BEIJING: A Chinese film set during one of the darkest chapters of the country’s modern history is taking the domestic box office by storm this summer, as China keeps up a nationwide campaign to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.
Wartime thriller Dead to Rights has raked in 1.5 billion yuan (US$208 million) since its Jul 25 premiere, topping charts, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing ticketing data from online platform Maoyan.
Set against the backdrop of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre – the mass killing and sexual assault of tens of thousands of Chinese civilians by invading Japanese troops – the film follows a group of survivors who seek refuge in a photo studio.
While developing photos for the invading army, the civilians uncover graphic images of the atrocities and risk their lives to preserve the evidence.
Dead to Rights has been well-received in China, holding a 9.7 rating on Maoyan and 8.6 on Chinese review platform Douban.
“Personally, what moved me to tears were the before and after pictures shown during the closing scene. Having studied in Nanjing, seeing familiar landmarks presented in such a manner truly stirred my emotions,” said a Douban user who left a positive review.
Another user called it his “number one Chinese film of the year”, adding that the movie’s greatest strength lay in using the civilians’ stories to reflect larger historical events.
Dead to Rights has opened in Macau and is scheduled for release in Hong Kong this month. The movie is also slated to premiere in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Malaysia and Singapore, according to Chinese news outlet CGTN.
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