Peninsula All Media Reporter Wang Yue’s year-end sprint for the drama market has focused on the competition among costume idol dramas. As "Seven Nights of Snow", "Splendid Tranquility" and "Spring Flower Flame" have come to an end one after another, Aiyouteng's three major long-f

Peninsula All-Media Reporter Wang Yue

The drama market is rushing towards the end of the year, and the focus is on the competition between costume idol dramas. As " Seven Nights of Snow ", " Splendid Tranquility " and "Spring Flower Flame" have come to an end one after another, Aiyouteng's three major long-form video platforms have added new content. iQiyi's " Dream Return " has already been launched first, and on November 1st, Youku's "Pearl Curtain" and Tencent Video's " Evernight Galaxy " will be launched on the same day, launching head-on competition. In the second half of this summer's summer season, the drama market performed flatly. The last round of competition among costumed idol dramas did not produce phenomenal works, and the concentration of themes led to audience fatigue. In the fierce market competition, if a work wants to stand out, it must be of excellent quality. A new round of competition has begun. We will wait and see who will achieve the glory of the drama market at the end of the year.

The ancient puppets are new again, and three "little flowers" compete on the same stage.

The fantasy costume drama "The Big Dream Returns" starring Hou Minghao, Chen Duling, Tian Jiarui, Cheng Xiao and others is currently being broadcast on iQiyi. When the play was officially announced, the director and screenwriter were Guo Jingming, but his name was not included in the list of creators after it was aired. However, Guo's aesthetic style runs through the whole play, triggering heated discussions. In addition, the technological innovation of the Chinese fantasy world in the play is also quite interesting. "The Big Dream Returns" is the third virtual production work launched by iQiyi after "Yunzhiyu" and " Fox Demon Matchmaker: Moon Red Chapter ". It has made new breakthroughs in technology application, including 7 Three main scenes and more than 30 atmospheres can be switched at any time, and the industry's leading position is obvious.

At the same time, the legendary costume drama "Pearl Curtain and Jade Curtain" starring Zhao Lusi, Liu Yuning, and Tang Xiaotian will be launched on Youku on November 1. The play takes the ancient pearl business as the starting point and is unique. The audience will follow characters such as Dragon Boat Festival/Su Muzhe (played by Zhao Lusi), Yan Zijing (played by Liu Yuning), Zhang Jinran (played by Tang Xiaotian) as they travel through the northwest and Yangzhou, and experience the excitement and thrill of the ancient version of the business road movie. In the competition between businessmen and various forces, jewelry such as southern pearls, emeralds, moonstones, and red yagu appeared one by one and became the focus of competition. The play is dedicated to showing a splendid picture of traditional Chinese jewelry culture in the legendary business story.

Also competing on the same day is the book-traveling adventure drama "Eternal Night Galaxy" starring Yu Shuxin, Ding Yuxi, Zhu Xudan, and Yang Shize, which will be launched on Tencent Video. The play breaks through the framework of traditional costume dramas and integrates the two settings of "book travel" and "system" to create a new story. In the play, the protagonist Ling Miaomiao accidentally travels through the book and becomes a vicious female supporting character. She needs to complete system tasks before she can return to reality. The unique anti-routine group portrait setting made the show attract the attention of many netizens before it was broadcast. The three dramas have different styles, and the three "little flowers" Chen Duling, Zhao Lusi, and Yu Shuxin competing on the same stage have also become a highlight.

Audiences are tired of aesthetics, and it is more difficult to get out of the circle

There are endless costume idol dramas this year. From the strong start of " and Fengxing " in March, to the hot discussion of "Huajian Ling" and "Xi Huazhi" in April, to Wang Zha's work " Qing Yu Nian Season 2 ", as well as the summer vacation "Between the Rain and the Clouds" in July and "Sauvignon Blanc Season 2" in July, the theme of ancient puppets shows its charm from different perspectives. According to Beacon data, as of October 24, the top five most-played dramas on the entire network in 2024 are all costume dramas, namely "In the Clouds" with 3.333 billion, "Qing Yu Nian Season 2" with 3.094 billion, and " "Walking with the Phoenix" 2.812 billion, "Tang Dynasty Weird Stories: Journey to the West" 2.141 billion, "Cherishing Flowers" 1.992 billion. Among them, "The Strange Stories of the Tang Dynasty: Journey to the West" is a suspense drama with ancient costumes, and the theme of ancient puppets occupies four seats. However, in the second half of the summer season, the ancient puppet genre began to show signs of fatigue, with works such as "The Story of the Willow Boat " and "The Long Waters " failing to achieve the expected popularity. In October, three ancient puppet plays, "Spring Flowers", "Splendid Tranquility" and "Seven Nights of Snow", competed at the same time, but none of them became real works.

Although competition in the ancient puppet market is fierce, there are still problems such as assembly-line actors and homogeneous plots. Even with IP advantages or innovative creative techniques, it is still difficult to avoid audience fatigue in the overall environment. This year, some projects that failed to meet expectations have invariably suffered from word-of-mouth problems.However, the market still pays high attention to ancient puppet dramas from big IPs and big casts. Judging from the film lists of the three major long-form video platforms, 2025 will be another big year for IP adapted dramas, with a reserve of ancient puppet themes. Rich. Works such as " Da Feng Watcher ", "Going to the Mountains and Seas", "Nian Wushuang", "Yulin Ling", "Mortal Cultivation of Immortality" and other works have already accumulated a large number of audiences before they have even entered the market. In the development of the drama market, refinement, specialization, and in-depth cultivation are the keys. If you want to stand out in the competition, you must tell the story well and develop solid characters. Content produced with care will always be recognized.