On September 13, the mainland Chinese blockbuster film “Lighter than a Feather,” starring popular actresses Song Jia and Tong Liya, was released. Despite breaking the 10 million yuan mark in total box office revenue within two days of its release, the ratio of screenings to box office revenue was far higher than expected, indicating a significant discrepancy. According to professional predictions from Maoyan, the final box office revenue is estimated to be around 20 million yuan, painting a bleak outlook for the film.
The plot of “Lighter than a Feather” is unique: a middle-aged man attempts suicide by jumping into the sea, leading his ex-wife Li Yu (played by Song Jia), who runs a nursing home, to encounter his second ex-wife Shen Feihong (portrayed by Tong Liya) on the way to his funeral. The meeting of the two ex-wives as they handle the man’s remains sparks conflict over the division of his inheritance. However, as they spend time together, the two women gradually reconcile, forming a so-called “beautiful female alliance.”
The film adopts a narrative structure commonly found in contemporary literature and art films, known as “ghostly narrative.” By deliberately obscuring the images and backstory of the deceased man, the film transforms him into a symbol of trauma within the lives of the two women, focusing on the mourning and healing journeys of the female protagonists, telling their own stories.
Chinese media reported that since its promotion, “Lighter than a Feather” has garnered attention from a large number of fans. The film’s appeal lies in the star power of actress Song Jia and the increasing popularity of female-led films in recent years.
Despite the film’s early preview on September 12, which garnered the highest box office revenue among new releases at 1.95 million yuan, it could still be considered a disappointment. On its official release day, although the film had a respectable screening ratio of 19.7%, its box office revenue accounted for only 9.0%, resulting in a total revenue of around 10 million yuan within two days. The significant discrepancy between screening ratio and box office revenue has left fans struggling to justify the low box office performance solely on the basis of limited screenings.
Industry insiders have pointed out that with the film barely exceeding 10 million yuan in box office revenue after two days, it is unlikely to surpass 20 million yuan in total, indicating a lackluster performance.
Although the production costs of the film were not exorbitant, totaling 40 million yuan in investments, this figure does not account for actor salaries, post-production and promotion expenses. According to industry standards, a film needs to generate at least three times its investment to break even.
While there may be various reasons for the film’s poor box office performance, some viewers have provided feedback on the film’s basic storyline of “a man dies, and his wives and another partner fight over his inheritance,” which bears striking resemblance to the 2018 Taiwanese film “More Than Blue.”
Furthermore, some critics have compared the quality of “Lighter than a Feather” to last year’s film “Good Things,” also starring Song Jia. They mention a certain level of homogenization, stating that while Song Jia and Tong Liya deliver solid performances, the lack of fresh ideas and novelty in their pairing fails to excite audience interest actively in a competitive film market. Additionally, online comments suggest that while Dong Xuan’s daughter “Xiao Jiuwo” is popular, her limited screen time in the film hinders her ability to fully leverage her high popularity to boost box office numbers.