Lost in the Stars, the top box-office attraction of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, features actor Zhu Yilong and actress Janice Man, as a Chinese tourist and a woman of mystery. CHINA DAILY
Lost in the Stars finds way into moviegoers' hearts, wins holiday box-office race, Xu Fan reports.
In the fall of 2021, director Cui Rui received the script for Lost in the Stars, a suspenseful crime film, from renowned producer Chen Sicheng. Chen is best known for his work on the Detective Chinatown series of comedy-mystery "buddy" films, one of the country's highest-grossing movie franchises of all time.
Quickly captivated, Cui didn't stop reading for a few hours, until he finished going through the entire script.
"This story is full of intrigue, with layer upon layer of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. After finishing it for the first time, I couldn't resist going back to read it again from the beginning, analyzing all the details and characters, and gaining new insights," Cui recalled in an interview with China Daily.
It was proof that a good script that hooks its director will most likely attract plenty of moviegoers. Lost in the Stars raked in 507 million yuan ($70.1 million), around 56 percent of the industry's gross ticket revenue, during the June 22-24 Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
The movie turned this year's holiday season into the second highest-grossing box-office period in history for movies released during the same time. It also became the first suspenseful thriller to earn the title of Dragon Boat Festival box-office champion.
Set in an unnamed foreign country, the story begins with a mysterious incident: He Fei, a Chinese tourist, discovers his wife is missing during their overseas trip to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. After failing to receive help from local police officers, he is astonished to wake up and find a strange woman lying beside him who claims to be his wife and surprisingly knows all the details of his personal life.
Protagonist Zhu alongside actresses Ni Ni (center) and Janice Man promote the movie at its Beijing premiere on June 19. CHINA DAILY
The husband, almost driven to insanity, stumbles upon a capable lawyer, who's also Chinese, and seeks her help in uncovering the truth behind his wife's disappearance. However, as they unravel the case bit by bit, the situation becomes increasingly startling.
Leading the stellar cast are A-list star Zhu Yilong as the husband and movie and television star Ni Ni as the lawyer. As of Wednesday, the movie has grossed 1.1 billion yuan.
Zhu won best actor last year at the 35th Golden Rooster Awards, honoring the best Chinese language films of 2021-22. He said he was pleasantly surprised by the script.
"As I began reading, my heart was calm and steady. But as I reached the end, I couldn't help but gasp in shock — the ending was completely unexpected. The character intrigued me greatly. He is vastly different from me, making the role one that I have never done before," Zhu says.
A scene in which Zhu's character attempts to find a pivotal clue. CHINA DAILY
To better portray the character, the veteran actor created a brief biography for the protagonist, who leaves his hometown to seek success in the big city. After multiple jobs proved to be a poor fit, he finds work as a diving coach. One day, he happens to rescue a drowning diving student who turns out to be the daughter of a business tycoon. A spark ignites between them and they marry.
After setting the scene, Zhu explains that he created a detailed timeline so he could understand the character's inner world and motivations.
Zhu, a sports enthusiast, reveals that as part of this preparation for the role, he obtained an entry-level diver certification allowing him to scuba dive as deep as 20 meters. He says that made it easier for him to prepare for the role, which included underwater scenes such as a spectacular night dive.
Filming began in Hainan province in December 2021. The crew constructed sets to recreate Southeast Asian landscapes. They shot scenes in several coastal cities, including Haikou and Sanya. More than 1,000 crew members were tasked with building sets, at times working 15 hours a day, recalls Cui, the director.
Zhu says one of his most challenging scenes was when his character was confined to a hospital bed for surgery and had his hair forcibly shaved off.
"The crew members did shave off my hair, so the shot had to be done in a single take. I only had one chance to get it right," Zhu says.
The movie's publicity poster. CHINA DAILY
Cui, who studied directing at the University of Southern California in the United States, says suspense is one of his favorite film genres.
"We have included many hints in the movie, such as some animals typical of Southeast Asia and famous paintings by Vincent van Gogh. Each of these elements has its own metaphorical meaning, and we hope that audiences will enjoy unraveling the mysteries by watching the movie the second or even third time," Cui says.
As a fan of the famous 19th-century Dutch artist, the director says that he paid tribute to Van Gogh in several scenes throughout the movie, which is expected to remind moviegoers of some of his masterpieces, such as The Starry Night.
Comparing his movie's protagonist to the late Australian actor Heath Ledger's Joker character in The Dark Knight, Cui also reveals that the character has a complex personality, making it essential for the actor to accurately portray the darkest corners of his psyche.
"I hope that the movie conveys a positive message to the audience, empowering them to tackle life's challenges and difficulties with a positive mindset. Additionally, by setting the story in a foreign country, I wish to foster the development of local suspense films and attract a wider international audience," Cui says.
The movie has been scheduled to be released in several overseas markets, including Australia on July 6, North America on July 7 and New Zealand on July 13, according to the Beijing-based newspaper China Film News.
