is the most important period in the film market every year. The summer period spans a long time, has a large number of films, and has a high box office record. It is a "must compete" for major film and television companies. Data shows that from July to September alone, more than 80 domestic and foreign films are scheduled to be released in this summer's summer season, which can be said to be a gathering of blockbusters and classic IPs.
Judging from the films that have been scheduled, this summer’s summer program covers action, fantasy, comedy, animation, romance, thriller and other types of films, with rich themes and diverse types. These include " silently kills ", " legend ", " retrograde life ", " Under the Stranger ", " White Snake: Floating Life ", " Deadpool and Wolverine " " Falling into the Mortal World " Popular films such as "The Lady of Qiao" have greatly enriched the audience's viewing choices. There are also well-known actors such as Jackie Chan, Xu Zheng, Wu Zhenyu, Wang Chuanjun, Zhang Ruoyun, etc. joining the cast, which undoubtedly adds a lot of excitement and expectations to the summer film.
There were many great movies in the summer last year, including "The Vanishing Her", "All or Nothing", "The Octagon", "30,000 Miles from Chang'an" and other blockbuster films. With a total box office of 20.619 billion, it set a new record in the summer box office of Chinese film history. new record. In addition, as of 9:00 on June 29, this year's summer box office (including pre-sales) has exceeded 2 billion yuan. Whether this year's summer season can replicate last year's box office miracle, with high-quality, high-reputation, and high-profile films that attract audiences to the cinema for a summer of laughter, has become a major suspense for this year's summer season.
1
Cantonese films continue to develop
Imported films are coming
Two Cantonese films were released in the summer. One is "The Lady of Qiao", which combines the expression of Cantonese opera. The film uses the characteristics of opera films to express "Chinese heroines" The legendary life of Mrs. Xian, the first person. "The Lady of Qiao" is the second part of the "Innovative Trilogy of Cantonese Opera Films" and has previously won the "Best Opera Film" award at the 36th China Golden Rooster Awards.
"Mrs. Qiao Guo" has a very luxurious cast. It is directed by the famous director Xiao Feng, with Wang Zhiwei as the screenwriter, Chen Jinrong as the Cantonese opera screenwriter, and famous actors in the Cantonese opera industry as national first-class actors, Wenhua Performance Award and Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Award. Winner Zeng Xiaomin stars; national first-class actor Wen Ruqing, national first-class actor and Plum Blossom Award winner Peng Qinghua stars; special guest Wenhua Performance Award, Plum Blossom Award winner, national intangible cultural heritage inheritor Ding Fan, famous Cantonese opera performer Artist Peng Chiquan and ten other national first-class actors co-starred.
Starring Zeng Xiaomin said during the advance viewing event that she is willing to boldly try all methods that are conducive to promoting the beauty of Cantonese opera. "Movies are a very good carrier. I believe that the combination of Cantonese opera and movies is a very beautiful thing. "The Lady of Qiao" is dedicated to all the audiences who love movies and Cantonese operas. I hope you all like it."
Another Cantonese movie "Falling into the World" is an animated film produced by Guangdong Yongsheng Animation Co., Ltd. over a period of five years. The story revolves around the adventures of the descendants of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, bringing the myth of the stars to the big screen to show family affection and responsibility under the concept of the new era. The film also appeared at the Annecy International Animation Festival, known as the Oscars of the animation industry, attracting attention from overseas markets.
At the Guangdong Excellent Film Viewing Promotion Conference, Huang Long, the chief producer of "Falling into the World" talked about the selection of story materials. He bluntly said that "Falling into the World" did not choose IPs that have been tested by audiences many times such as Journey to the West and Fengshenbang. Making original stories is a dangerous and bold decision from a market perspective. The story of "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" is a household name, but apart from the unswerving love that is separated by the Milky Way, what other events happened in the follow-up has always been a blank in the creation of this legend. The movie "Down to Earth" is based on the fertile soil of traditional culture and fills this gap.
Zhong Ding, the film director of "Down to Earth" and associate professor at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, previously mentioned in an interview with our reporter, ""Down to Earth" presents the core of family affection that Chinese people are more concerned about, which is in line with our Chinese traditional culture. It's a very good fit."
In terms of imported films, "Despicable Me 4", a new work in the global hit IP series, returns after 7 years, with a luxurious dubbing cast and the return of the original cast. It will lead the audience through humorous dialogues and warm family emotions. Enter a cute world full of laughter.
As the only movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe this year, "Deadpool and Wolverine" has high hopes from Marvel and Disney officials for its unique style and exciting fighting scenes. The actor who has played the Marvel hero for the longest time, Hugh Jackman bluntly said during his first promotional stop in Shanghai, "This is one of the greatest experiences in my career. I have played Wolverine for 25 years, but "Deadpool" and Wolverine" means a lot to me. The Wolverine presented in this film is unique and I believe it is what fans have been waiting for. "
The disaster film "Tornado" is produced by the film master Steven Spielberg, and is operated by the production team of the "Jurassic World", "The Bourne Supremacy" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" series, presenting to the audience the real and shocking tornado destruction
In addition, the summer film also introduced the Japanese animation "Blue Zone: Nagi", which tells the story of a talented football boy's passionate pursuit of dreams, and "One Piece: The Strongest World", which was released in mainland China for the first time in 15 years. Makoto Shinkai's work "Your Name" will also be screened in the summer, reuniting with audiences across the country under the bright summer stars after eight years.
2
Focusing on social issues
Presenting various aspects of life from an ordinary perspective
The same as last year, pay attention. Realistic movies about "ordinary individuals" still occupy an important position in this summer's summer season. Following the success of ", I'm Not the God of Medicine, ", Xu Zheng returns with his new film "Retrograde Life", which he directed and starred in after six years. , and Xin Zhilei, who was loved by the audience in the TV series "Flowers", acted as a "husband and wife team" for the first time. In addition, there are a series of talents such as Wang Xiao, Jia Bing, and Feng Bing who are on the same stage again after the popularity of "Hurry". The actors join in unexpectedly, and together they stage a life drama of "ordering takeout one second and delivering it the next". The film is based on real materials of hundreds of delivery workers, and uses the delivery staff group in big cities as the starting point to tell the story. Inspirational stories of ordinary people facing difficulties in various situations in life, breaking through the situation and moving forward against the wind.
The "dark horse" new director Ke Wenli, who has filmed "Manslaughter" and the web drama "Detective Chinatown", brings this time. The suspenseful film "Silence" focuses on the social issue of "school bullying". The film has upgraded the suspenseful twist and crime intensity, explores the dark side of human nature, and focuses on the mental health of teenagers. The cast consists of "generation + veteran actors", with powerful actors such as Wang Chuanjun, Zhang Junning, and Wu Zhenyu competing on the same stage. New generation actors such as Huang Minghao, Xu Jiao, and Wang Shengdi subvert their previous image and appear in surprise roles. Cai Ming, Jin Shijie, etc. are surprise actors, who love suspense. For movie viewers, "Silence" is a good choice.
3
Comedy elements are diverse
"New tricks" are emerging
This year's summer comedy movies are also "hot" and have many styles. There are both traditional comedies and innovative works that incorporate modern and science fiction elements. What can
do in "20 Years of Travel to the Future World"? The science fiction comedy movie " Safely Escapes from the 21st Century" will tell you. Answer. This film is the first feature film directed by Li Yang, director of Douban's high-scoring short films "The Adventures of Li Xianji" (8.7 points) and "Bad Future" (8.2 points). Li Yang's previous works attracted a large number of audiences with his unbridled imagination and unique storylines, earning him the title of "Genius Director".
The film tells the story of "Wang Zha" played by Zhang Ruoyun and his friends who obtained the super power of "going back and forth 20 years into the future with just a sneeze", and the time-travel journey of the "Fighting Five Scum" boy who used his youthful blood to change the outcome of his destiny. It is reported that "Safe Evacuation from the 21st Century" used advanced special effects technology and shooting techniques during the production process, striving to bring the most realistic movie-watching experience to the audience.The protagonist's extraordinary mental state in the film is hailed as a "true portrayal" of contemporary young people and is expected to attract the attention of young audiences. The
movie "Welcome to Me" adopts the style of "love + light comedy". Yu Shi took off the "Ba Tai" filter and played the role of "Chen Xiaozhou", a social animal, and staged a "The world is screaming, you" with Wang Yinglu "My Only Antidote" is an audio-visual drama full of laughter and touching moments.
The new-school comedy film "Inside Out" starring He Huan and Wang Xun incorporates fantasy elements, cleverly interweaves fantasy and reality, and tells the story of ordinary migrant workers' adventures full of temptation and entanglement after possessing superpowers, making the audience laugh. You can feel the character's inner struggle and release.
4
Fantasy themes continue to make efforts
multiple films "Fighting Gods"
Looking back on the summer film list in recent years, from "Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes to the World", "White Snake 2: The Rise of the Green Snake", to "The First God" "Part" and "Super Family", the volume of summer fantasy films is quite stable, with an average of 2 to 3 films. This year, there are many domestic fantasy films scheduled for summer release.
In terms of domestic live-action fantasy, "Legend" starring Jackie Chan continues the treasure hunt adventure and time-travel setting of the "phenomenal" movie "Myth" 19 years ago, leading the audience from the mysterious and treacherous modern archaeological site to the ancient battlefield with thousands of horses galloping. .
The sparks between Zhang Yixing, who plays the "General of the Western Han Dynasty", and Nazha, the "Fugitive Princess of the Huns", also make the audience look forward to it. According to relevant reports, this will be Jackie Chan's return with the most action scenes, the biggest and most stunning ones in recent years. There are many fighting scenes in "Legend" with thousands of horses galloping, some of which are extremely thrilling. Jackie Chan also revealed that in order to protect the actors, he was forced to "tell lies" and use a body double. "These young people work too hard."
Another A domestic live-action fantasy film "Under the Stranger", directed by Wu Ershan and starring Hu Xianxu and Li Wanda. The film is adapted from the comic book "Under One Man" which has received over 30 billion views in just 8 years of serialization. It combines many popular elements such as youthful passion, urban space and fantasy powers to tell the story of urban supernatural powers. Director Wu Ershan successfully assembled a cast of three age groups: "old, middle-aged and young", inherited the consistent actor training model of the "Fengshen" series, launched the "Irregular Training Camp", and customized professional training for the actors. training plan.
The previous TV series version of "Under the Stranger" received the highest score on Douban ever for a domestic comic drama due to its successful adaptation, smooth rhythm and realistic visual effects, and was widely praised by the audience. The movie version of "Under the Strangers" faces the challenge of adapting comics into a live-action movie, and it also has to ensure that it is innovative in content and presentation methods compared with the previous web drama version. The audience will wait and see what the final effect will be.
In terms of fantasy animated films, the most popular films in the summer are "The Umbrella Girl", "Er Lang Shen: The Deep Sea Dragon" and "White Snake: The Floating Life". It is reported that "Umbrella Girl" is adapted from the original comic "Umbrella Girl Dream Talk", which won the Silver Award for Comprehensive Comics at the China International Cartoon and Animation Festival Golden Monkey Award in 2019. The film continues the fantasy and magnificent style of the comics, building a gorgeous and dreamy world of animals and spirits for the audience, and showing the unique beauty of national style.
As the only "family fun" animated film in the summer, "Erlang Shen: The Deep Sea Dragon" is directed by Wang Jun, a cg animation producer who has participated in the production of "Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes to the World" and "Jiang Ziya", and worked with the creative team for four years. In 2016, they jointly created the passionate story of Erlang Shen and Nezha, the "Tangong Ruffians", who reunited to fight against the enemy.
"White Snake: The Floating Life", as the third work in the "New Legend" series of light-chasing animations, will be released nationwide on Chinese Valentine's Day this year. The first two films of "White Snake IP" have achieved excellent results in the Chinese mainland market. " White Snake: The Origin of " has a box office of 468 million yuan, and "White Snake 2: The Green Snake" has a box office of 580 million yuan. They have a strong audience base. The story of this film follows the first film "White Snake: Origin" and tells the life-long love relationship between Xiaobai and Xu Xian.
Written by: Nandu reporter Lin Jingwu intern Sun Yuqing