Despite the summer blockbuster season in mainland China coming to an end, a new film titled “Monkey Face” unexpectedly premiered on August 28th, but unfortunately, it only grossed 187 yuan (CNY) on its opening day. These figures indicate that the film has become the final flop of the 2024 summer season.
According to reports from Chinese media, “Monkey Face” is considered a film with a main theme. The story follows the male lead during the Republican era as he learns monkey tricks from his master to become a monkey king. After mastering the skills and receiving applause on stage, he gains fame as the “Monkey King.” However, trouble arises when the reactionary warlord Lou Dashuai forces his advances on the male lead’s master sister and suppresses progressive individuals. Seeking revenge, the male lead joins the revolution and ultimately eliminates Lou Dashuai.
The film was completed in 2018 and obtained a screening permit in 2019, but it remained shelved for six years until it finally met the audience in 2024. Originally set to end on August 31st, the mainland China summer season, according to “Maoyan” professional data, showed that on the first day of its release on the 26th, the film only garnered 187 yuan with just five viewers.
Industry estimates suggest that this film, with a production cost of approximately 30 million yuan, will struggle to surpass ten thousand yuan in total box office earnings, undoubtedly making it the final disappointment of this year’s summer season.
Based on data released by the mainland China box office platform “Pacific Lighthouse” professional edition on August 24th, the total box office revenue (including pre-sales) from June to August in China was 11 billion yuan, which is nearly halved compared to the 20.6 billion yuan in box office revenue from the previous year.
Focusing on this year’s summer season, according to data from Maoyan, the comedy film “Claw Machine,” starring Shen Teng and Ma Li, which critiques the Chinese education system, claimed the top spot. As of August 23rd, the total box office reached over 3.1 billion yuan, with over 73 million viewers. While this film is considered a “savior” within the industry, much like Xu Zheng’s self-directed and self-acted film “Contrarian Life,” it has also faced criticism, being labeled as a “film for the rich to show to the poor.”
Ironically, despite the daily reports of box office failures in Chinese summer films, leaving theaters feeling like winter in the scorching summer days, state media including CCTV had already boasted on August 18th that “the 2024 summer film box office has exceeded 10 billion yuan,” a topic that briefly trended but received skepticism from the public.
Analysts point out that due to China’s economic slowdown and a decrease in disposable income among viewers, people are tightening their belts and prioritizing spending, leading to a decrease in entertainment expenditures such as cinema visits. Additionally, the lack of major releases and the mismatch of film quality and themes with audience expectations have contributed to the lackluster box office performance this summer.