"Retrograde Life" is about to "counterattack" the summer season?
Judging from the current box office data, this year's summer movie schedule can almost be described as "dead bodies everywhere": from the early release of " There is a Commissary in the Cloud " and " Customs Front " to the mid-term releases The box office performance of "Legend", "Welcome to Me" and "Under the Stranger" were all disappointing. According to real-time data from Beacon Professional Edition, as of 15:33 on August 7, the total box office (including pre-sales) for the 2024 summer season (June to August) exceeded 8.5 billion yuan. On August 7, 2023, the same period last year, the 2023 summer box office had exceeded 15 billion yuan, almost twice as much as this year.
Take July, the golden month of the summer season, as an example. Due to the lack of support from blockbuster movies, it is difficult for just one "Catch Me" to independently stimulate the audience's demand. In addition, due to the conflict with the Olympic Games, the audience is not interested in watching movies in July. The total national movie box office in July last year was 6.967 billion yuan, setting a new July box office record in Chinese film history. The total national movie box office in July 2024 was 5.377 billion yuan, an overall decline compared to last year.
This huge hole really needs some movies to step forward and fill it. August is the last month of the summer season, and it is also a month of sprint. Several films that will be released in August have certain attractions, and the industry also has high hopes that they can add fuel to this year's summer season. Currently, the movie "Retrograde Life" is one of the most watched and most popular movies in August. The film's reputation in screenings is relatively good. With the entire summer season not performing well, whether Xu Zheng's new work can play a role in saving the market is an important next step.
The movie "Retrograde Life" is a work controlled by Xu Zheng. He serves as the director, screenwriter, producer, and starring of the film. It is also his blockbuster return to the big screen.
In early publicity, the film emphasized its realist qualities. Judging from the overall quality of the film, the highlight of "Retrograde Life" is also here - it does not praise suffering and consumption suffering, but creates several representative takeaways from the perspective of Gao Zhilei, a programmer turned takeout rider. The image of the rider shows the life of a delivery rider. The display of the plight of beaten workers is also an appropriate dramatic exaggeration based on realism. Take Gao Zhilei as an example. When he was working as a programmer, working overtime became the norm. He relied on coffee every day to survive. His body was in a sub-healthy state for a long time. After he was laid off in middle age, he changed his career path... This is what many workers in large factories may do nowadays. Dilemma faced. After turning into a food delivery rider, Gao Zhilei had to face all kinds of merchants and buyers. He still had to run around in all weathers for routes he didn't know or be familiar with. The most important thing was that he, who was originally a programmer, was also " Algorithm "slavery" is also the normal life of today's food delivery riders.
Two romance films are scheduled to be released during the Chinese Valentine's Day
In addition to expecting that "Retrograde Life" can "change fate" and inject more energy into the summer season, two romance films will be released on the Chinese Valentine's Day on August 10. "White Snake: The Floating Life" and "The Negative Makes the Positive" also have certain attractions and selling points.
From the "White Snake" series, the "New God List" series, to last year's famous "New Culture" series "Chang'an Thirty Thousand Miles", light-chasing animation has become a brand-oriented domestic animation for adults. Movie producer. The animated film "White Snake: The Floating Life" is the third part of the "White Snake" series of animated films produced by Light Chaser Animation. The first two "White Snake: The Origin of " and " White Snake 2: The Green Snake Robbery " each earned 470 million yuan. and a box office of 580 million yuan, which has established the popularity of "White Snake: The Floating Life" in this summer's summer season.
The first two films of "White Snake: Origin" and "White Snake 2: The Rise of the Green Snake" basically deviated from the original work in order to innovate, and even arranged a plot of Xiao Qing's survival through the modern apocalypse. In contrast, the third film "White Snake" "Floating Life" returns to the classic plot of the original work of " White Snake ", that is, Xiaobai and Xiaoqing find the reincarnated Xu Xian. Xiaobai and Xu Xian get married and work together to treat illnesses and save people. However, they are blocked by Fahai. Classic story. The advantage of writing animated film plots based on classic stories is that there will be no flaws. As long as the high quality of technical production is ensured, the entire film will bring a smooth viewing experience to the audience. But there are advantages and disadvantages. Repainting old stories with green paint may also give the audience the feeling of being cautious and lacking in new ideas.
Another romance film "The Negative Makes the Positive" released on August 10 is a new work produced by Ning Hao, written and directed by Wen Shipei, and starring Zhu Yilong, Qiu Tian, and Zhu Zhu. Wen Shipei is a young filmmaker launched by director Ning Hao's "Bad Monkey 72 Film Project". He has previously directed " Tropical Past " starring Peng Yuyan. "The Negative and the Positive" still continues the beautiful southern style story in his lens. The film tells a relatively literary love story: office worker Huang Zhenkai (played by Zhu Yilong) suspects that he is living in a movie. He can't change anything and can only follow the script, day after day, becoming a prisoner of life. After moving into a new residence, he met the mysterious roommate Li Xiaole (played by Qiu Tian). Her sudden appearance and inexplicable disappearance caused ripples in Huang Zhenkai's life, and also allowed him to regain the ability to feel love...
.7 After the premiere of "A Negative and a Positive" in Beijing, Zhu Yilong said: "This is a love movie, but it's not just about love. It's also an attitude towards life, an optimistic and positive attitude, including The struggle against fate. What makes me feel the same is that sometimes we need to break some of our original settings and views on some things. "In terms of publicity and marketing methods, this summer's release. Basically, last year's "screening strategy" has been continued, that is, before the official release date of the movie, early viewing of the movie in some cinemas during prime time in key cities across the country is through ticket sales or targeted invitations. In the past, films that were relatively confident in their quality would be screened on demand to collect audience feedback and achieve word-of-mouth dissemination.Judging from this summer schedule, screenings have become the repertoire before the release of almost all films, including "Catch a Baby", "Decryption", "Retrograde Life", "White Snake: The Floating Life", etc., while "Negative Negatives Make Positives" did not undergo large-scale screenings During the screening event, the leaked content of the film is currently relatively limited, making it a relatively mysterious film.
Is "The Hedgehog", the winner of the Best Screenplay Award, worth looking forward to?
Most of the films in this summer's summer season generally suffer from the shortcomings of focusing on special effects, atmosphere, actors and not plot. "The Hedgehog", which won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Screenplay at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, was released in August. It is scheduled to be released on August 23rd on the 1st, and it may become a surprise later in this summer season.
The film "Hedgehog" is directed by Gu Changwei, written by Zheng Zhi, Guo Fangfang, and Gu Changwei, and stars Ge You and Wang Junkai. At the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival held in June this year, many people in the industry believed that "The Hedgehog" was the biggest surprise in the main competition unit of this year's Shanghai Film Festival. The film was nominated for two awards: Best Film and Best Screenplay. In the end, The film won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Screenplay at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.
The film is adapted from Zheng Zhi’s short story "The Fairy Syndrome". When the official Weibo of the movie Hedgehog announced the release date, it was mentioned that this is a film about a "crazy old man" and an "autistic kid" who become close friends and redeem each other. Life story: Wang Zhantuan (played by Ge You) is a very idealistic person. He has longed for the sea all his life. One second he ignored the traffic and focused on directing the hedgehogs to cross the road with a small flag in his hand. The next second he carried green onions from the roof. He jumps at every turn; he has a stutter and is introverted. Zhou Zheng (played by Wang Junkai) did not get the right love from his parents at home. He was ridiculed and even bullied by his classmates at school. In adolescence, he was somewhat sensitive and rebellious. He had to wear a lot of silver to cure his stutter. Needle, dissatisfied with his parents' rough education methods, raised the spikes of resistance all over his body like a hedgehog... This pair of people, regarded as "alien" by outsiders, have become friends who understand each other and go crazy together.
According to feedback from viewers who have watched the movie, "The Hedgehog" is not a simple comedy, but a film adapted from a relatively successful literary work. It is an absurd and darkly humorous film, and it is also a film that focuses on Works that are deeply caring about people themselves. Ge You's performance is mainly concentrated in the first half, and Wang Junkai's performance is concentrated in the second half. The overall feeling is more down-to-earth. It is a mirror that reflects the confusion and confusion in our lives. It also gives us the courage to face our true selves and embrace the seemingly imperfect but extremely precious light of humanity.
Source: Jinan Times
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