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Sylvie Zhuang

Within two weeks of its release, No More Bets had pulled in more than 2.6 billion yuan (US$355 million) at the box office in China.
According to Maoyan, China’s biggest online movie ticketing service, the movie has consistently topped ticket sales every day since it hit theatres on August 8, beating out fantasy epic Creation of The Gods Ⅰ: Kingdom of Storms, dance film One and Only and animated adventure 30,000 Miles From Changan.
It managed to leap ahead of the competition without a single comic book character or mythic hero in sight.
Instead, the makers succeeded by tapping into a topical threat: cyber scams.
No More Bets features EXO boy band star Zhang Yixing and Jin Chen, an actress better known for her roles in historical romances.
Zhang plays a computer programmer and Jin a model who are lured separately to the fictional Southeast Asian city of Jianan by promises from online scammers of well-paid jobs.
They soon realise the deception but not before they are trapped in the system, in which they work together snare other victims and risk severe punishment if they try to escape.
The plot also tells the story of university graduate Tian, played by Wang Dalu, who takes his life after falling prey to online gambling.
Director Shen Ao told state news agency Xinhua that he was halfway through writing the script when he heard about a similar case to Tian’s and decided to include it in the story.

The ripped-from-the-headlines plot reflects a broader concern in China about such scams.
One of the centres of such activity is northern Myanmar, an area beset by civil unrest on the border of China’s southwestern province of Yunnan.
Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported on Thursday that five people, four of them teens from Yunnan, were lured into Myanmar illegally and forced into scamming.
The issue was on the agenda when former foreign minister Qin Gang visited Myanmar in May, repeating Beijing calls for urgent action.
Qin said the scams were undermining the interests of the Chinese people and called for joint law enforcement in the area.
In the meantime, China has given its agencies new power to pursue cyber fraud scammers and suspects abroad and some cities have threatened to freeze the bank accounts of those who fail to comply.


Taiwanese actor Jim Liu, who plays a Jianan immigration officer in the movie, said the public were concerned about these kinds of crimes but had not really seen them explored in cinema.
“No big commercial film had turned the topic into a plot-driven, action-packed film, with an aesthetic appeal, a cast with chemistry and an entertaining approach,” said Liu, whose character helps Chinese police crack down on the gangs.
He said the movie encouraged viewers to understand the characters – whether victims or perpetrators – and reflect on their own choices, rather than condemn or blame others for temptations that many feel.
The movie sought to evoke a sense of “shared vulnerability” and raise the hope that society might become more inclusive, saying it was important to understand the helplessness and shame of victims overseas.
“Factors like environment and culture can discourage people from speaking up, making them feel even more isolated and alone,” Liu said.


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Asian cinema: Chinese films

No More Bets: the surprise Chinese summer movie hit about cybercrime

No More Bets has proved a hit with Chinese audiences. Photo: Weibo

No More Bets tells the tale of two people lured to a Southeast Asian city and trapped in an online scam. Photo: Weibo

‘For us, by us’: the Tang dynasty-inspired animated film putting Chinese audiences first

30,000 Miles from Chang’an is shining a light on the focus by Chinese creatives on the domestic market. Photo: Weibo

Chinese audiences have been flocking to see the animated film 30,000 Miles from Changan. Photo: Xinhua

The film celebrates Chinese culture and history as it tells the story of the Tang dynasty through poetry. Photo: Weibo

Survivors of Myanmar’s scam mills talk torture, death – and the battle to escape

A trafficking victim shows the scars left by the Myanmar scam gangs’ beatings. Photo: Alastair McCready

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A screengrab from footage shared with This Week in Asia by victims and anti-trafficking activists shows a Myanmar scam centre “worker” being beaten with a stick. Photo: Handout

Inside the Chinese-run crime hubs of Myanmar that are conning the world: ‘we can kill you here’

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A busy market in Mae Sot on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Photo: Alastair McCready

An anti-trafficking sign near the Thailand-Myanmar border warns potential victims not to be “deceived into illegal online working”. Photo: Allegra Mendelson

Smuggled cars await collection on the Myanmar bank of the Moei River, as seen from Thailand. Photo: Alastair McCready

A new building is seen under construction at the KKII (Dong Feng) compound of KK Park in Myanmar on July 1. Photo: Alastair McCready

Buildings pictured on July 2 in Shwe Kokko, a small city of casinos, hotels and KTV rooms that experts says is ground zero of the Myanmar scam trade. Photo: Alastair McCready

Members of the Karen National Union ethnic armed group stand guard with their weapons near the Myanmar-Thai border in 2012. A spokesman for the group denied that any of its leaders were involved in the scam centres. Photo: AFP

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang (left) shakes hands with Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing during a meeting in Naypyidaw on May 2. China remains one of the internationally isolated country’s few patrons post-coup. Photo: Xinhua

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Philippine police officers (left) during a raid on a building complex in Las Piñas, Metro Manila, on June 26. Photo: AFP/Philippine National Police

Computer terminals at an office following a police raid on the premises in Las Pinas, Metro Manila. Photo: AFP/Philippine National Police 

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Philippine police officers walk inside a compound after a raid on a Chinese-run online gaming complex in southern Manila. Photo: AFP

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Singapore’s new legislation targets a range of illicit activities including online scams, spread of misinformation, and use of online platforms for drug trafficking. Photo: EPA-EFE

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A person using a smartphone to record a voice message. Singapore’s new legislation is part of its ongoing efforts to tackle crime in the era of the internet and social media. Photo: AFP

Singapore’s new law aims to “strike an appropriate balance between preventing criminal harms and privacy”. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS

News

China

Politics

Director Shen Ao puts a fast-paced spin on a topical issue to create cinematic success
Actor Jim Liu says the film is a chance for viewers to reflect on their own choices and temptations


Director Shen Ao puts a fast-paced spin on a topical issue to create cinematic success.


Crime in China

No More Bets: the surprise Chinese summer movie hit about cybercrime

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Director Shen Ao puts a fast-paced spin on a topical issue to create cinematic success Actor Jim Liu says the film is a chance for viewers to reflect on their own choices and temptations

Director Shen Ao puts a fast-paced spin on a topical issue to create cinematic success

Actor Jim Liu says the film is a chance for viewers to reflect on their own choices and temptations