On October 17, the mainland Chinese film market continued to remain quiet with only one patriotic film, “Silent Blossoms,” premiering. Despite its promotion as a “red and upright” patriotic film, the market showed minimal response with the film recording zero box office sales on its opening day, with only one theater screening it.
“Silent Blossoms” tells the stories of seven families with economically disadvantaged students from seven different regions, including Lingyun County in Baise, Qinghai Shanrong Lian Village Elementary School, Daliang Mountain in Sichuan, Western Hai Gui in Ningxia, and Longjiang County in Heilongjiang. The theme attempts to portray the narrative of “education for poverty alleviation” but appears to be a glossy cover-up for the Chinese Communist Party’s falsification of poverty alleviation success announced by CCP leaders in early 2021.
According to a report from “Chinese Education News” on September 16, the premiere of “Silent Blossoms” was held on September 14 at Xiamen University, attended by officials from the Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Committee, Xiamen Municipal Committee, and Xiamen University. It was mentioned in the report that the film was heavily supported by the Ministry of Education and the Fujian Provincial Committee and was co-produced by Xiamen University in collaboration with the Propaganda Departments of the Fujian Provincial Committee and Xiamen Municipal Committee, with the specific production being handled by Xiamen University’s Film Academy and involving participation from the New York Film Academy.
Information indicates that the film “Silent Blossoms” was produced under the supervision of Huang Jianxin, the Dean of Xiamen University’s Film Academy. Identified alongside famous directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige as part of the “Fifth Generation of Chinese Directors,” Huang Jianxin has previously worked on several Communist propaganda films such as “Beginning of the Great Revival,” “Deception of the Ming Dynasty,” “Operation Mekong,” and “Battle of Lake Changjin.”
According to the film’s production team, the preliminary budget for “Silent Blossoms” before filming commenced was already at 400,000 yuan. Industry estimates suggest that the total production cost of the film likely exceeds several million yuan. Despite extensive endorsements from official entities after completion, including high-profile promotion by the state-run outlet “Xinhua Net,” the film has failed to translate this support into box office success.
Information from the “Maoyan” platform shows that on its nationwide premiere on October 17, only one cinema screened the film, without any tickets sold, resulting in zero box office earnings on the first day. Media assessments indicate that “Silent Blossoms” might be the most disastrous film of October this year. If the CCP does not resort to their usual practice of administratively compelling students and teachers to watch the movie, this film may end up being the worst-performing movie at the box office in 2024.