A special exhibition featuring over 150 hand-drawn posters celebrating the box office success of the Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2, along with a cultural theme fair, has attracted waves of fans and visitors at the ongoing 15th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF).
Held at Beijing's Langyuan Station cultural hub, the exhibition showcases director Jiaozi's hand-painted artwork marking each box office milestone of 100 million yuan (about 13.7 million U.S. dollars) achieved by the film, which has grossed 15.7 billion yuan (about 2.15 billion U.S. dollars) worldwide since its Chinese Lunar New Year release, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film globally.
Jiaozi fulfilled his promise of creating hand-drawn posters for every 100 million yuan in earnings. This myth-based masterpiece continues to inspire young Chinese filmmakers.
The free exhibition, open through April 26 with four daily sessions, proved immensely popular with all 8,000 available slots booked within a day.
Fans are being treated to the exhibition of over 150 posters -- in high-definition printed version, apart from more screenings during the film festival period from April 18 to 26.
Family visitors also enjoy interactive displays and a merchandise zone featuring plush dolls, picture books and collectibles inspired by the mythological characters.
"Through this exhibition I got to have a new understanding of the film's entire production process, and I can imagine how tough the post-production could have been. After communication, I found that the difficulty and complexity is way beyond our imagination," said Pan Binlong, an actor.
"Because my girl likes the Ne Zha image so much, I especially bought this outfit for her and come to the exhibition with her. I think this will make the visit more meaningful," said a visitor surnamed Jing.
Peripheral merchandise including plush dolls, picture books, badges, and key chains are also available at the exhibition.
"I bought the little Ne Zha and Ao Bing (dolls), along with a bag. Those posters are like contes, sort of the extension of the movie's plot. I'm looking forward to the Ne Zha 3 and wish it even greater success in box office," said another visitor surnamed Li.
The festival has also created multiple film-themed consumer experiences, including a cultural creative market that has attracted museum vendors and boosted local businesses.
"This is my second visit to the film festival, and I found it very interesting. I had a lot of delicious snacks here for lunch. I really like it, as I don't have to visit various places to see those cultural and creative products in different museums. It's a very good event," said Zhang, another visitor.
"We are seeing a lot more visitors today. The best-selling ones are the IP (intellectual property) characters related to movies, such as Ne Zha, Sun Wukong and Ao Bing," said Yu Qinghong, supervisor of businesses development at China Puppet Theater.
A restaurant owner reports 150 percent more customers compared to last weekend.
"Usually, we have more diners during lunchtime. But now, because there are many visitors to the film festival, our store is still fully occupied and it's already around 3:00 p.m.," said Han Jing, head of a restaurant at Langyuan Station.
Running from April 18 to 26, the 15th BJIFF presents over 300 films across 33 cinemas and one immersive venue in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. The "Beijing Screening" section offers approximately 900 screenings, showcasing global masterpieces, restored classics and the works of emerging Chinese filmmakers.
Ne Zha 2 director's hand-drawn posters draw crowds at Beijing film festival
