‘Successor,’ Chinese Smash Hit Comedy Film, Sets Worldwide Release (EXCLUSIVE)

As a movie reviewer who has had the privilege of watching a multitude of films from around the world, I must admit that “Successor” has left me utterly astonished. Having followed the Chinese box office closely for years, I’ve seen my fair share of films that have taken the market by storm, but none quite like this one.

The Chinese comedy-drama film “Successor,” which has been making waves at the box office, will begin its global release starting next month.

I’m thrilled to share that CMC Pictures, the same studio behind the popular “The Meg” monster shark franchise, has acquired the rights to this upcoming film. They will be responsible for distributing it in major markets such as North America, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and Benelux, starting from August 2nd.

“Charting the journeys of a struggling father and a determined mother, both residing in a dilapidated home, “Successor” portrays their battles against falling further behind in the race towards affluence.”

I followed the release of the film closely, excitedly waiting for its official opening in Chinese theaters on Tuesday, July 16. To my delight, it raked in an estimated $21 million on its first day. However, the real surprise came with its cumulative earnings from wide-scale previews over the weekend. I was thrilled to see that it had dominated China’s most recent charts, amassing a staggering $89 million by the end of the weekend. On both Saturday and Sunday, I witnessed more than 140,000 screening sessions of the film in China.

I’d express it as follows: Although “Successor” wasn’t included in global or weekend box office rankings by Comscore due to its Saturday release, the company confirmed impressive earnings. On Saturday alone, we brought in approximately $21.5 million, while Sunday added an additional $27.7 million. These figures would have placed “Successor” as the third highest-grossing film globally that weekend, surpassed only by “Despicable Me 4” and “Inside Out 2,” despite our limited two-day run.

The film “Hello, Mr Billionaire,” “Goodbye, Mr Loser” is helmed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo as co-directors, featuring performances from Shen Teng, Ma Li, Shi Pengyuan, Sa Rina, and Xiao Bochen. Zhang Lebin, Ma Chi, Tian Tian, and Zhang Meng are responsible for its production.

Films typically debut in Chinese cinemas on Fridays, but local distributors sometimes shift release dates due to rising public interest. A source from CMC shared with EbMaster that “strong advance ticket sales [in China] surpassed predictions, resulting in an earlier premiere.” The movie is reportedly very funny and anticipated to be a massive hit.

Maoyan, a Chinese ticketing agency, predicts that “Successor” will continue to perform well at the box office. They have significantly increased their projection of the film’s total earnings from an initial estimate of 1.6 billion RMB ($220 million) to a new forecast of 3.7 billion RMB ($513 million).

Based on an given summary, “Ma Chenggang and Ma Chunlan commute to work on a donkey, with their son, Ma Jiye, being their last chance for improvement in their lives. Jiye is exceptionally intelligent and shows consistent academic progress every year. He is resilient and focused. However, as Jiye matures, he starts noticing an increasing oddity in the people around him.”

Chinese reports reveal a roster of production credits involving some major players in the Chinese entertainment industry. Among them are: China Film Corporation, Guosi Lianrui Films, Alibaba Pictures, Ruyi Production, Kaixin Movie, Maoyan Media, and Wanda Media.

2024-07-17 07:46

‘Successor,’ Chinese Smash Hit Comedy Film, Sets Worldwide Release (EXCLUSIVE)

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