A new movie based on the TV show "Running Man" is sweeping Chinese box offices during the last weekend before the Spring Festival film season, despite most critics' hatred for the so-called "movie."
"Running Man," directed by Hu Jia and Cen Junyi and starring several movie and TV stars like Wong Cho-lam, Li Chen, Wang Baoqiang, Michael Chen, Ryan Cheng and Angelababy, made 227 million yuan (US$36.26 million) over three days last weekend, taking the box office crown from the Hollywood blockbuster "The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies." The movie is based on a TV show that became very popular in 2014.
"Running Man" was originally a South Korean variety show where the MCs and guests completed missions at a landmark to win a race. China's Zhejiang Television bought the rights to the show and made a Chinese version in 2014.
After it became a TV hit, Zhejiang Blue Star International Media Co., Huayi Brothers Media Group Co. and Wanda Media Co. hired directors to make it into a big screen movie starring the same cast in just 6 days.
Although Chinese theaters can't resist the attraction and potential profits of the movie, movie critics and fans are giving it a sound verbal lashing. On Douban.com, a film rating website, the movie received one of the lowest ratings ever, scoring only 3.2 out of 10.
An Yugang, a promoter for the film, said "Running Man" is like a family movie to make people laugh and relax. But movie critic Taotao Linlin rated the movie only 1 star, saying it lacks one essential ingredient to actually being a movie: a story. "It is just a variety show on the big screen, nothing else."
Taotao said that last year's "Dad, Where Are We Going?" – also a movie version of a popular TV show – started the bad trend of making this kind of TV show into a new movie genre. "Dad, Where Are We Going?" made an astonishing 699 million yuan (US$111.66 million) during the Spring Festival season, although it also received tons of negative reviews.
"This is not a phenomenon that should happen in a healthy movie market," Taotao said. "There are so many variety TV shows in the United States, so why aren't there any TV show movies? It indicates that our market is not healthy at all."
A sequel to "Dad, Where Are We Going?" and the film "Emperor's Holidays" – which is yet another adaptation of the "Dad Where Are We Going?" franchise, but which is said to have elements of a story and drama – will both hit Chinese theaters during China's Spring Festival, which starts on Feb. 19, 2015, siphoning even more money from TV fans.
But not all TV shows can be transformed into box office triumphs. "I Want You" (2013), a movie based on the very popular singing contest show "The Voice of China," made just 1.75 million yuan (US$279,600) in its three-day cinema run. "No Zuo No Die" (2014), another documentary based on a TV reality singing show, "Super Boy," made only 4.9 million yuan (US$782,900) in its three-day run.