 |
Meiting stars in the movie "Aspirin".
|
Three domestically produced romantic comedies will open in Shanghai on
Valentine's Day, which has become a busy day at the box office for local
movie theaters.
Peng Xiaolian's "Shanghai Rumba" tells the
story of two filmmakers working in Shanghai in the 1940s.
"The
Road" stars actress Zhang Jingchu, who shot to fame last year with her
performance in "Peacock," which was honored at the Berlin Film Festival.
Famous mainland actress Mei Ting plays
the lead role
in "Aspirin," another romantic comedy. The new film tells a complicated
love story about modern young girls in big cities. Moreover, real estate tycoon Pan Shiyi will join the
movie. It is the first time for him to hit the big screen."
Aspirin is a film that Mei Ting invested and produced by herself. She
said that she was inspired by a claim of Luc Besson's, the famous French
movie producer and director, movie is not a kind of useful medicine at
all.
Aquiring funds to produce a film is difficult and Mei Ting invested two
million yuan (almost US$249,000) to shoot Aspirin. Although such an investment
isn't much for a company in the business, it's worth the equivalent of two
TV series for Mei.
Mei expressed her optimism for the movie. Investing money in this
project is nothing to me. The most important thing is finding the most
optimal and ideal story to shoot, she said, I'm the kind of person who
will work for my whole life.
Besides performing, Mei Ting also contributed more to the film. Not
only did she sing the theme song, she also had heated debates with other
cast and crew members to make Aspirin better.
She says that her husband also gave her a lot of help and support
during the shoot.
Last year, our chain took in around 2.33 million yuan (US$289,171) at
the box office on Valentine's Day, and this year we have a few more
romantic comedies to add a sweet and hilarious flavor," said Wu Hehu,
deputy director of Shanghai United Cinema Lines, the city's leading cinema
chain.
Paradise Warner Cinema City will give out gifts and red roses to
audience members next Tuesday, while the SFG Village Cinema City will hold
a speed dating event at its theaters that evening.
However, "Memoirs of a Geisha" will not be screened for Valentine's Day
as previously reported, Shanghai United Cinema Lines said yesterday.
The US$85 million romance directed by Rob Marshall and starring Chinese
actresses Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, was originally scheduled to debut on the
Chinese mainland around the Valentine's Day.
Shanghai Film Dubbing Studio had begun work on a mainland version of
the movie, but stopped when it failed to receive a permission from the
State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. SARFT officials
declined to say more about the movie yesterday.
While it won't be allowed on local cinema screens, copies of the movie
have already shown up in DVD stores around the
city.
(Agencies) |