Flick on failed romances is a surprise hit
BEIJING: China must be replete with failed romances, judging by how the laugh-out-loud flick The Ex-File 3: The Return of The Exes has been raking in serious cash.
Despite having fewer screenings, it has overtaken Star Wars: The Last Jedi in China, earning US$45 million (RM175.5 million) in its first weekend.
Its cumulative total to date is a jaw-dropping US$1.9 billion (RM7.41 billion)
Buzz on the movie quickly gathered momentum, thanks to widely-circulated video clips of moviegoers weeping unashamedly.
If that many viewers could be weeping during the screening of a romantic comedy, it’s clear that failed relationships do trigger an emotional response regardless of star actor Han Geng’s efforts to elicit laughter.
It’s a rare moment of triumph for romantic comedies in China, known more for blockbusters that are outright madcap comedies.
The 2015 romantic drama Somewhere Only We Know, shot in Prague and starring Kris Wu, garnered about US$45.2 million at the box office, while I Belonged To You, which featured an all-star cast, performed better with US$121.5 million, still nowhere near The Ex-File 3’s cumulative total of US$1.9 billion.
Moreover, the first two films in the Ex-File series did not fare as well, earning a meagre combined US$37.3 million.
Despite mixed reviews and an average rating on multiple review sites,The Ex-File 3 has gone on to become the highestgrossing romance film in China.
A rare genre in China, romance films bear a lot of Western influence, so much so that some directors deem exotic locales a key element when it comes to love and romance. Somewhere Only We Know is not alone when it picked romance capital Prague as its backdrop; The Pretending Lovers was set in Norway, Finding Mr. Right in Seattle, and Beijing Love Story in Greece.
Director Tian Yusheng didn’t go by the playbook. He made The Ex-File 3 an authentic modern Chinese love story, filling a gap that has hit palydirt.
The Ex-File 3, along with two other home-grown romantic comedies, Love Is Blind, and Breakup Buddies, which charmed their audiences with insights into break-ups, are the three most successful romance films in China.
Over half of the audiences which had thronged The Ex-File 3’s box office were youths living in China’s smaller cities.
The rapid growth of smartphone ownership and social media usage has helped smalltown youths stay connected, which often encourages leisure spending.
The emergence of small-town youths and the success behind The Ex-File 3 shows that there is a future for authentic romantic comedies – minus the fairytale backdrops..
The 2015 romantic drama Somewhere Only We Know, shot in Prague and starring Kris Wu, garnered about US$45.2 million at the box office, while I Belonged To You, which featured an all-star cast, performed better with US$121.5 million, still nowhere near The Ex-File 3’s cumulative total of US$1.9 billion.