For literary films, 2The box office of 200 million yuan is definitely a remarkable achievement. Often, such films are seen more as works of art than as mass entertainment, so they tend to be less visible in the commercial market. But the success of "Mistake by the River" breaks that norm and becomes a striking example.
Director Wei Shujun's influence played an important role in this. He is a high-profile emerging director in recent years, especially in the field of art films, and his works have always performed well. You can look back on his career journey, starting with the short film "Yanbian Boy" in 2018, he has made a name for himself in the international film industry. In the years that followed, his three feature films, "Wild Horse Mane", "The Story of Yong'an Town" and "Mistake by the River", were not only shortlisted for different sections of the Cannes Film Festival, but also shined at the Pingyao Film Festival. These achievements undoubtedly established him a solid position in the field of art films.
However, success at these festivals doesn't always translate into box office success. Take Wei Shujun's first two works as an example, although they won numerous awards at film festivals, their performance in commercial theaters was relatively mediocre. The box office of "Wild Horse Mane" and "Yongan Town Story Collection" was only 11.76 million yuan and 3.21 million yuan respectively. Such a situation is not uncommon in literary films. Even if many literary films are recognized for their artistic value, they are often difficult to achieve in the commercial market.
Mistakes by the River is able to break this norm with several key factors. The first thing to mention is the influence of the leading actor Zhu Yilong. The actor, who has soared in popularity thanks to the web series "Soul of the Town", has proven his box office appeal in the film market in recent years. He starred in "Life Events" and "Disappearing Her" each received 17100 million yuan and 35The box office of 200 million yuan far exceeded expectations. Zhu Yilong's joining undoubtedly brought a lot of audience attention to "The Mistake by the River".
In addition, the original book of the film** also played a key role. "Mistake by the River" is adapted from Yu Hua's novella of the same name**. As a serious literary writer, Yu Hua has now become a well-known "joker" and "comedian" on the Internet, and has a high popularity among young people. During the promotion of the film, Yu Hua actively participated in the post-screening talks, recorded short films to promote the film, and expressed his recognition of the film adaptation many times. This practice of stamping the "main owner" is especially effective in attracting audiences.
Although the combination of big stars and big writers seems to be a guarantee of box office success, the quality of the film itself is what matters. There have been many examples in the past that even if a film uses stars and well-known IPs, it will be difficult for a film to succeed at the box office if it fails to resonate with the general audience or lacks commercial potential. The reason why "Mistake by the River" was able to get such a high box office is not only the influence of stars and the original book, but more importantly, it has high artistic quality and commercial potential. The film has not only won praise from critics, but also won the love of ordinary audiences.
Back to the original question, 2The box office of 200 million yuan is not only a commercial success for a literary film, but also an affirmation of the artistic pursuit of director Wei Shujun, starring Zhu Yilong and the original author Yu Hua. This achievement not only demonstrates the potential of literary films in the commercial market, but also provides a successful case worthy of reference for future literary film production.