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During the Lunar New Year vacation, the Chinese box office has raked in $314 million, partly owing to a patriotic military epic commemorating China’s triumph over the United States during a pivotal battle during the Korean War.
“Water Gate Bridge” is the sequel to the 2021 Chinese movie “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which celebrates the bravery of Chinese soldiers fighting alongside American troops throughout the conflict. Top Chinese and Hong Kong directors Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam co-directed both films.
Since its debut on Tuesday, the opening day of the big holiday season, “Water Gate Bridge” has generated $137 million in ticket sales. It’s one of the most anticipated Christmas releases in recent years.
That box office haul accounts for approximately half of the entire money generated by ticket sales over the Christmas season. According to data from Dengta Professional, a box office tracking app owned by Alibaba, sales hit $237 million on Tuesday, with an additional $77 million as of Wednesday morning.
Analysts predict that “Water Gate Bridge” will set a new record for this year’s Lunar New Year box office total, exceeding last year’s $1.2 billion — a figure that would account for more than 16 percent of China’s overall box office gross in 2021. The vacation lasts a week.
“The Lunar New Year holiday this year is jam-packed with blockbusters. The sequel to the Battle of Lake Changjin will ensure its success “Xia Qingying, the chief analyst for technology, media, and telecommunications at Guangzhou-based Wanlian Securities, said in a study last week.
The original “Lake Changjin” video, commissioned by the ruling Communist Party’s propaganda bureau, was about the bloody 1950 Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. The Chinese hail it as the most important victory of the struggle, which is known in China as the “War to Resist American Aggression and Aid Korea.” Since 1949, the Communist Party has controlled the People’s Republic of China.
The tale of the fight is continued in the second film.
Beijing has been attempting to limit a recurrence of Covid-19 outbreaks around the country, and as a result, the public is being urged to avoid traveling during Lunar New Year, the year’s busiest vacation season. This may be fueling interest in going to the movies as an alternative to large trip plans.
