Asia has been known for having some of the wackiest entertainment on the planet, from Kung Fu Hustle to Showlin Soccer. Recently, a new movie has been all the east can talk about though, as Martial arts comedy Never Say Die dominated the box office this Chinese holiday weekend.
The premise of the movie is that a disgraced male UFC boxer has switched bodies with a female reporter who has exposed his bribes. Now, in order to win the championship, the two must work together. The film stars Allen Ai Lun (Aidisheng) and Ma Li (Ma Xiao), two up and coming stars in the Chinese film community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-lEltz2rQ
Never Say Die is the latest release for Fun Age Pictures, a Beijing theater troupe-turned-movie producer and is also based on the play of the same name released in 2014. It is the third release from China’s Happy Mahua Pictures, with its last movie being Goodbye Mister Loser, which held the box office record for comedies in China for two years until Kung Fu Yoga eclipsed it this year
The martial arts comedy has been in theaters in China for a week already and has managed to continue to dominate the box office over other big budget films like “The Foreigner” – starring Jackie Chan – and Donnie Yen-Andy Lau crime drama Chasing the Dragon. In its second week, Never Say Die accumulated $175.2 million, according to film consulting firm Artisan Gateway, bringing its total to $222.1 million in ticket sales.
It looks like Never Say Die will soon move into the slot of China’s second-biggest comedy ever, surpassing the aforementioned 2015 sleeper hit Goodbye Mister Loser. The film looks like it will also surpass that film’s RMB 1.44 billion/$217 million by Sunday.
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