'Wolf Warrior 2' stimulates country's patriotism
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E-mail Xinhua, August 15, 2017
Topping the Chinese box office with revenue of 4.7 billion yuan (700 million U.S.dollars) within 20 days, China's latest action movie "Wolf Warrior 2" is dominating the country's big screens with its patriotic storyline.
The total revenue of the film is expected to exceed 5.3 billion yuan (around 800 million U.S.dollars), according to Maoyan.com, an online movie ticket sales platform in China.
The film tells the fictional story of former Chinese Special Forces operative Leng Feng's adventures in Africa's war-torn regions occupied by insurgents and mercenaries to rescue his compatriots and foreign civilians.
It was inspired by the evacuation of Chinese nationals from war zones in Libya in 2011, said Wu Jing, the lead actor and also director of the film.
Six years ago, a total of 35,860 Chinese nationals were evacuated from Libya under a Chinese navy escort.
"I studied overseas, so I know exactly how important it is to feel safe in foreign countries," said Kang Mengwen, a Beijing resident.
But Leng is not an individual fighting by himself, his courage is reinforced by the country's commitment to world peace. The movie shows the Chinese navy launching missiles to destroy insurgent vehicles and tanks which threaten innocent civilians.
"When I heard the navy captain shouting 'Fire!' in the film, I cried because I feel that our country can protect us when we are in danger." Kang added.
The scene is based on Chinese navy escort missions. Since 2008, the navy has dispatched 26 escort missions, including more than 70 ships undertaking escorts in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. More than 6,300 Chinese and foreign ships have been protected during these missions.
The movie has triggered Chinese patriotism and that's why it has been so welcomed by the public, Wu told Xinhua.
The audience resonates with Leng's heroism, as well as a sense of honor as citizens of China, said Yin Hong, a film industry analyst and professor at Tsinghua University.
"China has many stories to tell in the new century, especially in peacekeeping missions," said Lian Yawen, a postgraduate student in Beijing.
As of June 2017, the Chinese military had participated in 24 UN peacekeeping missions, involving 31,000 personnel, 13 of whom lost their lives in the course of duty, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
It is not the first time that a domestic film about China's efforts to fight for justice has become a hit in recent years.
Last year, action film "Operation Mekong," based on a true story set against the backdrop of the Mekong River Massacre, where 13 Chinese sailors were murdered by a Burmese drug trafficking group, generated 1.1 billion yuan at the box office.
"Wolf Warrior 2 has proven that Chinese heroism films have market potential," said Sun Yeguang, a cinema manager in Changchun.
China is never short in great stories or great storytelling, said Zhong Chengxiang, the president of China Literature and Art Critics Association.
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