Beijing Pops: CNY Box Office Champ "Hi, Mom" Announces Plans for Global Release

Feeling left out when your Chinese colleagues are gossiping about a trending star? Puzzled by those glamorous Chinese faces in subway ads, but can't even tell who they are? Beijing Pops will help you get through it all with the latest pop culture and celebrity news.

Jia Ling’s blockbuster Hi, Mom plans to release overseas

Last Sunday, Mar 14, was Mothering Sunday in the UK, and while the Hallmark holiday largely went unnoticed in non-UK places, the official Weibo account of this year's breakout hit, Hi, Mom did take notice, releasing a statement that read, “We’re going to dedicate this film to all mothers across the world.” While the sentiment was surely appreciated by mothers everywhere, the announcement turned out to be something of a PR stunt, as the post went on to announce that Hi, Mom will be released in 17 regions and countries – including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the US, the UK, and Australia – "soon." 

Incidentally, this is more good news for the film after its spot in Chinese theatres was officially extended to Apr 11, roughly a month longer than its initial close date of Mar 15.

As we reported last month, the directorial debut from comedian Jia Ling achieved overwhelming success during the Chinese New Year holiday. According to the US box office tracking website Box Office Mojo, Hi, Mom has grossed USD 783 million – equivalent to RMB 5.1 billion – as of last Wednesday, Mar 10, making it one of the top 100 highest-grossing films in the world. Likewise, it now sits as the second highest-grossing film of all time in the Chinese market, behind 2017's hot-blooded action film Wolf Warrior 2, which grossed RMB 5.7 billion in total.

The announcement was something of a surprise given that, as recently as Mar 12, outlets reported that due to COVID-19 the movie had no plans to open overseas. 

Yiyang Qianxi’s anti-bullying film Better Days nominated for 2021 Oscar

In other cinema news from the mainland, Chinese film Better Days (少年的你 shǎo nián de nǐ) was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2021 Academy Awards. The last time a Chinese film was nominated in the category was Zhang Yimou's 2002 Hero.

Directed by Derek Tsang from Hong Kong and starring Yiyang Qianxi, a member of TFBoys, and Golden Horse Awards winner Zhou Dongyu, Better Days is an adaption of the novel In His Youth, In Her Beauty by Chinese author Jiu Yuexi, which tells the story of two high school students who attempt to save one another from relentless bullying at school. It’s a deft combination of a crime thriller, school drama, romance, coming-of-age tale, with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure, resulting in a massive success since its debut in 2019. The Oscar nominee certainly isn't the first time the film has been recognized, as it dominated the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2020, winning eight awards including Best Film, Director, Actress, Cinematography, and Screenplay.

The 2021 Academy Awards will take place Sunday, Apr 25, as Better Days competes against the Danish film Another Round, Collective from Romania, The Man Who Sold His Skin from Tunisia, and Quo Vadis, Aida? from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fitting homage or mere copycat? Beijing actress's photoshoot causes controversy

Several weeks ago, we introduced Yang Zi, the Beijing-born actress and star of Douyin’s CNY promotion, affectionately known by her fans as 锦鲤 jǐnlǐ, a name that represents "good luck." Unfortunately, however, Yang recently found herself the center of a controversy that was anything but lucky.

Last Saturday, Mar 13, fashion and lifestyle magazine T Magazine China released the cover photo for its latest issue, featuring Yang Zi. However, some netizens were quick to point out that the full set of photos from the shoot bore an undeniable similarity to singer Faye Wong’s promo photos for her 1995 album, 菲靡靡之音 fēi mí mí zhī yīn. Fans of Wong flooded the magazine’s Weibo post and demanded an apology. Perhaps more serious though, some folks went so far as to personally attack the photographer via private messages.

Born in Beijing, Wong is one of the country's most accomplished singers and actresses, known to fans as the “Singing queen.” She made her debut in Hong Kong in 1989 and shot to stardom in 1994 with the release of her album, Sky. The same year, she held 18 concerts in Hong Kong’s renowned Hung Hom Sports Centre. In 1996, she became the first Chinese woman to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. Then, in 1998 she performed during CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala for the first time with singer Na Ying, making her a household name throughout the mainland. In 2001, she was awarded the Guinness World Record for Best Selling Female Canto-Pop Artist. Needless to say, her impact and influence on pop music extended well beyond China to many other Asian countries such as Japan and Singapore. Since 2005, she's gradually faded from the limelight, instead opting to spend time with her family. However, she'll still make the odd special appearance here and there, such as singing the theme song for a film or jingle in a commercial.

Crosstalk comedian Guo Degang’s son steps into acting

Guo Qilin, the son of Beijing’s xiangsheng comedian Guo Degang, entered the acting fray last year as the money-loving younger brother in Joy Of Life (庆余年qìng yú nián). This year saw him take up a role on the hit series, My Heroic Husband (赘婿 zhuì xù), which wrapped up on streaming platform iQiyi last Monday, Mar 8. As fans said goodbye to the show, Guo himself bid farewell to his character on Weibo, and it soon became a trending topic across social media with more than 7 million views.

Born in 1996, Guo Qilin is the oldest son of Guo Degang, the xiangsheng guru and founder of Beijing’s largest xiangsheng club 德云社 Dé yún shè. In 2011, at the age of 15, Qilin dropped out of school to pursue a full-time career as a xiangsheng performer, studying under the tutelage of his father's partner, Yu Qian. His humble nature and witty performing style soon attracted a devote following and paved the way for his career in TV and film. Reluctant to live in his father’s shadow, Guo Qilin switched his role from xiangsheng comedian to actor. And in light of what he's achieved thus far, it seems he was right to do so.

READ: Beijing Pops: Why Chinese People Are So Concerned With Pingpong Player Ai Fukuhara’s Marriage Crisis

Images: Weibo, T China, iQiyi