Movies lining up to catch the eye of holiday audiences

The Spring Festival is drawing near. As one of the most lucrative time slots of the year for China’s film market, Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 5 this year, will see an array of pictures by both veterans and talented young filmmakers.

Around 15 movies in varied genres will compete for ticket sales during the holiday. Some are expected to set new records at the box office. Insiders also regard it as a season with the biggest number of highly anticipated works.

Comedy films will still take up a major proportion of all the movies.

Hong Kong comedy star and film director Stephen Chow will present “The New King of Comedy” on February 5, the first day of the Year of the Pig. Three years ago, also during the Spring Festival holiday, Chow’s sci-fi comedy film “The Mermaid” raked in 3.39 billion yuan in ticket sales.

“The New King of Comedy” is a remake of Chow’s 1999 “King of Comedy,” which was critically acclaimed for its true-to-life depiction of the hardship and tribulation an aspiring actor experiences in his career. Chow’s early career of working as a film extra is believed to have inspired the story.

The remake will attract a large number of Chow’s fans, many of whom were born in the 1970s and 80s and grew up with his movies. Starring Wang Baoqiang and E Jingwen, the film will feature concerns about the lives and tears of unknown actors, and include nostalgic elements of the first film, such as a folding stool — Chow’s favorite and powerful “weapon.”

Chow says the remake film also records his new understandings about life over the past 20 years.

“The film will not simply repeat comedic styles and elements in my former productions,” he adds. “For such a long time, I have a lot of new observations and feelings about life and art.”

Over the years, Chow has also helped to boost domestic filmmakers’ confidence in the Spring Festival as a peak time for China’s box office. All of his films inspired by the legends of “Journey to the West” and “The Mermaid” turned out to be box office sensations during the holiday.

Chinese author, car racer and director Han Han’s comedy “Pegasus” will also have its national release on February 5. Both of Han’s former two movies “The Continent” and “Duckweed” did well at the box office.

The new film centers on the hilarious endeavors of a former racing car driver who wants to return to racing and regain his lost glory. But he has no money, no car, and he must get a driver’s license first. It stars Shen Teng, one of the most popular comedy stars in China.

The film combines comedy with car racing and conveys a never-yielding spirit. Han also wrote the theme song for the film.

Kung fu star Jackie Chan’s new offering “The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang” will also hit cinemas across China on February 5. The film is Chan’s first attempt to depict an ancient Chinese scholar with martial arts.

The fantasy comedy follows Pu Songling’s investigation of a missing woman case. With the help of a lawman protege and a group of friendly monsters, he finds out the truth.

Chan has portrayed over 100 characters on the screen. He says that it was a big challenge for him to depict a famous Chinese litterateur.

“I am always open to the need for change,” Chan adds. “People will see new facet of me from this character.”

Another highly-anticipated comedy for Spring Festival is Ning Hao’s “Crazy Alien.” Following 2006’s “Crazy Stone” and 2009 production “Crazy Racer,” it is the third installment in the director’s “Crazy” black comedy trilogy.

Starring Shen Teng, Huang Bo and Matthew Morrison, the film draws its inspiration from sci-fi writer Liu Cixin’s short novel “Rural Teachers.” It centers on two buddies’ attempts to make big money from the unexpected arrival of an alien visitor.

Director Ning notes that the “Crazy” trilogy also reflects the rapid and tremendous changes over the passing decade. As a big fan of Liu’s sci-fi novels, he had the idea of working with Liu nine years ago. They spent years working on the script, a blend of sci-fi and comedy.

“The Wandering Earth,” based on another of Liu’s novels, is expected to fill the void of the sci-fi genre in Chinese cinema. The film, with its stunning visuals and spectacular scenes, is also slated for release in China on the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Starring Wu Jing as an astronaut, the film by Guo Fan tells a story about mankind’s efforts to move Earth out of the solar system after they find that the sun is turning into a red giant.

Hong Kong filmmaker Mak Siu-fai will offer his latest crime suspense film “Integrity,” which stars celebrated actors Lau Ching-wan and Nick Cheung. The movie is produced by Felix Chong, who directed the classic “Infernal Affairs” franchise with Mak.

The film is about two cops’ efforts to find a missing witness who is key to a big case. However, unexpectedly they uncover a shocking truth and a conspiracy.

Mak and Chong spent a lot of time working on cases involving tax and bribery. It took director Mak more than 10 years to write the script. He recalled that his talk with some officials at Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption a few years ago helped him to shape the story.

Children will be presented several animated films, including “Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year,” “GG Bond” and “Boonie Bears: Blast into the Past.” Competition will be fierce as all of them have a big fan base throughout the country.

Pre-sales for Spring Festival movies have already started. Among the hottest pictures are “Crazy Alien,” “Pegasus” and “The New King of Comedy.” Both “Crazy Alien” and “Pegasus” have pre-sold over 50 million yuan (US$7.35 million) in tickets.

Last year’s Spring Festival holiday witnessed a 67 percent increase in box-office revenue, which has encouraged more filmmakers to squeeze into the period this year.

Insiders anticipate ticket sales for the 2019 Spring Festival holiday to increase by 5 to 15 percent, making it a good beginning for the Chinese film market in the new year.

“Watching movies has become a tradition for many Chinese families to celebrate the Lunar New Year,” said professor Gu Xiaoming, a film scholar from Fudan University. “A diversified menu of film screenings have already taken shape.”

But Professor Gu adds that there is still a lack of inspirational films catering to children. Animations can’t simply satisfy today’s children, he said. He hopes to see more realistic films tackling the issues of education and children’s growth, which will also improve parent-child communication and understandings.

China set a new box office record of 60.98 billion yuan (US$8.88 billion) for 2018. This year movie buffs will be presented with a few highly anticipated productions from home and abroad.

“Chinese Pilot,” based on the heroic and successful emergency landing experience of Sichuan Airlines pilot Liu Chuanjian, will be released this year. Hark Tsui’s “Mojin Returns” will depict the new adventures of tomb explorers. Director Xue Xiaolu will present “The Whistleblower,” which is about the life and work of overseas Chinese.

Hollywood blockbusters including “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel,” “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” “The New Mutants,” “How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and the live-action “The Lion King” are expected to be introduced to China.