‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ continues its victorious box-office march

Los Angeles : Chinese patriotic war film ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ continues to rake it in, ending this past weekend with cumulative earnings of $769 million since it was released on September 30.As a result, it has become the fourth top-grossing film in Chinese history, right behind the 3D computer-animation fantasy film ‘Ne Zha’. It is projected to settle down at No. 2, dislodging the 2021 comedy ‘Hi, Mom’, according to Variety.com. China is the world’s largest cinema theatre market.Starring actor, director and martial arts exponent Wu Jing and actor and singer Jackson Yee, ‘Changjin’ is about the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, or Lake Changjin, during the Korean War (1950-53).This fierce battle in freezing weather between the UN forces led by the US Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army culminated in the complete withdrawal of all international forces from North Korea.

Predictably, therefore, the film was announced as a part of the Communist Party of China’s 100th anniversary celebrations. More than 70,000 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers participated in it.Forecasts from the Chinese ticketing agency Maoyan point to ‘Changjin’ reaching 5.43 billon renminbi (or $843 million at current exchange rates) over its lifetime. If it were to achieve that humungous total — and it’s highly likely — it would narrowly overtake ‘Hi, Mom’ for second place.The biggest film of all time in China remains the 2017 war film ‘Wolf Warriors II’, which has earned $882 million. It chronicles the adventure of a loose-cannon Chinese soldier who goes to an Africa nation to protect medical aid workers from rebels and arms dealers.