Chinese Actress Yang Mi, starring in the suspense comedy film “There’s Nothing a Hotpot Can’t Solve” (hereinafter referred to as “Hotpot”), premiered during the “May Day” holiday in China. However, after its release for 5 days, the film has only garnered around 52 million yuan in box office revenue. On the 5th day, the film’s official announcement of withdrawal unexpectedly became a trending topic on Weibo.
“Hotpot” tells the story of several strangers who unintentionally get involved in a murder case while dividing the spoils in a theater backstage storage room. A hot and spicy pot of hotpot unfolds never-ending suspense, as greed and deception lead to a series of unexpected turns. Eventually, the special identities of the characters gradually come to light, unveiling a mysterious truth.
Public information shows that “Hotpot” is directed by Ding Sheng, with Yang Mi as the leading actress, along with cast members Yu Qian, Tian Yu, Yu Hailai, Li Jiuxiao, and others. Despite the cast’s strong performances, the film’s box office numbers have plummeted daily since its release on May 1st. The first-day box office was 18.2 million yuan, dropping to 9.45 million yuan on the following day, nearly halving. As of 4 p.m. on May 5th, the film’s total box office reached 52.64 million yuan, with a current rating on Douban of 6.3.
The film’s official Weibo post on the 5th day mentioned that due to various environmental factors since its release, the movie failed to reach more audiences. Therefore, it was decided to withdraw the film on May 6th. The cinemas that already slated showings can continue their screenings. The post humorously concluded, “There’s nothing a hotpot can’t solve. If there’s still more to discuss, then let’s have a second round…” Director Ding Sheng also posted on Weibo, “There’s more to come, let’s gather again on another day.”
Some netizens believe the poor box office performance of “Hotpot” may be related to the film’s screen time allocation. Others criticize the trend in China’s film industry for “7-day no-reason return,” however, historical data suggests that re-released films still struggle at the box office. For example, “Mr. Hong,” starring Andy Lau and with a production cost exceeding 260 million yuan, performed poorly during the Chinese New Year period. After being withdrawn and re-released on March 15th, the film only made 2.45 million yuan on the first day, dropping to 2 million yuan on the second.
Earlier analyses pointed out that although “Hotpot” is considered a low-budget film, it still had an investment of 40 million yuan. If the final box office revenue falls short of the predicted amount, it will certainly incur losses.
Chinese media outlet “Everyday Economic News” cited an anonymous industry insider analyzing the reason for the film’s withdrawal: “Although Yang Mi herself is popular, she has been away from the big screen for several years… Resulting in her weaker box office appeal.”
The professional version of Maoyan shows that “Hotpot” has a total of 16 main production companies, including listed companies such as “Tangde Films” and “Banana Thousand Cheng.” During its promotional phase, the selling point of “Yang Mi’s return to the big screen” had generated buzz for the film, hence the industry’s high market expectations for it.
It is worth noting that “Hotpot” is not the first film in the Chinese mainland’s “May Day” lineup to announce its withdrawal. Previously, on April 23rd, the animated film “Xiao Qian,” originally set to premiere on April 30th, announced its withdrawal through an official account, postponing its release to another day.