January movie viewing guide: Who is the winner among the seven major films competing for the Spring Festival box office?

The 2020 Spring Festival came earlier than ever before. On January 25, the first day of the Lunar New Year, seven movies were released, allowing the film market to start preparing for the Spring Festival early. In summary, there are four blockbusters, "Detective Chinatown 3", "Chinese Women's Volleyball Team", "Emergency Rescue", and "Lost in Russia", plus "The Vanguard", "Jiang Ziya", and "Boonie Bears: Wild Continent". With seven movies joining forces, the total box office of 10 billion+ is not a problem. Whether it can hit the record of 12 billion or even 15 billion, the right time, right place, and right people are all essential.

Due to the Spring Festival schedule and the one-day New Year's Day holiday, no one released any heavyweight films in January. This also resulted in only some small and medium-sized imported films supporting the first half of January. However, for movie fans, classic re-screenings such as "Life is Beautiful", plus award season favorites "Richard Jewell" and "The Farewell", this high-quality film list is believed to be able to meet the needs of movie fans.

The strongest Spring Festival movie in history, who will be the winner among the seven heroes?

Every year, the Spring Festival period is said to be the strongest in history, and it gets stronger year by year. In 2020, 7 seed players were released on the same day. "Detective Chinatown 3", "Chinese Women's Volleyball Team", "Emergency Rescue", "Lost in Russia" and other films are all king bombs with a potential box office of 3 billion yuan, and "The Vanguard", "Jiang Ziya" and "Boonie Bears: Wild Continent" also have the potential to earn more than 1 billion yuan.

In the past two years, the total box office of the Spring Festival movies has been above 10 billion. Whether this year's strongest batch of movies can hit 12 billion, or even achieve the "giant toxic milk" of 15 billion, still depends on the quality. Although the publicity campaigns of various companies are very fierce, they are still in a state of half-hiding, and there is basically no practice of preview screenings during the Spring Festival. Therefore, the situation will have to wait until the audience's word of mouth on the first day of the Lunar New Year to see the outcome.

Detective Chinatown 3

Director: Chen Sicheng

Starring: Wang Baoqiang / Liu Haoran / Satoshi Tsumabuki / Tony Jaa / Tomokazu Miura / Masami Nagasawa / Tadanobu Asano / Honami Suzuki / Shota Sometani / Zhang Zifeng

Release date: January 25

Chinatown detectives Tang Ren and Qin Feng are invited by detective Noda Hao to solve the case. After hearing the news, detectives from the "CRIMASTER World Detective Ranking" also gathered in Tokyo to join the challenge. The appearance of Q, who ranks first, makes this big case even more confusing. A hilarious contest between the strongest detectives in Asia is about to begin...

Among the Spring Festival-related content on major websites and apps, the popularity index of "Detective Chinatown 3" is undoubtedly the highest among all films. A new work with a big IP, a super luxurious cast, and the ultimate mystery of the series, when these elements come together, it is difficult for the movie not to attract the attention of the audience.

The last film, Detective Chinatown 2, earned 3.397 billion yuan at the box office. This year's final film will be released during the Spring Festival. Judging from the early publicity, it is already the top seed in everyone's mind. Whether it can go one step further and set a new record for comedy films depends on how carefully Chen Sicheng plays this big game.

Chinese women's volleyball team

Director: Peter Chan

Starring: Gong Li / Huang Bo / Wu Gang / Peng Yuchang

Release date: January 25

At the Rio Olympics, the Chinese women's volleyball team once again made it to the Olympic finals. A high-speed spinning volleyball connected the passion and youth of several generations of female volleyball players. The ups and downs of the Chinese women's volleyball team over the past 30 years were slowly unfolded...

The Gong Li + Huang Bo combination has secured the best actor combination for the Spring Festival. Coupled with the real-life performances of the Chinese women's volleyball team, the film has already won at the starting line in terms of the cast. The cast is strong, and the behind-the-scenes lineup is also quite reliable. Director Chen Kexin returns to direct after 6 years since "Dear", his old partner Zhang Ji writes the screenplay, and Xu Yuezhen and Zhang Yibai serve as producers.

Although there has been no precedent for pure sports-themed movies to become a big hit in the mainland film market in recent years, Chen Kexin must be quite confident in this as he released two sports-themed movies in a row in 2020 (Chinese Women's Volleyball Team and Li Na). The only question is, as a Hong Kong director, can Chen Kexin capture the Chinese sentiments carried by the women's volleyball team?

Emergency Rescue

Director: Dante Lam

Starring: Eddie Peng / Wang Yanlin / Xin Zhilei / Lan Yingying / Wang Yutian

Release date: January 25

Overturned and sunk drilling platforms, oil tankers rushing downstream, fully loaded passenger planes crashing into the sea. Captain Gao Qian of the Traffic Maritime Emergency Response Special Service Team led the team to arrive at the first time again and again, standing at the forefront of the roaring water and fire, guarding the end of the emergency evacuation, and fighting natural and man-made disasters with his life. There is no word "retreat" in the dictionary of maritime rescue. They are not afraid of difficulties and obstacles, and they sacrifice themselves for others, composing a heroic song.

"Devil director" Dante Lam returns to the Spring Festival slot after "Operation Red Sea" to bring the final chapter of the "China Power" trilogy "Emergency Rescue", still working with his old partner Eddie Peng. This is the fourth collaboration between the two, and Eddie Peng still has to go through devilish special training, soaking in water for 6 hours a day during training.

For the sake of the authenticity of the film, the team even went to Mexico to complete the filming of Titanic. The budget of Lin Chaoxian, who is known for his ability to do anything, is naturally high. Many sources indicate that the total investment of the film is as high as 700 million RMB, which is higher than that of other Spring Festival films. We hope that with more investment, Lin Chaoxian can bring more shocking visual spectacles.

Lost in Russia

Director: Xu Zheng

Starring: Xu Zheng / Huang Meiying / Yuan Quan / Shen Teng / Guo Jingfei / Jia Bing

Release date: January 25

It tells the story of Ivan, a small boss, who is entangled in a business dispute and accidentally takes a train to Russia with his mother. During the journey, he and his mother have a fierce conflict, and at the same time he has to fight wits and courage with his competitors. In order to finally reach Moscow, he has to overcome difficulties with his mother...

It has been five years since Lost in Hong Kong was released. During this period, Xu Zheng has appeared in nine movies, but the only ones he starred in are The Player and Dying to Survive. Although he has been a producer many times, he only took up the director's baton once, in the "Win the Championship" episode of My People, My Country.

This time, director Xu Zheng returns to focus the story on the exotic Russia, and uses his signature "囧" character. In addition, he writes, directs, and acts in the film himself, so he must have made all the preparations. Of course, whether the glory of the "囧" series can be reproduced, in the Spring Festival period surrounded by strong competitors, it will ultimately depend on hard power.

Vanguard

Director: Stanley Tong

Starring: Jackie Chan / Yang Yang / Allen / Xu Ruohan / Mu Qi Miya

Release date: January 25

Tang Huanting (Jackie Chan) leads a vanguard action team consisting of Lei Zhenyu (Yang Yang), Zhang Kaixuan, Miya, and Shen Diao (Zhu Zhengting) to carry out thrilling rescue operations around the world. In the process of rescuing the hostages, they discovered that the criminal group had planned a shocking conspiracy...

How can the Spring Festival be without Jackie Chan? After "Kung Fu Yoga" and "Detective Pu Songling", Jackie Chan is heading to the Spring Festival for the third time. Although the box office of the previous work was a bit bleak, this time he invited his old partner Tong Jili back to be the director, so the quality should be guaranteed. The previous films they collaborated on, such as "Kung Fu Yoga", "The Chinese Zodiac", and "Myth", all received good responses. I hope the golden partnership can reproduce the past glory.

Jiang Ziya

Director: Cheng Teng / Li Wei

Release date: January 25

Jiang Ziya led the gods to defeat the fox demon and overthrow the brutal Shang Dynasty. He was about to be crowned the leader of the gods. At the peak of his career, he was demoted to the mortal world because of a momentary mistake. In order to return to Kunlun, Jiang Ziya embarked on a journey. On the ruins after the war, he found himself again and discovered the truth of everything that happened back then.

After the summer blockbuster hit of Nezha: The Devil Child Comes into the World, Caitiaowu accelerated the pace of its animation production. Jiang Ziya, which had not made any progress for many years, was quickly scheduled for the first day of the Chinese New Year, hoping to get a piece of the pie in the battle of the Spring Festival. The ending easter egg of Nezha did the best publicity for Jiang Ziya, and the over 140 million views kept the audience's attention. Whether Caitiaowu's Fengshen animation universe can be successful depends on whether Jiang Ziya can become a god this time.

Boonie Bears: Wild Continent

Director: Ding Liang

Starring: Zhang Wei / Zhang Bingjun / Tan Xiao

Release date: January 25

A magical "Wild Continent" has just opened near Gou Xiong Ling, where people can freely transform into various animals through genetic technology and enjoy incomparable freedom and happiness. However, hybrid monsters that wantonly attack others appear in the Wild Continent... Bald Qiang discovers that the real mastermind is hidden behind the boss. Can he win the final victory?

The 7th "Boonie Bears" movie has been produced so far. The previous "Boonie Bears" has been steadily advancing with each installment, and two of them are among the top five domestic animation box office hits. It can be said to be a true national animation series.

However, this year's Spring Festival schedule is disrupted by "Jiang Ziya", and I wonder how much impact it will have on "Boonie Bears". Can "Boonie Bears" hold its ground and reach a higher level to prove its status as a national animation?

There are many imported films in the pre-Spring Festival period, with classic re-screenings and award season movies supporting the market

Although the market is preparing for the Spring Festival period starting on the 25th, there still needs to be movies to support the first half of January. What to do? Pile up imported films. Whether it is the classic re-release of "Life is Beautiful", the animation "Spies in Disguise" voiced by popular stars, or the award season hot spots "The Farewell" and "Richard Jewell", they are all excellent works above the standard. It is definitely more than enough to solve the film shortage in the pre-Spring Festival period.

Life is Beautiful

Director: Roberto Benigni

Starring: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano

Release date: January 3

When the Jewish youth Guido met the beautiful Dora, they lived happily together. However, the good times did not last long. Guido and his son were sent to a concentration camp, and Dora decided to go with them.

Although life in the concentration camp was hard and lonely, the cheerful Guido still brought a lot of happiness to others. He tricked his son that this was just a game. Can their family survive this dark era safely?

The second round of Italian classic film re-screening! After the huge sales of "The Legend of 1900" with 140 million RMB, this more well-known Oscar-winning film was released without stopping.

There is no need to say much about the story of "Life is Beautiful". The 10-minute applause after the premiere in Cannes has become a legend. It is an indisputable fact that it has been at the top of the charts of major authoritative film websites for many years. In the absence of new and high-quality works, it is a good choice to introduce more old classics.

Become an agent

Director: Nick Bruno / Troy Quane

Starring: Will Smith / Tom Holland / Zeng Qiu / Rashida Jones / Ben Mendelsohn

Release date: January 3

Lance and Walter, the former is a super cool and charming spy, and the latter is responsible for inventing all the cool gadgets that Lance uses. In times of crisis, they must unite to save the world.

After sweeping the mainland with two Marvel movies in 2019, we may not see Holland in mainland theaters in 2020, but we can still hear his voice!

"Spies in Disguise" is the first of Holland's dubbing series in 2020! Next, he will have two more dubbing works, "Dolittle's Fantastic Adventure" and "1/2 of the Magic", both of which are expected to be introduced to the mainland at the beginning of the year.

In addition, it is the first time for Stan to dub an animation again after "Shark Tale" 15 years later. The two "mouth cannon" superstars join forces, and the 100 minutes of voice alone is worth the price of admission.

Richard Jewell's Elegy

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates

Release date: January 10

Richard Jewell became a hero as a security guard who found the bomb device in the Atlanta Olympic bombing and saved countless lives. But within a few days, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. He was slandered by the media and the public and became the FBI's number one suspect, falling into an unprecedented dilemma...

Eastwood is still strong and vigorous! He is about to enter his twilight years, but he can still maintain the output of one film every year, and the quality of each film is above the standard. One cannot help but admire the old man's vigorous creativity.

This film, adapted from a true story, is the second Eastwood film released in just six months after The Mule, and is also the fastest Eastwood film ever introduced. It is also a blessing for movie fans that the Art Association is responsible for introducing such award-winning films.

Don't tell her

Director: Wang Ziyi

Starring: Awkwafina / Ma Tai / Lin Xiaojie / Zhao Shuzhen

Release date: January 10

The grandmother of a Chinese family is diagnosed with cancer, but the family chooses to hide it from her and invites all family members back home to see her for the last time under the pretext of a wedding. However, Billie, who grew up in New York, believes that it is her grandmother's right to know her condition. Thus, a family comedy of searching for roots with a conflict between Chinese and Western cultures is staged in a Chinese family.

The film is adapted from Wang Ziyi's own family story. The director's attitude is very objective and neutral, neither catering to the West too much, nor being detached from the East. The film's examination and refinement of cultural differences and life details are quite similar to the early Ang Lee.

As the debut work of young Chinese female director Wang Ziyi, this film is undoubtedly a success. After conquering Sundance at the beginning of the year, it received 99% positive reviews from over 200 Rotten Tomatoes and was regarded by Variety as one of the most noteworthy directors of 2019.

Three consecutive years have seen the emergence of three Chinese female directors (the other two are Zhao Ting and Cathy Yan), all of whom have emerged from independent productions and have received good reviews. What’s more interesting is that Zhao Ting and Cathy Yan have respectively directed Marvel’s “Eternals” and DC’s “Birds of Prey”, and can also be seen as a fresh force in Hollywood.

Fighting for Home

Director: Stephen Merchant

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Florence Pugh, Jack Lowden, Lena Headey

Release date: January 10

Paige was born into a wrestling family. Although her family, who are addicted to wrestling, are considered by many to be a "freak family", it has always been Paige's dream to join WWE with her brother and become the top wrestler. Paige, who was selected to enter the WWE training camp alone due to her brother's unexpected failure, launched a championship competition to "vindicate" her family.

The film is adapted from the true story of Paige, the youngest female wrestling champion in the UK, and can be called the American version of "Dangal". For Chinese audiences, the biggest attraction of the film is of course the old friend Dwayne Johnson. He plays himself in the film, which may be the performance with the least action scenes and the most difficult performance (for Johnson) in his career over the years.

Don’t forget, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” has just been released, and it’s so soon that we’ll see Dwayne Johnson again. Hey, see you every day, Johnson!

Sweet potato rice

Director: Ye Qian

Starring: Gui Yalei / Yang Guimei / Ban Tiexiang

Release date: January 10

Lin Xiumei, a widow in her seventies, decides to prove her worth before death comes. In the process of finding her lost self, can Lin Xiumei's wish to regain the attention of her family come true?

The gathering of two film queens, Gui Yalei and Yang Guimei; the first Taiwanese-dialect cinema film in mainland China; shortlisted for the Pingyao Film Festival... This series of keywords is already very interesting for a low-budget directorial debut.

Violet Evergarden Gaiden

Director: Haruka Fujita

Starring: Ishikawa Yui / Chihara Minori / Endo Aya / Kotobuki Minako / Koyasu Takehito

Release date: January 10

The heroine, Violet Evergarden, lost both arms in the war and was separated from the major who adopted her. After getting prosthetic limbs, she became an "Auto-Memories Doll" who writes letters for the postal company. In the story of the spin-off, Violet Evergarden received a special commission...

As a theatrical version of a popular animation, the movie itself is actually no different from other theatrical versions. However, as the first Kyoto Animation animation introduced to the mainland after the Kyoto Animation arson case, this film has extraordinary significance. Especially when the names of the production staff appear in the end credits, every animation fan will burst into tears.