Green Book has near-record opening weekend in China after Oscar best picture win
- Film about the bond between a black pianist and his white chauffeur touring the US Deep South takes US$15 million in opening weekend in China
- Chinese co-production sparks a craze among film-goers for fried chicken, the eating of which is a key plot device in Green Book
Green Book, the first Chinese co-production to win a best picture Oscar, chalked up over 100 million yuan (US$15 million) in ticket sales between Friday and Sunday in Chinese cinemas.
It was the second best opening weekend in 20 years in China for the holder of a best picture statuette, exceeded only by the box office takings for the rerun of Titanic. E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding – owner of the South China Morning Post – is among the film’s backers.
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Based on true events, the film portrays the touching bond that develops between a black concert pianist and his white chauffeur during a tour of the American Deep South in the early 1960s, when segregation was the norm.
The film came under fire from descendants of the pianist, Don Shirley, one of whom called it “a symphony of lies”. And film critic A.O. Scott of The New York Times said it contains “scenes that seem too corny or misguided for any movie in its right mind to contemplate”.
However, Chinese film-goers embraced Green Book, with one film ratings website giving it a score of 8.9 out of 10.
Chinese culture critic Gao Xiaosong said on a recent edition of his talk show Morning Call: “Everybody I met, including those working in and outside the film industry, said this is a good film.”
The film even led to a craze in China for fried chicken – the eating of which is an important plot device in the movie that melts the ice between its two protagonists, who are divided by race and class. The driver, Italian-American bouncer Tony Vallelonga (played by Viggo Mortensen), insists on dispensing with manners and eating fried chicken in the car. He eventually persuades the fastidious and gentlemanly Shirley to do the same. Moonlight star Mahershala Ali, who plays Shirley, won the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance.
One cinema chain launched a collaboration with Kentucky Fried Chicken, allowing film-goers to bring its fried chicken into cinemas when they watched the film.
Beijing resident Yang Jing, who watched Green Book at a cinema in the city’s Chaoyang district, said he found the film touching and heart-warming. “The plot regarding class and happiness tugged at my heartstrings,” he said.
“In spite of being low-class, the driver is happy and filled with love for his family. The pianist, although he is at the pinnacle of his career and leading a gilded life, is lonely and cut off from his family. This movie dispels the common perception that being successful in one’s career can bring great happiness.
“Both the driver and the pianist cling to their stubborn views at the beginning, with the driver prejudiced against blacks and the pianist frowning upon under-achievers. But eventually, both understand they should be open to others’ ideas and ways of life and set aside prejudice and judgment.”
