The Volunteers: To the War

The Volunteers: To the War (Chinese: 志愿军:雄兵出击) is a 2023 Chinese war film directed by Chen Kaige. Set during the Korean War, the film is intended to be the first installment of a planned trilogy from Chen depicting China's involvement in the war.[1]

The Volunteers: To the War
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese志願軍:雄兵出擊
Simplified Chinese志愿军:雄兵出击
Hanyu PinyinZhìyuànjūn: Xióngbīng Chūjī
Directed byChen Kaige
Written byZhang Ke
Produced by
  • Fu Ruoqing
  • Zhang Dayong
Starring
Cinematography
  • Zhao Fei
  • Li Qiang
  • Hu Tao
Edited byLi Dianshi
Music by
  • Zhiyi Wang
  • Yu Xiaomu
Production
companies
Release date
  • 28 September 2023 (2023-09-28) (China)[1]
Running time
140 minutes[2]
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Budget600 million yuan[3]

The film was released on 28 September 2023.

Plot edit

Cast edit

Production edit

Production on the film began in July 2022,[4] and finished thirteen months later in August 2023.[2]

Marketing edit

A trailer for the film was released on April 21, 2023.

Music edit

Release edit

The Volunteers was released in China on September 28, 2023, timed to coincide with the country's National Day on October 1.[1]

Box office edit

The film earned $34.7 million in its first four days of release, behind Under the Light and The Ex-Files 4: Marriage Plan.[5] The film fell below expectations at the box office.[6]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Rosser, Michael (September 25, 2023). "Fortissimo boards Chen Kaige's 'The Volunteers: To The War'". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Xu Fan (3 October 2023). "War blockbuster earns highest acclaim among holiday films". Chinadaily.com.cn. China Daily Information Co. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ Liu Wen (4 October 2023). "《志願軍:雄兵出擊》票房慘淡 民眾厭倦了「戰勝美國人」的主旋律?". VOA Cantonese (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ Liu Wen (12 April 2023). "陈凯歌携《志愿军》亮相北影节红毯,影片将分多集上映". news.sina.com (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (1 October 2023). "China Box Office: Zhang Yimou's 'Under the Light' Wins Mid-Autumn Holiday Race With $63M Opening". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ^ Liang, Rachel (22 October 2023). "In China, Chest-Thumping Nationalistic Films Lose Momentum". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved 31 December 2023.

External links edit