War epic sequel conquers Spring Festival film wish list

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 weeklong 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, according to 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 US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53) and tells the story of Chinese People's Volunteers fighting bravely in freezing weather in a key campaign at Lake Changjin, or Chosin Reservoir.

The tale of young soldiers, willing to risk it all to fight 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 film earned a whopping 5.77 billion yuan ($906 million).

Its sequel, of which the Chinese title roughly translates to "Watergate Bridge", will see actors Wu Jing and Yi Yangqianxi reprise the leading roles.

It follows Chinese 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 US 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 an interest in seeing.

Nice View stars Yi as an ordinary young man pursuing his own entrepreneurship in Shenzhen, a vibrant city in South China's Guangdong province.

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, Snipers, also set during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea; and sports film Breaking Through.

Xinhua