Cast members of the film the Battle at Lake Changjin pose for a group photo on the red carpet for the 11th Beijing International Film Festival in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)
BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The sequel to China's top-grossing film of all time, "The Battle at Lake Changjin," has made it to the top of the list of most-anticipated films for the week-long Spring Festival holiday starting on Jan. 31.
"The Battle at Lake Changjin II" now has the highest number of people indicating they "want to watch" it on film data platform Maoyan, with more than 510,000 votes as of Saturday evening.
This came just two days after its release date was announced as Feb. 1, or Spring Festival.
Jointly directed by Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui, and Dante Lam, "The Battle at Lake Changjin" is set during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953) and tells the story of Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) soldiers fighting bravely in freezing weather in a key campaign at Lake Changjin or Chosin Reservoir.
The tale of young warriors, willing to risk it all to defend their motherland against the world's best-equipped army despite the lack of food and warm clothing amid the bitter cold, has moved many moviegoers to tears.
The blockbuster has earned a whopping 5.77 billion yuan (about 906 million U.S. dollars) since its release on Sept. 30, 2021.
Its sequel, of which the Chinese title roughly translates to "Watergate Bridge," will see actors Wu Jing and Jackson Yee reprise the leading roles.
It follows CPV soldiers of the same company as they take on a new task. And this time, their battlefield is a crucial bridge on the retreat route of American troops.
The upcoming holiday, usually a lucrative moviegoing period, will see "The Battle at Lake Changjin II" compete with 10 other domestic titles, all set for release on Feb. 1, according to the schedule disclosed by film data platforms.
On Maoyan's popularity chart for holiday films, it is immediately followed by "Nice View," which over 480,000 internet users have expressed interest in seeing.
"Nice View" stars Jackson Yee as an ordinary young man pursuing his own entrepreneurship in Shenzhen, an economically-vibrant city in south China.
Coming in third is "Only Fools Rush In," a comedy by writer-turned director Han Han. His last directorial project, "Pegasus," a racing film and comedy, hit theaters in the Spring Festival holiday almost three years ago and completed its run with more than 1.7 billion yuan.
Also in the lineup are "Too Cool To Kill," a comedy starring Ma Li; director Zhang Yimou's long-awaited historical film also set during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea and roughly known as "Snipers"; sports film "Breaking Through." ■
