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Successor (2024 film)

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Successor
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese抓娃娃
Simplified Chinese抓娃娃
Directed byYan Fei
Peng Damo
Written byYan Fei
Peng Damo
Lin Bingbao
Produced byZhang Lebin
StarringShen Teng
Ma Li
CinematographySun Ming
Edited byZhou Xiaolin
Music byPeng Fei
Production
companies
Haikou Xihong Hutong Film and Television
Wanda Film and Television Media
Tianjin Maoyan Microfilm Media
Zhejiang Kaixin Mahua Film
Shanghai Ruyi Film Production
Beijing Alibaba Film
Horgos Lianrui Film
China Film Co., Ltd.
Distributed byWanda Film and Television Media
Tianjin Maoyan Microfilm Media
Haikou Xihong Hutong Film and Television
China Film Co., Ltd
Release date
  • July 16, 2024 (2024-07-16)
Running time
133 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box office$471.9 million[1][2]

Successor (Chinese: 抓娃娃; pinyin: Zhuā wáwá) is a 2024 Chinese comedy drama film co-directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, starring Shen Teng and Ma Li. The film tells the story of a wealthy couple, Ma Chenggang and his wife Chunlan, who decide to conceal their true wealth and start a reverse child-rearing journey in order to train their son Ma Jiye to be a capable family successor.[3] Successor was released on July 16, 2024.[4]

Plot

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Ma Chenggang, a wealthy man in Xihong City, worries that his eldest son is too spoiled to succeed him. Determined to raise a capable successor, he turns his focus to his younger son, Ma Jiye, born to his second wife, Chunlan. To prevent Jiye from indulging in a luxurious life and losing the motivation to strive, Chenggang and Chunlan take an unconventional approach. They conceal their wealth, moving the family to a dilapidated neighborhood where Ma Chenggang grew up. They maintain an illusion of poverty, so that Jiye could develop qualities such as hard work, knowledge, careful budgeting, physical fitness, and perseverance.

Cast

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  • Shen Teng as Ma Chenggang[4]
  • Ma Li as Chunlan[4]
  • Shi Pengyuan as Ma Jiye
    • Xiao Bochen as young Ma Jiye
  • Sa Rina as Grandma / Teacher Li
  • Zhang Zidong as Ma Dajun
  • Jia Bing as President Jia
  • Wei Xiang as Mr. Wei
  • Li Jiaqi as Zhang Feifei

Release

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Successor was released on July 16, 2024 in China. Internationally the film was released by CMC Pictures, starting on August 2, 2024.[5] On October 1, 2024, after earning 3.226 billion yuan at the box office, the top 2024 summer movie, "Successor ",[6] started online broadcasting. It was launched on video platforms such as iQiyi, Tencent Video, and Youku.[citation needed] On September 25, the film was scheduled to be broadcast online and aired on Tencent Video on September 30.[citation needed]

Promotional activities

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On June 15, 2024, the film released a release poster and announced that it would be released nationwide on July 18.[7] On June 27, the film released a trailer.[8] On July 2, the film was officially announced to be released in China on July 16.[9] On July 8, the film released a "full harvest" trailer. On the same day, the film released posters in CINITY, IMAX, China Giant Screen, and Dolby Cinema formats.[10] On August 7, the film announced an extension on its release to September 15,[11] and again on September 5 extending its release to October 15.[12]

Reception

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As of October 28, 2024, Successor has received a rating of more than 8.0 on Douban, with a box office of $3.25 billion yuan.[13]It is currently the ninth highest-grossing film of 2024.[14]

“For many viewers, the purpose of going to the cinema to watch comedy movies is to relieve stress and relax. "Successor" is successful in this aspect. Most of the film is set up with dense jokes to amuse the audience, and the actors' own funny characteristics and performance skills magnify the overall comedy effect of the film. On the other hand, the core of "Successor“ is more serious than "Hello Mr. Billionaire" and "Goodbye Mr. Loser". It puts the real-life behavior of parents controlling their children's lives in the name of love in an extreme situation to highlight the horror of this kind of panoramic surveillance and kidnapping-style education, and to reflect on whether the deliberately created "frustration education" and "hardship education" can really help children grow. This is a film that makes your back cold after you laugh. It has the intention of satire, but it is not carried through to the end.Therefore, many viewers, based on their own experiences, have suggested that watching the film is a cruel process from laughter to calmness, and then to silence and pain.” (Cited from the First Financial Review)[15]

From the film's composition and artistic style, the use of colors and the choice of music are just right. The bright colors and brisk music add a lot of vitality to the film, especially when showing the family gathering scene, giving people a warm and lively feeling. The director perfectly combines humor and emotion to create a relaxed and pleasant viewing atmosphere without losing the need for thinking. While laughing, the audience subtly absorbs the deep humanistic care conveyed by the film.[16]

"Successor" delves into the tragedy hidden behind comedy, and shows the complex entanglement between family affection, education and personal growth in an almost cruel way. Through the extreme educational experiment of the protagonist Ma Chenggang, the film reveals the profound impact of manipulation and deception in the name of love on the next generation.”[17](Cited from The Paper Comment)

The most terrifying part of "Successor" is that Ma Jiye's growth process is a complete educational experiment, where his father molds him into the shape he wants like playing with clay.Its greatest success lies in that it captures the two major topics of views on money and views on education, which can arouse widespread discussion and resonance at the moment.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "China Box-office". China Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  2. ^ "Successor (抓娃娃) (2024)". The Numbers. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  3. ^ "让孩子如风般自由——解读电影《抓娃娃》的深刻寓意". Sohu. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  4. ^ a b c "《抓娃娃》官宣定档7月16日,沈腾马丽合体回归笑翻暑期". Sohu. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  5. ^ Frater, Patrick (July 16, 2024). "'Successor,' Chinese Smash Hit Comedy Film, Sets Worldwide Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  6. ^ "2024暑期档票房破60亿元!《抓娃娃》 男主沈腾中国影史票房". www.chinaz.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  7. ^ "沈腾马丽新片《抓娃娃》定档7.18 西虹市IP十年矩献重磅归来_寰太娱乐网". www.huantaiyule.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  8. ^ "电影《抓娃娃》发布概念片 出其不意新风格开拓喜剧新可能-猫眼电影". www.maoyan.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  9. ^ "沈腾马丽新片《抓娃娃》提档至7月16日上映 预售已开启_新闻频道_中华网". news.china.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  10. ^ 荼蘼梦客. "《抓娃娃》发布了CINITY、IMAX、中国巨幕、杜比影院制式海报,7月16日正式上映". 易家知识网. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  11. ^ "电影《抓娃娃》延长上映至9月15日|界面新闻 · 快讯". www.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  12. ^ "《抓娃娃》延长上映至10月15日|界面新闻 · 快讯". www.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  13. ^ "沈腾《抓娃娃》票房大胜徐峥《逆行人生》,背后原因揭秘". Sohu. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  14. ^ "Top 2024 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  15. ^ "百度安全验证". wappass.baidu.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  16. ^ "《抓娃娃》:从市井到巅峰的温情逆袭与深刻思考_影片_观众_教育". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  17. ^ "《抓娃娃》:一部残酷的电影——笑料背后的道德困境_新闻频道_中华网". news.china.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  18. ^ "喜剧《抓娃娃》的底色并不好笑_南方网". news.southcn.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
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