If you want guns, fights, and a dose of justice served Chinese style then the summer blockbuster C-movie Wolf Warrior 2 may be worth checking out. The first Wolf Warrior was a middling box office hit in 2015 but the sequel is shattering box office records and is on track in the next few days to become the number 1 box office movie in Chinese history currently held by The Mermaid. Wolf Warrior 2 premiered two weekends ago and in the 10 days since has taken in RMB 2.73 billion (US $406 million), with moviegoers flocking to this Chinese Rambo tale of a former special forces soldier going to Africa and in the process rescuing Chinese nationals there from baddies. The movie’s success is in part due to seeing Chinese movie leads doing all the heroic fighting typically seen in Hollywood movies, and due to the summer period being when the Chinese authorities ban imported releases of Hollywood movies, WW2 is the perfect meal for the Chinese moviegoers craving action films with a side of bad guys ass-kicking.
All the publications are covering the runaway box office success of Wolf Warrior 2 but BBC has incurred the wrath of the domestic Chinese papers by reporting that WW2 is succeeding on a wave of nationalistic fervor coinciding with this year being the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army and also on the general sense of patriotism and pride within China due to what is being perceived as attacks and slights from other countries, including the beef with South Korea over THAAD.
I read BBC’s article and it does raise pertinent points but comes across like the reporter wanted to reach the conclusion that the movie did well being Chinese are in a rah-rah mood and the movie is too nationalistic. Wolf Warrior 2 opened in the US this weekend and tanked at the box office which goes to show that movies all have cultural and national bents and it’s fine for a local audience to love a particular movie if it appeals to them. No need for BBC to get their panties in a bunch because China loves WW2, the US moviegoers had their share of Rambos movies in the 80’s.
Half expecting ComeDownKoala and some other nationalist baboon to come here and bombard the comments
Oh, and Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet ain’t China 🙂
Too bold and controversial statement? Fight me. I’m ready for this lol
LOL?
BBC is a British corporation so I am not surprised they skew their report. They have a long history of doing biased reporting towards China. Sometimes I feel they are slightly jealous of China, especially since HK was handed back to them in 1997. @prettyautumn, HK has been part of China since 1997, and although HK is supposedly ‘One country, two systems’ rule. I have seen with my eyes how HK has changed throughout these 20 years.
Can’t expect anything from BBC, which still uses the old names of the cities of Britain’s previous colonies, for example Bombay, Calcutta (Mumbai, Kolkata) etc. Britain is as a nation, arrogant and full of themselves. Still haven’t apologized for their crimes. BBC aside, officially HK is part of China, but their mindset isn’t that similar, also Cantonese separates them even more. Or at least this is what one of my Hong Kong born best friend says and what I have experienced as a overseas asian. But I’m half expecting Baboons&co. to fight me 🙂
The BBC has a long history in skewing anything patriotic about the UK too not just China …USA gets it as well ..woe betide you if you actually support your country because you MUST be a right wing rabid xenophobe …(uk resident)
You think this movie is not popular in Hong Kong, Taiwan or even Tibet? How do you know? It is so childish to make such a comment for the sake of rebuking this article. If you are not happy, dont read it. It is her blog, she can write what she wants. You are invited to make comments but there is no need to be rude for the sake of being rude.
I was referring to the commenters in that plagiarism article but thanks for your input 🙂
I’ll bite just to see your reaction. 😀 HK, Taiwan, Tibet ain’t China alright.. it is PART of China. 😉 You aren’t even “Chinese” so why bring it up meaninglessly? lolz. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones~
Koala is right when she says that China loves WWII. Turn on the TV when in China and you will find at least 3 different wartime dramas showing on various channels at the same time, which will be continuosly replaced by new wartime dramas once finished LOL. The Chinese (or at least the central government) hate to forget their sufferings at the hands of the nefarious Japanese more than 70 years ago.
However biased the BBC may be, they are still right to say that the movie (which I have not watched) is nationalistic, because this has been an ongoing trend for years. Just look at the Yip Mun movies.
Still, what makes the movie such a success is that other than the limited competition, most likely it offers viewers a few hours of escapism from their humdrum lives into a world where you can be the saviour of your universe just by holding a machine gun LOL
BBC made a good point, nothing wrong with their article. China does make very good drama/films with such propaganda messages. But this is something to be proud of instead of being upset about. Such shows pulls the Country together. It reminds them who fought for their current lives. The world is reminded repeated how Nazis killed so many Jews in the media. China can do the same too. Chinese fought to get back their land from Manchus, invasion by the Japanese, Opium peddlering that crippled the Country by the British etc… to. China is not prefect, but no Country will ever be.
Having such a great movie, I applaud the Producers/ directors, Writers/ Actors/ Film Crew etc. Job well done. Every Chinese young male actors knows to be known as a credible male actor in China and not just a pretty face idol, they will need to be involve in at least one such theme dramas/movies.
Well i`am British and will certainly be watching it ..so the BBC can go forth and multiply themselves..
Such a sophisticated way of saying the ’vulgar’ phrase fuck off. I haven’t lived in Britain (well, just as an exchange student) but I’m guessing you quite dislike your public service broadcaster. It’s okay, many public (tax payer funded) broadcasting stations are biased instead of being neutral lol
China is pouring millions into making subtle propaganda films, trying to change their negative image. They still have a repressive government, until that truly changes, they can try all they want, actions speak louder than meaningless words. Just my opinion.