The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom
| The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Jacob Cheung |
| Screenplay by | Kang Qiao Wang Bing Zhu Yali Shi Her'an Guo Junli |
| Based on | Romance of the White-Haired Maiden by Liang Yusheng |
| Produced by | Huang Jianxin |
| Starring | Fan Bingbing Huang Xiaoming Vincent Zhao |
| Cinematography | Andy Lam |
| Edited by | Eric Kwong |
| Music by | Peter Kam |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Bona Film Group |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Budget | 100 million yuan (US$16 million)[1] |
| Box office | US$64.2 million |
The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom is a 2014 Chinese wuxia-fantasy film based on the best-selected novel Romance of the White-Haired Maiden written by Liang Yusheng. Directed by Jacob Cheung and co-produced by Bona Film Group and Huang Jianxin with the creative consultant led by Tsui Hark, the film stars Fan Bingbing, Huang Xiaoming, Vincent Zhao and others among the supporting cast.[2] Originally scheduled for release on 25 April 2014, the film was moved to 1 August 2014, then moved a day earlier to 31 July 2014.[3][4]
Cast
- Fan Bingbing as Lian Nishang
- Huang Xiaoming as Zhuo Yihang
- Vincent Zhao as Jin Duyi
- Wang Xuebing as Murong Chong
- Ni Dahong as Wei Zhongxian
- Tong Yao as Ke Pingting
- Li Xinru as Tie Shanhu
- Cecilia Yip as Ling Yunfeng
- Yan Yikuan as Huangtaiji
Production
The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom was produced at a budget of 100 million yuan. Shooting started in November 2012 and ended in March 2013. During filming, Huang Xiaoming had a three-metre fall after a wire accident on the set and he fractured two toes on his left foot. He had to sit in a wheelchair for weeks, but resumed filming even though he had yet to fully recover. On 2 April 2013, Huang and Fan Bingbing attended a press conference in Beijing to talk about their experiences in filming White Haired Witch.[1][2]
Reception
Box office
The film grossed US$61,900,000 in mainland China[5] and a total of US$64.2 million internationally.[6]
Critical response
The film received negative reviews from audiences. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a 0 approval rating from critics, with an average score of 4.3/10, based on 6 reviews.[7] The Hollywood Reporter said, "it's a shame that Cheung's first film in seven years is eventually weighed down by this rushed, uneven sprawl of a story credited to five screenwriters, each of whom possibly bringing their own references (ranging from political-parable historical dramas like last year's Life of Ming, to the contemporary dramas like Infernal Affairs) and their perspective in how to make The White Haired Witch connect with a new generation of viewers. Their attempt in reinventing this tale sits uncomfortably with the one central element that couldn't be moved — that is, the troubled (and sloppily presented) romance involving the title character."[8]
On Chinese movie review site Douban, the film has a rating of 3.8/10, based on 51590 viewers.[9] On Mtime.com, it has a score of 5.5 out of 10, based on 13137 viewers.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Fan Bingbing and Huang Xiaoming Completes [sic] Filming "White Haired Witch"". Jayne Stars. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ a b "White Haired Witch drops a poster! (and literally drops an actor!)". TarsTarkas.net Blog. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- ^ 《白发魔女传之明月天国》北京首映- 黄晓明获赞“送嫁男神”(图) (in Chinese). NetEase. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ 新《白发魔女传》改档七夕 五一档大片扎堆 为放映空间而调整 (in Chinese). mtime. 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
- ^ "Weekly box office 11/08/2014 - 17/08/2014". english.entgroup.cn. Archived from the original on 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
- ^ Nancy Tartaglione and David Bloom (January 10, 2015). "'Transformers 4′ Tops 2014's 100 Highest-Grossing International Films – Chart". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
- ^ "The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom". rottentomatoes. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ^ "'The White Haired Witch of the Lunar Kingdom' ('Bai Fa Mo Nu Zhuan Zhi Ming Yue Tian Guo'): Film Review". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
- ^ "白发魔女传之明月天国". douban.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ^ "白发魔女传之明月天国". mtime.com. Retrieved 13 August 2015.