Box office surges for Chinese film on Nanjing Massacre, forecast raised sharply

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A harrowing new Chinese film that portrays the horrors of the Nanjing Massacre is fueling a major surge at the domestic box office, with projections for its total earnings sharply raised to over 3 billion yuan (about 420 million U.S. dollars).

By the end of Sunday, its third day of release, "Dead To Rights" had grossed over 400 million yuan, with over 10 million admissions nationwide, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.

Largely driven by "Dead To Rights," China's daily box office on Sunday surpassed 300 million yuan, marking the first time in 154 days that the threshold had been crossed.

The film tells the story of a group of Chinese civilians who take refuge in a photography studio during the Japanese aggressors' brutal occupation of Nanjing.

In a desperate attempt to stay alive, they are forced to assist a Japanese military photographer in developing film -- only to discover that the negatives contain damning evidence of atrocities committed by Japanese forces across the city. They choose to secretly keep the negatives and risk their lives to deliver them to the outside world, in the hope that the truth would be revealed.

Praised for its emotional weight and stark portrayal of a national trauma, "Dead To Rights" has sparked widespread public reflection on an episode that remains deeply embedded in China's collective memory.

Renowned director Feng Xiaoning, speaking in a video that circulated widely online, shared his reaction to the film. "When the film ended, the entire audience remained seated, unmoving, until the credits had fully rolled. Everyone was lost in deep thought," he said. "I believe every Chinese person, and everyone in the world with a conscience, will be shaken by this film… It represents a new high point for Chinese cinema."

The film's Douban rating, a key gauge of public sentiment, has reached 8.6 out of 10.

According to Maoyan's latest projection, "Dead To Rights" is expected to earn more than 3.2 billion yuan in total revenue, a substantial upward revision from earlier estimates, reflecting its rapidly growing popularity. ■