In the movie King of Comedy, Wan Tin-Sau, which was played by Stephen Chow, holds the book An Actor's Work in both hands. Each day, he says to himself, talks about Stanislavski to everybody he meets, and teaches people to play girl students to drink with others and play gangs to make trouble. He fails, and what awakens him is the boxed lunch of Ng Man-Tat’s crew.

The world is his stage, and he lives in the dream of the world.

　　

　　A still of King of Comedy

Obviously, the upcoming Spring Festival holiday is exactly a stage of "King of Comedy" in a traditional view.

Where there is a stage, there is someone to perform.

Breaking the fourth wall is a common technique in a drama. The first three walls are on the stage, while the fourth one stretches along the front of the stage separating actors from the audience. Actors should pretend not to see the audience, but sometimes they can't stop conveying their thoughts to them.

Today, we might as well view this article as a small theater. We set up the stage, but we won’t teach people to recommend films and appreciate performance. We step back and invite three regular visitors and old friends on the BJIFF stage, namely Huangfu Yichuan, Film Picker of the BJIFF, Zhao Siying, Winner of the Jury Special Recommendation Award at the 11th BJIFF Project Pitches, and Sha Dan, Curator of the BJIFF Beijing Film Panorama.

So far, eight films have been announced for release during the Spring Festival holiday this year, including Ba Jie, Article 20, YOLO, Pegasus 2, The Movie Emperor, God of Money, Viva La Vida and Boonie Bears: Time Twist (Rankings are in alphabetical order), with themes and forms varying.

We ask them to discuss this topic directly with the audience. Of course, there are some movies they have watched in advance, and some they have not yet. It doesn't matter, because we believe that moviegoers of the BJIFF also have the independent and excellent ability of selecting and recommending films. It’s also okay if it fails to meet taste expectations, because we didn't want the fourth wall on today's stage.

▌ Act One: Solid as a Rock

Speaking of the release of a movie, we must talk about the box office. It’s worth mentioning that China’s box-office revenue for the Spring Festival holiday reached 6.7 billion yuan last year, making it the second-highest box office for the holiday ever. This makes people more curious about the final results this year.

Facing this difficult question in the beginning, Sha Dan gives a relatively conservative answer, saying that the overall tendency will be stable and won’t be soaring due to the lack of heavy industrial blockbusters. However, on the basis of the results last year, this year’s box office can still be basically flat, he adds.

　　

　　Posters of some films slated for release during the Spring Festival holiday

Zhao Siying thinks that the eight movies with different genres that have been announced for release can arouse the expectations of the audience, and provide a variety of viewing combinations. It is not a “binary” choice that if you watch one, you will not watch another one, as adults just want all.

Huangfu Yichuan proposes a more industrially academic perspective. He is very optimistic about the Spring Festival box office, saying that there is a chance to hit new highs due to a longer period of time. However, he would prefer to see a rise in the number of moviegoers, rather than an increase in monetary figures. So far, the highest record of the number of moviegoers for the Spring Festival holiday is 160 million in 2021. If this year’s moviegoers outnumber the record, it will be a real victory.

▌ Act Two: The Peerless Master

Walking on the street of Hong Kong at night, Gong Er looks at the neon signs that are gone out, exclaiming that this is also like a swordsman's world.

The Spring Festival holiday also seems like a swordsmen’s world in the eyes of many viewers, as each movie is a master with powerful Kung Fu, waiting for this moment to show great talent. It’s more of an “anthropomorphic” imagination, as filmmakers are not competing with each other, but with themselves. How to exceed themselves, create better works, and receive better market feedback are their purpose of practicing martial arts.

Among them, there must be someone who needs to assume the possibility of a leader, leading the box office.

In the face of the eight movies poised for release, it’s difficult for Huangfu Yichuan to judge which one will take the lead, as each has its advantages and potential, and everything is possible.

Zhao Siying gives an analysis from the perspective of audience data. Currently, the film with the largest number of “Want to See” people is Pegasus 2. The IP sequel, based on good results of its prequel, can also attract viewers of different ages by virtue of the combination of Shen Teng and Fan Chengcheng. She thinks that Article 20 and YOLO may keep gaining momentum after the holiday, as these two films with the realistic theme are near to the audience's life, and suitable for long-term growth.

　　

　　A still of Pegasus 2

Different from the first two filmmakers, Sha Dan is bullish on YOLO from the perspective of promotion and marketing. This movie is extremely topical, and a topic paired with high-standard production is often an invincible weapon in hot schedules.

▌ Act Three: All Flowers Bloom Together

The Spring Festival period is like an old friend who has accompanied us for many years. In order to fit the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival itself, movies released for this period have imperceptibly formed a unique type. However, it's not hard to find that some films, with genres different from common ones for the Spring Festival holiday, have also joined this schedule and achieved good results in recent years, expanding the genre territory of the schedule.

From the point of view of a creator, as the Spring Festival is a time for family reunion, which is a coded symbol rooted in the Chinese cultural DNA, the family comedy will always stand firm and sit on the first chair of genre films during the Spring Festival holiday, says Zhao Siying.

　　

　　A still of YOLO

Huangfu Yichuan also insists that comedy is the most suitable genre for the Spring Festival holiday, in which story and performance are the basis, and innovation and differentiated creation are based on them. One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things. Creation with comedy as the basis can also be diverse. Also, he mentions that the success of non-comedy films cannot be ignored. This shows that the most important thing for the popularity of a movie in traditional festivals is to touch the audience emotionally.

Sha Dan classifies films for the Spring Festival holiday in a broad sense, rather than defining them in story types. He basically distinguishes three types of films that are most suitable for the Spring Festival holiday. The first type is heavy industrial blockbusters; the second type is star-studded comedies; the third type is family films attracting the whole family.

▌ Act Four: My Heart Is Cheering

Watching movies is a social activity. Since its entry to China, movies have become the most modern way for people to socialize. As movies enjoy popular support as an art, watching movies has thus become the most personal thing. We want to sit in a dark cinema, slowly experiencing this spiritual journey, with only the light on the screen accompanying us.

Personally, Huangfu Yichang’s most anticipated movie is Viva La Vida. Although he thinks it won't be among top grossing movies during the Spring Festival holiday, he would prefer to get a calming strength in the movie in such a lively time. That's exactly what director Han Yan's movies do, allowing him to have a brand new understanding of life, emotion and time.

　　

　　A still of Viva La Vida

Zhao Siying most wishes to see YOLO. As a female creator, she is eager to know how female sports films can be told and presented through localization in China.

From a professional standpoint, Sha Dan looks forward to The Movie Emperor very much, expecting to see every aspect of the industry. Emotionally, he wants to see YOLO the most.

▌ Act Five: Let the Bullets Fly

The Spring Festival holiday is just a beginning, and we always wish to have a good start. With it, we will be full of energy and confidence in the rest of the year.

The schedule and box office only last a period of time. It seems that this period is over, the topic fades accordingly. What really determines whether a film can go further or not is another measure - awards.

Huangfu Yichuan can't draw a conclusion yet, as it's only the second month of 2024. There are so many films waiting to meet the audience, and they may bring big surprises, especially those with small and medium budgets.

　　

　　A still of The Movie Emperor

Among the films slated for release during the Spring Festival holiday, Sha Dan thinks YOLO and The Movie Emperor are more likely to be favored by awards from the perspective of script and performance. In particular, he mentions that The Movie Emperor is a serious comedy that would trigger thinking on the ecology of film industry through ironic and invective writing.

Zhao Siying says that The Movie Emperor already attracted many eyeballs last year, and received good feedback after its screening at domestic and foreign film festivals. At the same time, she also thinks that the “life” theme and realistic style of Viva La Vida will catch the attention of various film awards.

▌ Act Six: Brave Heart

Nothing remains unchanged, and film genres may take turns dominating the market. Even in the Spring Festival holiday where the comedy rules, other genres may occasionally bring different viewing experiences, and break the original barriers.

Zhao Siying prefers to watch movies of historical costume, suspension, fantasy and other genres in this period, bringing more possibilities. Facing the genre development of whole film market, she thinks family reality, female and urban romance are less popular, hoping them to catch up this year.

Sha Dan considers martial arts films -- a genre that used to be an overlord in the Chinese film market. He wishes to see one martial arts film join the Spring Festival holiday. Also, he wants to see more personalized animation works except for family fun animations like Boonie Bears. The animated film Ba Jie this year also has some new type features. In the previous films themed Journey to the West, Monkey King is always the protagonist, and it's the first time that Ba Jie has become the leading role. Besides, there are some movies with a mix of genres, such as the much-anticipated Bureau 749. The film, which combines science fiction, fantasy and suspension, makes the audience wonder what it really looks like.

　　

　　A still of Ba Jie

Huangfu Yichuang is quite open-minded, saying that films with strong emotions and high-quality artistic standards can try to join the Spring Festival competition. In the coming year, he really wants to see small and medium budget films achieve innovation in genre, and bring more vitality to the Chinese film industry.

“Tomato Egg Fried Rice costs 25.5 Hong Kong dollars.”

　　

Even when the King of Comedy comes to an end, Wan Tin-Sau fails to figure out the character of the undercover. After all sufferings, perhaps he is most suitable to play himself -- a nobody who is good, honest and brave deep in his heart. Also, he no longer talks about Stanislavski to everybody he meets.

Just like Brecht, another great playwright who has never been to Sichuan, this has not stopped Stephen Chow from becoming the king of comedy.

As the Spring Festival films are about to be released, today's “small theater” is going to be closed. Actually there is no standard answer to the argument on “king”. Just as what the article writes at the beginning, we hope to hear more voices with independent thinking, and Chinese films also need different kinds of viewers. No matter during the Spring Festival holiday or at this year's BJIFF, we are eager to see your comments. The show is not ever!