Historical film '1921' leads China's box office, ticket sales top $9m

APD NEWS

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Chinese historical movie "1921" premieres at the opening ceremony of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival, in Shanghai, east China, June 11, 2021. /CFP

Chinese historical epic film "1921" has raked in over 58 million yuan ($9 million) in preview screening tickets and pre-sales as of Sunday morning ahead of its national release on July 1, according to Chinese movie ticketing platform Maoyan.

Set in the year 1921, the film looks back on the genesis of the Communist Party of China (CPC) during turbulent times and provides a panoramic view of its founding. It tells the story of a group of young people who made hard efforts to hold CPC's first national congress in Shanghai.

Preview screenings have been launched in major cities across the country since June 25 and the movie will be released nationwide on July 1, the day when the country celebrates the CPC's centenary.

Huang Jianxin, who helmed the movie "Beginning of the Great Revival" (2011) to mark the CPC's 90th birthday, has returned to a familiar zone to serve as the new epic's executive producer and director.

Huang incorporated fresh faces in his new work and weaved elements of the spy genre into the story to help young people understand the significance of that historical year, the director told CGTN in a recent interview.

Meanwhile, the movie casts A-list stars, including Huang Xuan, Ni Ni, Liu Haoran and Chen Kun, as well as more than 50 up-and-coming actors as a group of young Chinese intellectuals and pioneers.

"1921" has received acclaim from Chinese young people when it premiered on June 11 as the opening film of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival.

(With input from agencies)