The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom
| The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Traditional | 白髮魔女傳之明月天國 |
| Simplified | 白发魔女传之明月天国 |
| Mandarin | Báifà Mónǚ Zhuàn Zhī Míngyuè Tiānguó |
| Directed by | Jacob Cheung |
| Produced by | Huang Jianxin |
| Screenplay by |
Kang Qiao Wang Bing |
| Story by | Liang Yusheng |
| Starring |
Fan Bingbing Huang Xiaoming Vincent Zhao Wang Xuebing Ni Dahong Tong Yao Li Ruxin |
| Cinematography | Lin Guohua |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Bona Film Group |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 mins |
| 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 Chinese wuxia-fantasy 3D film loosely adapted from Liang Yusheng's novel Baifa Monü Zhuan. Directed by Jacob Cheung and produced by Bona Film Group, the film stars Fan Bingbing as the title character, with 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
- John Do
- Lai Xiaosheng
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
- 1 2 "Fan Bingbing and Huang Xiaoming Completes [sic] Filming "White Haired Witch"". Jayne Stars. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
- 1 2 "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. Retrieved 2014-08-25.
- ↑ Nancy Tartaglione and David Bloom (January 10, 2015). "'Transformers 4′ Tops 2014's 100 Highest-Grossing International Films – Chart". deadline.com. 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.