China Enters Their Most Successful Film Ever to Compete in the 2018 Oscars
By Ryan General
Wu Jing’s testosterone-filled action romp “Wolf Warrior 2” has been selected as China’s official entry in next year’s Oscars in the best foreign language film category.
Dubbed “Chinese Rambo” by Western media, the film tells the story of a former Chinese special forces agent who was called into action to take on terrorists and mercenaries in Africa.
It is known for its patriotic tone and liberal use of explosions and special effects that can rival any Hollywood blockbuster. According to China Daily, Wu’s film is still playing in local theaters, and is scheduled to end its run on October 28.
Earning over 5.6 billion yuan ($842 million) at the local box office, “Wolf Warrior 2” became the highest-grossing film ever in Chinese cinema history, edging out 2016’s “The Mermaid” ($515 million), and this year’s “The Fate of the Furious” ($395 million).
According to Variety, 2018’s Oscars lineup for its foreign language film category will consist of 92 films from all over the world, including Hong Kong’s “Mad World”, Taiwan’s “Small Talk”, the Philippines’ “Birdshot”, and South Korea’s “A Taxi Driver”.
High-profile contenders for the same category include Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father” from Cambodia, Michael Haneke’s “Happy End” from Austria, Sebastian Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman” from Chile, Robin Campillo’s “BPM (Beats Per Minute)” from France, Samuel Maoz’s “Foxtrot” from Israel, Joachim Trier’s “Thelma” from Norway, and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Loveless” from Russia.
The 90th Academy Awards nominees will be announced on January 23, 2018, while the actual award ceremony will take place on March 4.
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