Wong Kar-wai's 'Grandmaster' opens strong in US
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 4, 2013
Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's critically acclaimed movie "The Grandmaster" collected US$2.45 million across the U.S. in its opening weekend.
"The Grandmaster," starring Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi, prior to its wider release had a one-week-long limited run across U.S. theaters. Now, its total gross revenue has reached US$2.64 million, the best performance for a Chinese film in U.S. theaters in three years.
The film stands a good chance of beating "Lust, Caution" to the No.1 spot of best-grossing Chinese film in the United States in six years. "Lust, Caution" was directed by Ang Lee in 2007, also starring Tony Leung, and made US$4.6 million that year.
"The Grandmaster" is released by The Weinstein Company in the U.S. and was well-received by most critics. RottenTomatoes.com rated "fresh," with 75 percent of critics saying it was good.
"Though its storytelling is a tad muddled, Wong Kar-wai's 'The Grandmaster’ still exhibits the auteur's stylistic flourishes in gorgeous cinematography and explosive action set pieces," the critic consensus reads.
The U.S. version of "The Grandmaster" only runs for 108 minutes, 22 minutes less than the Chinese edition. But a Chinese reporter from QQ.com said the newer version has a tighter and clearer storyline.
Wong had been preparing to shoot "The Grandmaster" for years and undertook a wide range of in-depth research on the art of Chinese kung fu. The film tells the story of the life and times of legendary kung fu master Ip Man (Tony Leung), who trained kungfu and movie legend Bruce Lee. As he seeks to perfect his practice of the fighting style Wing Chun, Ip collides with yet another determined kung fu master, Gong Er (Zhang Ziyi), during the Japanese invasion of China in 1936 and the tumultuous years that follow.
The cast also includes Wang Qingxiang, Chang Chen and Song Hye Kyo, as well as hundreds of Asia's top martial artists.
Wong is known for his unique sense of style and emotionally resonant work. As the first Chinese director to win the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his 1997 film "Happy Together," Wong has been called a "poet of his time" by Sight & Sound magazine and "perhaps the most revered and singular of Hong Kong auteurs" by The New York Times.
Only very few Chinese films have attained great success on the U.S. market. For instance, Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" made US$128 million, Zhang Yimou's "Hero" made US$53.71 million, while Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" made US$17.1 million at U.S. box offices, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
"The Grandmaster" was released in China earlier this year and turned out to be a big success. Its worldwide box office total has thus far reached US$60.17 million, making it Wong's biggest commercial success to date. The film hit U.S. theaters on August 23.
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