Guan Xiaotong portrays Jia Yuanchun, the new “Dream of the Red Chamber”, with a box office of only 900,000 yuan in 9 hours

The new movie “Dream of the Red Chamber: The Love of Golden Jade” with a production cost exceeding 200 million RMB premiered on August 16 and after 9 hours of screening, it only made 900,000 RMB at the box office. By 10 p.m. on the premiere night, the total box office for the first day was only 1.64 million RMB, described by media as “dismal.” According to reports from Tencent, directed by Hu Mei, known for his previous work with actress Guan Xiaotong in “Dream of the Red Chamber: The Love of Golden Jade,” the film that started production in 2018 and passed censorship in 2020, received poor reviews after the first round of screenings. Viewers described it as tedious for those familiar with the original novel, lacking proper development and coherence, leaving viewers feeling unsatisfied and puzzled.

The four main characters of the film, Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and Wang Xifeng were portrayed by newcomers Bian Cheng, Zhang Miaoyi, Huang Jiarong, and Lin Peng respectively. They are relatively unknown actors which may have helped cut down production costs. Of these, Bian Cheng, known for his role in a TV series, had some recognition prior to this film. Guan Xiaotong, who portrayed Jia Yuanchun, an important character in the film, outshone the rest of the cast in terms of appearance and recognition. Although Guan Xiaotong’s performance and looks are praised in other contexts, some viewers felt that her portrayal of Jia Yuanchun in “Dream of the Red Chamber” did not match their expectations of the character.

Before its release, Hu Mei’s version of “Dream of the Red Chamber” faced various controversies regarding the title, the trailer, and the casting choices. Post-release, viewers criticized the film for characters like Daiyu being portrayed as a bully, Baoyu as a troublemaker, and Xifeng imitating a previous portrayal. Guan Xiaotong’s performance as Yuanchun was deemed a disaster, with little resemblance to the original character’s essence, turning the film into a melodramatic idol drama departure from the novel’s depth.

Data shows that the film had a 4.9% screening rate but only accounted for 1% of box office sales, with poor audience turnout. At this rate, the film is projected to earn less than 10 million RMB in total, barely covering production costs and possibly leaving the distributor at a loss. The film had a production cost of 200 million RMB and despite being shelved for five years before its release, had hoped to be a successful big-screen adaptation but failed to meet expectations.

This summer, the Chinese film market has been notably weak with total box office earnings from June 1 to August 14 only reaching around 9.5 billion RMB compared to over 20.6 billion RMB during the same period last year. Even well-anticipated films like Chen Sicheng’s “Decryption,” which cost 400 million RMB to make, are unlikely to break even with projected earnings of only 500 million RMB, potentially facing a loss of about 150 million RMB. Interestingly, “Dream of the Red Chamber: The Love of Golden Jade,” helmed by acclaimed director Hu Mei, fared even worse than “Decryption.”

During the premiere of the new “Dream of the Red Chamber,” Hu Mei stated, “It will premiere on the 16th, and on the 17th, I will be going abroad, so I won’t be paying attention. It’s up to everyone now. Whatever the box office is, let it be, I have done justice to ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ for 18 years.” This nonchalant attitude towards box office performance drew criticism from viewers who interpreted it as an admission of failure. Some viewers went as far as to speculate that Hu Mei’s laissez-faire attitude was a ploy to absolve herself from criticism, with comments like, “If she declares she doesn’t care about the box office, it’s already a failure. It’s evident from her indifferent remarks that she likely never read ‘Dream of the Red Chamber,’ or it seems she lacks respect for the original work.”

According to reports from Ifeng, Hu Mei’s seemingly carefree statements have led some to question if it was a ploy to unwisely handle investments. Her statements give off the impression that once funding is secure, she may abandon the project, and subsequent criticisms may no longer affect her. Some even mocked, “She doesn’t owe anything to ‘Dream of the Red Chamber,’ she only owes her capital investors.”