“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is rather disappointing for an MCU film, but so far it is the world’s highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2023. But “Full River Red” is even more successful. Here’s the trailer:
The cinema year 2023 has so far been dominated by strong numbers from China. After the end of the particularly strict corona restrictions there, people are flocking to the cinemas again. At the end of January alone, in the week surrounding the Chinese New Year, cinema tickets worth almost a billion dollars were sold – an absolutely exceptional record: Never before has so much money been sold at cinemas in a single week.
Right at the front and not only in this special week: „Full River Red“. The latest film from the legendary director Zhang Yimou is currently the world’s most successful film of the year with box office earnings of over 668 million dollars. The money was earned exclusively in China. A North American theatrical release will follow next week.
In general, the top 10 most successful films in 2023 are currently dominated by Chinese cinema. Even ahead of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (rank 3 with $455 million) is the sci-fi sequel “The Wandering Earth 2” with almost $600 million. Half of the ten most successful films of the year come from China.
This is “Full River Red” by Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou, now 71 years old, is one of the greatest directorial legends in the world. His wuxia epics “Hero” and “House Of Flying Daggers” were successful worldwide. Early dramas like “Rote Lantern” and “Leben!” won numerous prizes. And Yimou, who also shot a big production with Hollywood stars like Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal with “The Great Wall”, doesn’t seem to let up a bit:
Most recently, the complex martial arts historical film “Shadow”, which is currently included in the subscription to Amazon Prime Video, hit the cinemas in 2020, and in 2022 the agent historical story “Cliff Walkers” was released directly on DVD and Blu-ray (prepared for this By the way, Yimou is currently preparing a sequel).
“Shadow” on Amazon Prime Video*
The busy Zhang Yimou, who is also directing a modern crime-corruption thriller for a later 2023 release, goes far back in Chinese history with Full River Red. And there’s epic action – but there’s probably a lot of comedy as well: In the 12th century, a possible uprising was brewing at the imperial court. When a rebel ambassador is murdered and a letter he was carrying to the emperor disappears, events take a turn for the worse. The culprit must be caught and the lost document found by dawn…
In China, in addition to the high level of excitement, the humor was also particularly praised. “Full River Red” is also described as a historical comedy-action-thriller epic. The leading roles are played by Shen Teng (“Hi, Mom”), who is particularly successful as a comedy star, and former child pop star Jackson Yee (“The Battle At Lake Changjin”). Both are among the most popular actors in China, which should have a large part in the huge success of the film.
When is “Full River Red” coming to Germany?
Unfortunately, we do not yet know if and when and in what way “Full River Red“ also finds its way to Germany. However, the fact that a theatrical release was scheduled for March 17th on more than 150 screens in North America at very short notice makes us positive that the successful film will gradually also be available outside of its home country. The Hollywood Reporter also reports that further foreign deals for the film are expected at a film industry fair in Hong Kong next week.
This adventure classic sweetens your wait for “Pirates of the Caribbean 6”: It’s available unabridged on Disney+!
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