The wave of film withdrawals during the summer in mainland China shows no signs of stopping. The animated film “The Great Sage Sun Wukong” was released on July 24th and was withdrawn on the 28th. Prior to this, “Three Kingdoms: Battle for Luoyang” and “When Stars Shine” also withdrew after their releases, making it three films withdrawn within a span of four days.
According to Chinese media reports on July 29th, the producers of “The Great Sage Sun Wukong” announced on the 28th that they would “suspend the current preview” and adjust their promotion and distribution arrangements, planning to reschedule the release. The decision to withdraw the film was attributed to the concentration of summer releases and intense market competition, with limited screening resources at the current stage.
The film tells the story of Sun Wukong’s transformation from a stone monkey to the Great Sage Equal to the Heavens, and was released on July 24th. Data from the internet movie entertainment platform “Maoyan” showed that as of the 27th, the film had only accumulated a total box office revenue of 142,000 yuan in four days.
Prior to the withdrawal of “The Great Sage Sun Wukong,” the animated film “Three Kingdoms: Battle for Luoyang” and “When Stars Shine,” starring Huang Bo and Wu Lei, had also exited the summer lineup.
“Three Kingdoms: Battle for Luoyang” was released on July 10th, and the producers announced its withdrawal on the 25th. At the time of the withdrawal announcement, the film had garnered approximately 81.46 million yuan in box office revenue, with its screening share dropping from about 15.8% on the first day of release to less than 1%.
“When Stars Shine” premiered on July 25th and was withdrawn in less than two days, leading to the cancellation of promotional events and offline activities. The film, along with its preview, had accumulated approximately 58.66 million yuan in box office revenue. The producers did not specify the exact reasons for the withdrawal, only stating that the film needed to meet the audience at a “more appropriate time.”
In addition, films such as “Stay with the Heart Dog” and “The Rise of the Great Sage” have also been withdrawn, while “Just Kidding” and “Penghu Sea Battle” did not premiere as planned.
Analysis by “Yangcheng Evening News” suggests that if a film fails to meet initial box office expectations, theaters often reduce screenings, which further suppresses box office earnings. The report indicates that this summer approximately 80 films were released, but box office earnings and major screenings were concentrated on a few popular films, leaving limited market space for other films.
An article by Sina Finance’s “BUG” column on July 27th quoted industry analyst Zhang Shule, who stated that withdrawing a film should be a measure taken in cases of force majeure or other special circumstances. Setting a film release date is a commercial commitment, and unless due to force majeure or other legitimate reasons, withdrawals should not be made indiscriminately, as it may harm the rights of potential viewers.
According to a report by “Cover News,” after the sudden withdrawal of “When Stars Shine,” the cinema’s original screening schedule was disrupted, and all produced promotional materials became invalid.
Re-releasing a film also means that the producers need to reinvest in promotional and distribution costs, but not many films manage to turn their fortunes around. During China’s Lunar New Year holiday season in 2024, four films were withdrawn. Among them, “Mr. Red Carpet” only added approximately 10 million yuan in box office revenue after its re-release; “Let’s Shake the Sun Together” increased by about 180 million yuan, becoming one of the few films that performed better after re-release.
Regarding the recent series of withdrawals, some internet users commented, “Films being withdrawn frequently is turning into a child’s play.” While others mentioned that even during peak promotional periods, the films failed to attract audiences, and re-releasing them after withdrawal may garner even less attention.
Some internet users believe the producers should not solely blame the box office disappointment on the release schedule and screenings, saying, “Even if they re-release after withdrawal, I won’t go watch it. Focus on polishing the script instead.”