[reporter connected]
Recently, the military movie "Wolf Warriors 2" starring the famous actor Jason Wu was released simultaneously in China and the United States. When the film was "a great success" in the China film market, and the box office revenue was "leaping forward" and became a hot topic at present, American film audiences, especially Chinese audiences and film professionals, also gave a wide-ranging discussion and praise to this China film.
1. Being sought after has a high attendance rate.
During the production of Wolf Warriors 2, many American actors and producers joined in, so the film producer specially held a film premiere conference in Los Angeles, USA. The father of Celina Jade, the leading actress of the film, also made a special trip to the scene to attend the film premiere, and expressed his pride in his daughter’s performance in Wolf Warriors 2.
According to media reports here, "Wolf Warriors 2" was shown in 53 cinemas in the United States, which attracted many audiences, most of whom were Chinese. No matter in Washington, new york in the east, or in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other areas with more Chinese residents in the west, Wolf Warriors 2 is sought after and has a high attendance rate. Most of the audience who saw the film expressed their appreciation for it. Due to the limited number of cinemas and screenings, many cinemas are full, and the phenomenon of "one ticket is hard to find" in popular hours also appears from time to time.
According to the reporter’s understanding, when "Wolf Warriors 2" was shown in an AMC cinema in gaithersburg, Maryland, the auditorium was almost full of audiences, most of whom were Chinese, but also some American audiences. Many Chinese audiences praised the excellent production level of China films at present, and were moved to tears by the scenes of China passport at the end of the film. Some even took out their mobile phones to shoot the picture of China passport at the end of the film. After the film, many people applauded. Some old overseas Chinese said that the more you are overseas, the more you can understand the meaning of patriotism. Such films provide a good opportunity for overseas Chinese to enhance their national pride.
On social media, there is no lack of hot discussion about Wolf Warriors 2. China Universal Television Network, a subsidiary of CCTV, reported in English that "Wolf Warriors 2" won $127 million in the first week of its release and became the global box office champion. The reporter noted that the official Twitter of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau in the State Council, USA, paid attention to the news. Even many American scholars, who usually pay attention to observing the political and economic relations between China and the United States, are interested in this phenomenal film in China.
Among the netizens who leave messages on social media, there are both Chinese viewers and many American netizens. An American netizen said that it was a "China Rambo" film and it was a success. The netizen also affirmed the performances of the film starring Jason Wu and Celina Jade, and thought that the role played by Jason Wu had extraordinary charm, and Celina Jade also better interpreted the image of a hero doctor.
2. American media are scrambling to report.
Wolf Warriors 2 has become the most popular movie in China at present, which naturally attracts the attention of American media. On August 8th, CNN published an article entitled "Patriotic War Films Break China Box Office Record", focusing on the patriotic feelings shown in the film. The article said that in 2015, Jason Wu directed and starred in Wolf Warriors 1, which earned 80 million dollars at the box office. In contrast, Wolf Warriors 2 is more successful because it captures the patriotic complex of the audience. The article also quoted Jason Wu as saying in an interview with CCTV: "People all know Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger, why can’t we have an actor representing China?" The article especially mentions the China passport and subtitles displayed at the end of the film — — "People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizens, when you are in danger overseas, don’t give up! Please remember that behind you, there is a strong motherland! "
美国主流媒体《洛杉矶时报》近日刊载名为《〈战狼2〉将成为中国最卖座的电影》的文章，对该片进行了点评。文章开头写道：中国爱国主义动作电影《战狼2》在中国的票房总收入已经超越了美国好莱坞电影《速度与激情8》，成为中国本年度最卖座的电影。该文指出，《战狼2》在票房上取得的巨大成功是罕见的，因为中国电影通常在年末或中国春节档期才会出现“票房大卖”的局面。
《洛杉矶时报》的另一篇文章则从社会文化的角度对《战狼2》进行了分析。文章指出，相比于娱乐元素，该影片表现出的中美之间的文化差异，或许更能够成为吸引美国观众的重要原因。对于美国观众来说，从一个相反的社会政治视角审视这部类似好莱坞式制作的影片是有趣的事情。文章进一步说，尽管《战狼2》这部影片并无特别之处，但它在爱国情结上却令人振奋。在其情节设定中，中国竭尽全力维护贫穷弱小国家的利益，而世界上其他国家却只是在利用这些贫穷弱小国家。该文强调，这部影片对美国观众有启发意义的是，观众必须承认，过去他们从好莱坞大片中经常能看到类似的人物设定，只不过这一次英雄和反派的位置作了交换，美国人并不永远都是美国队长那样的正面形象。
The Hollywood Reporter, a professional film media, wrote in its review of Wolf Warriors 2: Compared with Wolf Warriors 1, Wolf Warriors 2 has more grand production and bolder innovation. Although this is not always beneficial to the film, for fans who like this type of film, the well-designed scene arrangement and shocking effect of the film will definitely leave a deep impression on them. In addition, many American media affirmed the grand scenes and special effects of such an adventure film as Wolf Warriors 2. Not only that, the American media also believe that the strong interest is also a major feature of the film.
3. Patriotism is the common ground of movies in different countries.
Analyzing the success of "Wolf Warriors 2", what attracts the audience most is the patriotic feelings shown in the film, among which Maotai, the national wine, and the bridge section of Beijing Jeep are most talked about by the audience. The China passport and touching subtitles at the end of the film make every Chinese son and daughter excited.
While the audience applauded, the film was a hit, and the media praised it, some foreign media also made a strange argument, saying that the popularity of Wolf Warriors 2 was due to promoting patriotism and catering to the current wave of nationalism in China. Obviously, this argument is an overreaction with "colored glasses". Anyone who knows or has seen the film knows that the story is similar to China’s evacuation of overseas Chinese in a certain place in Africa in recent years, showing the elegance and patriotic feelings of China soldiers. What’s more, promoting patriotism is not the unique feature of Wolf Warriors 2 or China films. In contrast, Hollywood films in the United States have a longer history and are more skillful in promoting American patriotism.
As early as World War II, professionals in the American army began to study the role of military films in boosting soldiers’ morale. Commercial films specific to the United States seem to be far from political reality. In fact, many Hollywood blockbusters preach the "American spirit" to the whole world from different angles. American classic films, such as Pearl Harbor, Top Gun, Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down and Hacksaw Ridge, which are familiar to the audience, all promote American patriotism. In addition to promoting patriotism, American military movies also highlight the heroic, affectionate and righteous American soldiers, and shape their image of bravely fighting evil forces and saving all the people from fire and water. Many films even acted as "propaganda films" of the US military.
One of the most typical examples is the inspirational film Top Gun, which was all the rage in 1980s and starred by Tom Cruise. This film, called "American Recruitment Propaganda Film", was strongly supported by the US military behind the scenes. The US Navy provided F-14 fighters used by several squadrons and several active pilots for the film. In addition to advanced fighters, aircraft carriers such as the US carl vinson also appeared in the film. Such a powerful hardware lineup is also costly. We must know that the flight cost of the F-14 fighter is not low. At that time, the cost of aviation fuel alone was as high as $7,000 per hour. This shows that the US military spared no effort in shooting this film. Through the interpretation of the film, the audience can enjoy the magnificent scene of first-class fighters galloping in the blue sky and white clouds and pilots chasing each other in the "eagle". This film not only makes military fans and ordinary audiences addicted, but also makes great contributions to the conscription work in the United States. According to statistics, after the film was broadcast, the US Navy ushered in the highest enlistment rate after World War II.
In recent years, Hollywood sci-fi military films have become the "new favorites" of the US military to promote patriotism and display new weapons. "Transformers" series movies have been a great success at the box office, and behind its light, it is inseparable from the help of the US military. "I am the only director who is allowed to make a film in the Pentagon." "Transformers" director michael bay once said in an interview with the media. In fact, since the filming of Transformed king kong 2, michael bay has been working closely with the Pentagon. Michael bay needs equipment such as large military transport planes, fighter planes and even aircraft carriers to make films, which is impossible without military support. The American army needs to work with Hollywood to promote the latest weapons and the image of the army, and both sides need what they want. When Transformers 5 arrives, the scene shown in the movie is almost a "joint military exercise" of the three armed forces of the United States. In the film, the cool American military equipment all appeared, and V-22 Osprey transport aircraft, MH-53 heavy helicopter, F-22 Raptor fighter, Ali Burke-class destroyer, etc., made a splash. In addition, in "Transformers 5", the superior combat capability of American soldiers and the global combat concept of the US military have also been fully exerted.
Some film critics pointed out that while the audience was addicted to their eyes, their goodwill towards the US military and their pride in the country were invisibly improved. Facts have proved that the films produced by the "strong alliance" between Hollywood and the US military not only captured the market, but also captured the hearts of fans. In this regard, those foreign media wearing "colored glasses" kept their mouths shut, but they just didn’t like Wolf Warriors 2. Perhaps this explains the success of Wolf Warriors 2 from one side. In fact, advocating patriotism is the common tone of many national films. Wolf Warriors 2 is just the latest phenomenal film in China, and its success in the American film market shows that the audience recognizes the China story it tells.
(Guangming Daily, Washington, August 10th, by reporter Tang Xianying of Guangming Daily in Washington)
