Trinity Cine Asia is releasing on Friday 19th of November, THE BATTLE AT LAKE CHANGJIN, the biggest worldwide box office hit of 2021, with more than $878 million in ticket sales to date, far ahead of No Time To Die, making it the second-biggest Chinese grossing film, only behind Wolf Warrior II (also released by Trinity Cine Asia). The UK will mark the first international territory release of the film outside of Asia in over 25 cities.
Billed as the most expensive Chinese film ever made, with a reported $200m budget, The Battle at Lake Changjin stars Wolf Warrior I & II and Better Days leading men Wu Jing and Jackson Yee, respectively; and is co-directed by three leading, acclaimed directors CHEN Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), TSUI Hark (Once Upon a Time in China) and Dante LAM (Operation Red Sea).
Trinity Cine Asia co-founder and director Cedric Behrel says: “The Battle at Lake Changjin falls into the war film template of decisive battles that change the course of history, the consequences of which are still felt today. It has hit a particular nerve with Chinese audiences, maybe because most popular war films are made from a Hollywood/American perspective, like the Vietnam war, it presents a fresh viewpoint. It reframes the war film narrative we're used to seeing, but with production values to match Hollywood. It's also a dazzling, no-holds-barred spectacle by no less than three landmark directors, where you can really see the $200m budget spent on screen and features strong physical performances from a red-hot cast (Jackson Yee and Wu Jing foremost). It's having an incredibly long run in mainland cinemas, where it's still playing and currently only second to Wolf Warrior II at the box office (still the highest-grossing film there) and, who knows, might surpass it by Christmas, if not Thanksgiving – in which case the irony of it won't be lost on audiences, I'm sure. The timing is very different from Wolf Warrior II, which we released at the height of summer. The snow-filled scenes and freezing temperatures in the film are better suited to this season, even though we're entering the vortex of award-corridor releases, COVID-19 is on the rise again and could thwart things at any point (like in CIS, where the recent lockdown has forced us to postpone the release of Cloudy Mountain). So it's not a little ask theatrically, especially considering the near three-hour running time, but cinemas have been very supportive and previews are looking very good. The film is a total big-screen experience, and just like Dune or No Time To Die, it must be seen first and foremost on the cinema screen. That's not to say it won't have a good life on on-demand platforms and home, where it's bound to attract a mix of viewers with a specific interest in war films, big action pieces or the director(s)' work, which makes it broader than Wolf Warrior II. Longer-term, I see it triggering a new space for discussion and debate on a moment in history still impacting current geopolitics. It's a privilege for us to be able to release the biggest box office story of 2021, when cinemas are just seeing the first real shoots of recovery. We are very grateful to Distribution Workshop for entrusting us with this unique offering.”
Jeffrey Chan, Distribution Workshop CEO, says: “Unbeknown to many of us these days, the battle at Lake Changjin marked
a historical moment still relevant to contemporary Asia and possibly the world today. We're excited by the Trinity team's enthusiasm and effort in bringing this important film to the cinemas in UK within such a short turnaround time frame.”
Synopsis
In 1950, the People's Volunteer Army (PVA) entered North Korea for a decisive battle in history. Under extreme freezing conditions, the troops on the Eastern Front, with fearless spirit and iron will, fought the US army until the last man standing at Lake Changjin.
Cast & Crew
Directors:
TSUI Hark (A Better Tomorrow, A Chinese Ghost Story, Once Upon A Time In China)
CHEN Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, Killing Me Softly, The Promise)
Dante LAM (Beast Cops, Beast Stalker, Operation Mekong, Operation Red Sea)
Cast:
WU Jing (Wolf Warrior I & II)
Jackson YEE (Better Days)
ZHU Yawen (The Captain)
LI Chen (The Eight Hundred)
Elvis HAN (My People My Country)
For cinema listings and tickets: https://trinitycineasia.com/films/the-battle-at-lake-changjin/
