With a new movie set for July 9 release, the global hit children's franchise "Octonauts" is growing more popular in China.

"Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actun" directed by Blair Simmons, stars Captain Barnacles and Peso trying to return a small octopus, Coba, to the Caribbean Sea through the Sac Actun caves. The film is the second to be released under a deal by Silvergate Media, the Sony Pictures Entertainment-owned international TV production and licensing company focused on preschool children's entertainment, and China's Wanda Kids Group, a children's entertainment division of the multinational conglomerate Wanda Group.

On July 2, Wanda Pictures held advanced screenings in 16 Chinese cities to entertain exciting local children brought along by their parents. The premier event in Beijing also announced winners of an "Octonauts" drawing competition among children, and their works will be added to the ending credit of the film for display. To further promote the movie, Chinese actor and entertainer Xiao Yang sang the Chinese theme song for the film.

Previously, the film made 16.51 million yuan ($2.5 million) from advanced special screenings during Children's Day and Dragon Boat Festival in early June.

The first film, "Octonauts: The Ring of Fire," was released in China in January 2021 and grossed 53.26 million yuan. Overseas, both films have already been released on the streaming giant Netflix.

Before hitting the big screen, the preschool animated series was first broadcast on China Central Television (CCTV) in June 2014 and started building its colossal fanbase.

The "Octonauts" cartoon TV series, based on a book series created by Meomi (Vicki Wong and Michael Murphy), tells the stories of the Octonauts, a team of adventurers exploring the world's oceans, rescuing aquatic creatures, and protecting their habitats. Captain Barnacles Bear, ex-pirate Kwazii Cat, medic Peso Penguin and the rest of the crew would fearlessly dive into action, deploying a fleet of underwater vehicles, including their Octopus-shaped home base, the Octopod.

According to the latest statistics from Wanda Kids Group, ever since then, seasons of the "Octonauts" series have become popular among Chinese children and have generated a total of more than 50 billion views so far. By June 20, Season 7 of "Octonauts," which first debuted on May 27 on Chinese online streaming platforms, had already generated 1.67 billion views before its worldwide debut on Netflix for more than 120 countries and regions worldwide.

The popularity prompted Wanda Kids Group to strike a deal with Silvergate in 2017 for a joint venture, which holds the rights to "Octonauts." Then Wanda and Silvergate worked together to expand the "Octonauts" brand and merchandise, effectively monetizing the intellectual property with their partners. On June 29, Wanda Kids announced they have more than 500 licensees for "Octonauts," covering toys, publishing, mall events, hotel, and themed attractions. The group has made 6 billion yuan in retail merchandise sales alone. Also, in 2021 Silvergate launched the world's largest "Octonauts" attraction with Merlin Entertainments at Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai. And a fan party campaign held by Wanda Kids was undertaken at various children's indoor parks inside Wanda malls across the country on June 18.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)