At only 37 years old, mainland Chinese actress Yang Mi, who recently starred in the transformational film “Nothing a Hotpot Can’t Solve” (referred to as “Hotpot” below), has had a disappointing box office performance with less than 50 million yuan in ticket sales within the first four days of its release. Predictions now suggest that the total box office revenue might drop from the initial 180 million to just over 70 million yuan.
Director Ding Sheng shed tears during a live broadcast due to the underwhelming performance of “Hotpot”. This comes as the Chinese long holiday has yet to conclude, and the competition among films released during the “May Day holiday season” has been fierce. Among them, “Hotpot” seems to be facing the biggest box office challenges given its high production costs and potential for significant losses.
The film “Hotpot” revolves around a hotpot gathering, weaving a series of intricate and suspenseful plotlines with five characters harboring hidden agendas. The twisted nature of human behavior gradually unfolds amidst the steam of the hotpot. Initially anticipated by the industry due to its fresh concept, combining elements of Sichuan hotpot and Sichuan opera, along with a suspenseful mystery set in a confined space, the film starred A-list actress Yang Mi in the lead role and partnered with actor Yu Qian who debuted in crosstalk, sparking curiosity among the audience.
However, after just four days of release, the film’s box office earnings were under 50 million yuan, leading many cinemas to consider dropping it from their screens with a mere 3.8% share. Consequently, data platforms have revised the final box office forecast to just over 73 million yuan.
On May 3rd, director Ding Sheng appeared in a live stream with lead actor Li Jiuxiao and two movie bloggers. His troubled expression and tears revealed the struggles behind the film’s production due to the poor box office performance. Analysts note that while “Hotpot” is considered a low-cost production, with an investment of 40 million yuan, should the final box office figures fall below expectations, it would undoubtedly result in financial losses.
Some netizens attribute the underwhelming box office performance of “Hotpot” to Yang Mi’s lackluster promotional efforts. They believe that despite being a low-budget film, effective promotion, particularly through cast appearances, is crucial. Yang Mi’s promotion of the film on official social media platforms was limited to two posts, and she made infrequent public appearances.
Currently, the film has a rating of 6.4 on Douban, with reviews mainly praising Yu Qian’s performance and criticizing other aspects.
As Yang Mi’s comeback film after a prolonged absence from the big screen, the significance of “Hotpot” was immense, as it would determine her future position in the film industry. However, the current situation indicates that Yang Mi’s path in the film industry may face obstacles ahead.
Holding over 100 million followers on Weibo, Yang Mi has been hailed as the “queen of TV dramas” in China, switching between modern idol dramas and period dramas for many years. Last year, during an interview, she shared her dedication to improving her acting skills and dialogue delivery while filming the 40-episode drama “1944 Harbin”, where she even sought the guidance of an acting coach to enhance her performance.
Unexpectedly, this declaration of effort was met with skepticism. Some fans criticized her for claiming to put in effort after 20 years in the industry and speculated that the pressure from fellow actress Zhao Liying, who also entered the entertainment industry in the same year as Yang Mi, might have influenced this narrative, leading to a trending topic online.