Year-ender: Notable films of 2017

One milestone

Wolf Warrior 2

Chinese film phenomenon Wolf Warrior 2 achieved huge success both at the box office and in public praise. The film received praise for its patriotic plot, action sequences, special visual effects and the cast's performances. The film tells the story of a former Chinese special forces agent as he adventures in Africa and fights against militants and mercenaries. With more than 5.6 billion yuan ($842 million) at the box office, Wolf Warrior 2 is the highest grossing film in Chinese cinema history.

Four blockbusters

Youth
The coming-of-age drama film Youth has stirred up a wave of nostalgia in China. To some degree, it is more than a simple film for a single generation, but a closer look at bittersweet days of love and war for all. The film chronicles the lives of a group of idealistic adolescents in a military art troupe affiliated to the People's Liberation Army in southwestern China. They experience love, lust and betrayal in the 1970s, a golden stage of their lives. From The Dream Factory in 1997 to Youth in 2017, director Feng Xiaogang has once again proved his status as one of the best commercial filmmakers in China.

Never Say Die
It may sound like a same old story: a male mixed-martial arts boxer and a high-profile female journalist who mysteriously switch bodies after an electrically-charged kiss. But Never Say Die has made the list of "Top Ten All Time International Box Office for Comedy Movies" for the sitcom-style humor, perfect scoring and slice of life storyline.

La La Land
In addition to being the biggest winner at the 89th Academy Awards, La La Land has successfully brought the charm of Western musicals to Chinese moviegoers. Though creating nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, the film chooses to honor the past while placing it in a contemporary environment, a different, wise approach compared with similar films.

Dangal
The Indian wrestling film Dangal has set a record as the first top-grossing non-Hollywood film in China. On Chinese media review site Douban, the film scored an aggregate of 9.2 out of 10 and earned $196.80 million in box office receipts. The way Dangal was promoted on Chinese social media, the cultural and social similarities between China and India, and more importantly the ideas of breaking gender roles and reforming education inspired by the film have struck a chord with many Chinese parents. These are the reasons for its success.