In recent years, mainland Chinese actress Zhao Liying has been actively making her mark on the big screen, hinting at a transition from television drama queen to a movie star. However, despite starring in four consecutive films, her latest movie “Bright · Flower” did not perform as expected at the box office during the Qingming Festival period, only grossing 94.37 million yuan in its first five days.
Directed by Feng Xiaogang, “Bright · Flower,” a female-themed movie starring Zhao Liying alongside Lan Xinya, Chuo Ni, Wang Ju, and Cheng Xiao, garnered high anticipation before its release, touted as a potential box office champion for the Qingming Festival period. Yet, it fell short with a disappointing box office result of 94.37 million yuan within five days.
Prior to the start of the Qingming Festival period, there was widespread anticipation for “Bright · Flower” to bring about a box office boom, with some predicting that the film could achieve a daily box office record of over 200 million yuan, potentially nearing a total box office of nearly 1 billion yuan.
According to reports from Chinese media, Zhao Liying has starred in four consecutive films in recent years – “The Twentieth,” “The Road of Burning Fire,” “Qiao Yan’s Worries,” and “Bright · Flower.” Among these, “The Twentieth,” directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Lei Jiayin and Ma Li, raked in 2.455 billion yuan, showcasing Zhao Liying’s standout performance even in a supporting role. However, her subsequent films, particularly “Qiao Yan’s Worries” and “Bright · Flower,” have not met expectations in terms of box office success.
While “Qiao Yan’s Worries” only grossed 151 million yuan, “Bright · Flower,” which is still currently in theaters, is predicted by professional sources to have a final box office forecast of just 187 million yuan, a figure not significantly higher than its predecessor.
In the past, Zhao Liying received accolades for her role in the TV series “The Wind Blows in Changsha,” winning multiple awards before transitioning to film. Despite initially widening her lead in the industry, the consecutive underperformance of her recent films, coupled with the average rating of 6.6 on Douban for “Bright · Flower,” a rating site significant for general moviegoers in deciding whether to watch a film, has posed challenges in attracting audiences to theaters. Generally, a mainstream film with a Douban rating below 8 would deter most moviegoers from taking the risk of watching it in cinemas.
Analysis from Chinese media suggests that Zhao Liying urgently needs a film to break the 1 billion yuan mark at the box office to prove her enduring popularity and ability to draw audiences, leading to speculation that she may consider returning to TV dramas.
However, the box office setbacks in her films are not solely Zhao Liying’s personal responsibility. Despite the influx of new films during this year’s Qingming Festival, none have achieved remarkable box office success. Some analysts believe that while Zhao Liying contributed around 90 million yuan to the film’s gross, at least 60 million yuan of that can be attributed to her star power.
According to professional data from Maoyan, during the recent Qingming holiday period from April 4 to 6, the total box office revenue of Chinese films amounted to just 3.78 billion yuan, marking a significant 55.1% drop from the 8.42 billion yuan recorded during the 2024 Qingming festival, even falling short of the box office performance of last year’s Qingming festival champion film “How Will You Live Your Life,” which grossed 3.90 billion yuan during its release period, labeling it as the “worst Qingming Festival in a decade.”
Industry insiders note that the box office disappointment of “Bright · Flower” underscores the heavier losses for director Feng Xiaogang compared to Zhao Liying. Feng Xiaogang had bet on Zhao Liying to drive box office success and revitalize his films with the aid of her star power. However, in recent years, Feng Xiaogang’s directed films have faced declining box office figures, with “Only Yun Knows” in 2019 grossing only 159 million yuan and “If You Are the One 3” in 2023 performing even worse, collecting a mere 102 million yuan.
Analysts indicate that Feng Xiaogang’s recent box office performance in China implies that he can only manage production costs for films ranging from 30 to 50 million yuan. Without another blockbuster film grossing over 1 billion yuan, he may find it challenging to participate in high-budget film projects in the future.