Spring festival earnings give film market shot in the arm
Extraordinary tales of ordinary people pack powerful punch to boost confidence in industry's growth
A boxing match is about to start at the Xiangjiang Boxing Club. The reigning champion clenches her fists as the adrenalin courses through her veins. The crowd of spectators goes wild in eager anticipation. The challenger's coach is heard off-camera saying that he could stop the match if the going gets tough.
The dramatic opening scene of YOLO, an acronym for "You Only Live Once", sets the tone for the rest of the film that tells the heartfelt story of an obese, reclusive woman in her 30s who transforms her life after meeting a boxing coach.
Little surprise that YOLO, directed by and starring Jia Ling, topped the box office with 2.7 billion yuan ($375.8 million) during the Spring Festival holiday period from Feb 10 to 17.
Despite being a cross-cultural adaptation of the Japanese film 100 Yen Love, the domestic production infused with humor stands out as an audience magnet and goes a long way in bolstering confidence in China's film market.
YOLO is Jia's second directorial venture. She made her directorial debut in 2021 with Hi, Mom, the tale of a woman who travels back in time to befriend her mother, which raked in more than 5.4 billion yuan, making it the highest-grossing film directed by a female director before Barbie took the mantle.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has purchased the rights to remake Hi, Mom in English, and has also bought the global distribution rights for YOLO, which has touched millions of moviegoers, especially women, with its uplifting and honest narrative.
Mao Jian, a film critic and professor of Chinese language and literature at East China Normal University, said in a video post on the livestreaming platform Bilibili that YOLO surpasses 100 Yen Love in the final five minutes of the film as the protagonist finds the courage to live life to the fullest, regardless of risks, and embraces her newfound freedom.
According to writer Dan Bao, who posted a comment on the microblogging site Sina Weibo, YOLO is China's answer to Barbie, rather than a remake of the sports drama 100 Yen Love.
The heart and soul of YOLO is Jia's emotionally versatile and physically demanding performance — she gained and lost 50 kilograms to play the lead role of Du Leying — that kept audiences riveted to their seats from start to finish.
1 2 3 4 5 Next PageRelated articles
Burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police from the top of 60ft high roof during nine
A burglar hurled stolen mobile phones at police officers from the top of a roof during a nine-hour s2024-05-21Sharon Stone is SUED for $35,000 for 'causing car crash' in Los Angeles
Sharon Stone is being sued by a woman for thousands of dollars for an alleged car crash she caused i2024-05-21Campaign to legalize sports betting in Missouri gets help from mascots to haul voter signatures
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s professional sports teams on Thursday turned in more than 340,2024-05-21F1 paddock watches to see if Verstappen leaves Red Bull with car builder or if Hamilton lands Newey
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The jostling for superstar technical director Adrian Newey was rampant th2024-05-21Ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse has been refloated
BALTIMORE (AP) — The container ship that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key2024-05-21Mandisa's father reveals how he thinks she died and insists she 'did not harm herself'
Nearly two weeks after the death of former American Idol contestant Mandisa Hundley, her father has2024-05-21
atest comment