Films_with_Chinese_Appeal

R E T R O S P E C T
Films with Chinese Appeal
In 2023, several films emerged as successful cases of innovative adaptations of traditional Chinese culture. For instance, Full River Red depicted ordinary people’s love for the country with a suspense story like a live action role-playing game. The animated movie Chang’an offered a glimpse into the star-studded history of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms was a mythological epic rooted in Chinese culture.
According to Maoyan, China’s leading online ticketing platform, the overall box office revenues of Chinese movies in 2023 exceeded 53.1 billion yuan (US$7.46 billion) by December 21. Amid the recovery of the film industry, more and more films with strong Chinese artistic appeal have resonated with the Chinese audience, testifying to the high-quality development of Chinese movies.
34 V O L U M E901
Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Movie
Full River Red
The Wandering Earth II
No More Bets
Lost in the Stars
Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms
Never Say Never
Chang’an
Boonie Bears: Guardian Code
Under the Light
Godspeed
Box office revenue
(100 million yuan)
45.23
40.29
38.48
35.23
26.34
22.07
18.24
14.95
13.44
11.84
China’s Top 10 Highest-grossing Movies of 2023
“Chinese culture is profound and
splendid. We need to leverage fine
traditional Chinese culture and
release our artistic imagination
and creativity to tell Chinese
stories about building a global
community of shared future.”
—Rao Shuguang, president of the China
Film Critics Association
Poster for Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. A modern
adaptation of the acclaimed classical novel Investiture of the Gods,
the film caters to contemporary tastes.
C H I N A P I C TO R I A L35。