "bones" part that other Hollywood movies have not learned.
is like the most exquisite chivalrous spirit in martial arts novels.
In daily life, Po seems to have mediocre qualifications, is lazy and loves to talk.
But at a moment when the life or death of others is at stake, he can inspire his strongest energy and become the light that illuminates others.
From A Bao, we can see the spirit of "a great chivalrous man serving the country and the people" shines through.
Including the inheritance between master and apprentice, and the mutual help and support between brothers, they are all standard features of martial arts novels.
The most powerful thing about "Kung Fu Panda" is that it integrates the mysterious Chinese philosophy into the story conceived by Westerners.
The wordless dragon secret book implies the idea that "the Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao".
Everyone in the Panda Village mobilized their energy to save Po, and the idea that "everything is energy" emerged.
Master Oogway, who has no desires and desires, never forgets his inner peace. He realizes the Tao in the natural space and is already beyond the three realms and not in the five elements.
From the screenwriter to the director, they did not use Chinese culture as a gimmick to fool things, but appropriately "moistened" it into the story frame.
"Kung Fu Panda" is the only Hollywood movie that can take Chinese culture to this level. In the upcoming fourth film of
2
, Chinese elements can also be seen everywhere.
The Jiangnan style with white walls and black tiles, market stalls and lantern decorations give it an elegant and bright ancient style.
The cane inherited from Master Oogway, in the shape of Yin Yang Tai Chi, hides the power coveted by evil forces.
For prop designs involving Chinese elements, the production team strives to be realistic.
For example, in a scene where mahjong is played in a tavern, the director taught the animators step-by-step how to learn mahjong for more than three hours to ensure that the gameplay of mahjong is accurately presented on the big screen.
In addition to these side stories, this part also has a very interesting setting: the villain of the fourth part of
is no longer a bully who masters powerful physical attacks, but a witch who knows magic.
She can transform at will, and can even transform into other kung fu masters, copying and pasting their moves.
This is the biggest challenge Chinese Kung Fu has encountered in this series so far.
To put it simply, this is about how Kung Fu defeats magic;
To put it more deeply, Po needs to transcend the physical form of Kung Fu and seek inner spiritual strength.
Looking back at the past few films, they all revolve around "the battle between Po and himself". The first part of
is about choosing what you want to be between being a chef or a martial artist. The second part of
is about letting go of the fear and pain of childhood and becoming calm. The third part of
, recognize your true self in the aura of "Dragon Warrior".
Coming to this part, Po, who has already practiced kung fu to perfection, still needs to continue this kind of spiritual upgrade:
Faced with the "ultimate stitch monster" that can turn into himself and imitate his own fighting form, Po is a little confused. At a loss.
After all, this is the first time that Abao has experienced this kind of thing.
How to defeat yourself is both a kung fu proposition and a philosophical proposition.
This kind of separation from simple and refreshing feeling, directly reaching the inner theme expression, is also the most charming part of the "Kung Fu Panda" series.
3
has both familiar recipes and the ingenuity of putting new wine in old bottles. The fourth part of
still follows the Kung Fu + comedy style of the first three parts.
Po once again transforms into the most agile fat man, and his moves and dodges have the style of a Hong Kong kung fu movie.
The battle with the villain's army in the fog, the fog color and silhouette complement each other, and the movements are smooth and smooth. It can be called the smoothest action scene in the entire film.
Even though he has learned so many profound skills and has become the official successor of Wugui, Po is still the careless living treasure.
signed an autograph for an enthusiastic fan, but accidentally signed it on Master's head.
finally suppressed a sneeze, but a fart popped out from below and woke up the enemy, showing the panda's "naive" nature.
But in terms of structure, the fourth film surpasses the first three and can be said to be the most epic in the series.
Abao left the Peace Valley where he was born and grew up, and went on a new adventure to a strange metropolis.
The hazy Juniper City is a completely different world.
Surrounded by water on three sides, the city is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Animals run around on the rooftops, and thieves and thieves work together in the underground sewer system.
and the army of the Phantom Demon Queen are everywhere, and if you are not careful, you will become their prey.
Abao, who was revered as the Dragon Warrior and enjoyed the highest honor, here deeply realized the gap between "The outside world is wonderful, but the outside world is helpless" . In terms of
characters, many familiar faces have announced their return.
Abao’s master, as well as his biological father Li Shan and adoptive father Mr. Ping, will also be important supporting characters in the fourth part.
What’s interesting is that several popular villains from the first three films will also return in special ways.
Based on the original character pedigree, "Panda 4" has made a very bold "change".
Po's best partner, the Furious Five, will still appear, but he will not be the main character.
Xiao Zhen, a new character who walks between black and white, becomes Po's new partner in his adventures in the new world.
In the past, Po's world was black and white, and the distinction between good and evil was very clear.
But Xiao Zhen, who makes a living by sneaking around, will subvert Abao's three views and let him re-understand the definition of right and wrong, good and evil.
giving up the popular characters of the series and developing new characters is probably a risky move for a big IP to destroy its own brand.
However, in the opinion of the production team, the first three films have already finalized the story of Abao, and it is difficult to discover anything new. The addition of a new character like
, who is both black and white, will definitely bring out a more dimensional side of Po.
As the producer said, "Kung Fu Panda 4" may become the beginning of a new trilogy.
I don’t know since when, those super IPs in Hollywood have become a piece of shit that cannot be shaken off.
didn't polish the script properly, and just used the guise of feelings to consume the audience. In the end, it lost the basics and hurt the feelings.
"Kung Fu Panda", which is based on Chinese culture, has become Hollywood's "last hope" in the mainland.
I am used to Hollywood’s stereotyped output about China. It is rare to see such a movie that talks about Chinese culture seriously.
It is precisely because of this that Qingshi hopes that this movie can be successful and severely slap in the face those Hollywood money-making movies that are trying to sell dogs over others.
But in the current environment where "Hollywood is losing ground", how attractive can "Kung Fu Panda 4" be?
This is not only about the box office, but also about the future proportion of Chinese culture in Hollywood.
hopes that after the film is officially released, the audience will see not Hollywood's exhaustion, but new vitality infiltrated by Chinese culture.
Qingshi Movie | Shang Zhou
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