“So it’s a movie with two combatants, and China punches Uncle Sam in the nose.” “I guess it’s when Mao (actor Tang Guoqiang) solemnly says ‘the foreigners look down on us’ and ‘pride can only be achieved on the battlefield.’ That speaks to a long history of China getting pushed around by bullies.” The stellar cast includes action superstar Wu Jing, young heartthrob Jackson Yee, and tough guy/real deal Hu Jun.” “Moviegoers were urged to bring tissues to the theater. There are authentic and impressive battle scenes, brutal images of gun and physical fights, even some humor, and tear-jerking drama.” “The Chinese film focuses on two weeks in 1950 of what your Korean War history books call the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in frozen late November to mid-December weather. “You mean ‘Spider-Man: No Way Out’ got on a roll after its December 17 release date.” “Well, that’s because almost all of its $906 million in revenue came from ticket sales here in China, with its September 30 release date, making it the highest grossing film of 2021 as of December 27.” “You mean the three-hour Chinese blockbuster ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’!” “So, Lei, tell me about that anti-American film.” “Variety puts it second with $3.7 billion and a 21 percent share.” “Wait, how long has China led in worldwide box office receipts?” “Well for starters, China will be the worldwide box office champion for 2021, according to Variety, with $7 billion, or 39 percent of the global box office total.” “Try world leader in box office receipts, Buck - at least until the other day.” “Well, Lei, how popular can an anti-American film get?” “Oh gee, I remember when the war movies I watched on CCTV in China celebrated victories over Japan. “Well, the latest battleground between our two countries got played out at the box office - the ‘soft power’ of Hollywood versus China’s patriotic fervor.” “Yes, Buck, that advice from Uncle Ben’s widow, Aunt May, applies to world superpowers, too - even in a proxy war.” “Lei, with great power comes great responsibility.” This time they double their pleasure as they dig deep into the making of “Changjin,” its battle with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and why their appeal put them No. English lecturer Lei Jiao is uniquely positioned at her Wuhan University of Technology post in China to watch both films and offer her cross-cultural perspective.Īs she did with “Mulan,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Jiao teams up again with University of Kentucky journalism professor Buck Ryan in a Q&A film review. The battle over global box office receipts pitted a film leader you may never heard of - “The Battle at Lake Changjin” - against a Marvel superhero you surely have - Spider-Man. Spoiler alert: Looks like Hollywood won this one. Editor’s note: While news media obsess over U.S.-China relations, a little-known conflict was just resolved.
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