China Daily Global Edition (USA)

High quality patriotic movie a big hit

- — ZHANG ZHOUXIANG, CHINA DAILY

TheBattlea­tLakeChang­jin, a film on the Chinese People’s Volunteers who joined the battle that turned the tide of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), set a new box office record on Thursday by raking in 3 billion yuan ($465.19 million) and making it to the world’s top five box office list.

This is not the first movie of its kind to achieve such success. For years, movies advocating patriotism have been released during the National Day Golden Week holiday, and the market has rewarded the deserving ones well.

In 2019, MyPeople,MyCountry, a movie showcasing the 70-year history of the People’s Republic of China, earned 3.1 billion yuan at the box office. Earlier this year, MyCountry, MyParents, another patriotic movie, earned 900 million yuan.

Their box office performanc­e is proof that the market loves films on patriotism.

The progress and achievemen­ts a country makes often boosts people’s love for their motherland. Patriotic movies tell the stories of the brave heroes who devoted their lives for the good of all Chinese people, reminding people of the ties they hold dear.

But apart from patriotism, the

quality of movies also matters. The BattleatLa­keChangjin is without doubt a great piece of work, with the producers spending five years to finalize the script and more than two years to complete the movie, which has a cast of more than 70,000 actors, including minor characters and extras.

The film’s 1.3 billion-yuan-budget reflects in its quality. It is nothing less than a cultural feast for the audience.

We hope to see more such movies — with the winsome recipe of patriotism and quality — scripting success stories in the future.

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