According to Chinese outlet QQ, the film Good Autumn, Mommy, starring Shu Qi and Bai Ke, was officially released in theaters on October 17. However, shockingly, just three hours after its premiere, the production team announced an emergency withdrawal from cinemas — making it the shortest theatrical run in Chinese film history.
Data from ticketing platform Maoyan revealed that prior to its release, the film sold only about 158,000 RMB (approximately $22,000 USD) in advance tickets. On opening day, it was given a mere 1.2% screening rate, unable to compete with larger productions. With box office revenue failing to even cover the basic theater slot fees, distributors had no choice but to suspend screenings indefinitely.
Adding to the irony, the cast had just held a promotional fan meeting featuring Shu Qi, Bai Ke and director Jia Zhangke. The poor performance of Good Autumn, Mommy is now expected to negatively impact Shu Qi’s upcoming directorial debut, Girl, scheduled for release on November 1.
Girl marks Shu Qi’s first film as a director, for which she recently won Best Director at the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea. Despite the critical recognition, the film’s art-house nature poses a challenge for box office success, as such works often struggle to attract mass audiences.
In contrast, Shu Qi is thriving on the small screen. Her role in Netflix’s The Resurrected has been widely praised. In the series, Shu Qi plays a mother whose child is kidnapped and trafficked to Thailand to join a fraud ring. Together with co-star Lee Sinje, she uses dark rituals to resurrect the kidnapper and exact revenge — leading to a string of shocking and supernatural twists.
While Good Autumn, Mommy’s failure marks a career low point for Shu Qi, her Netflix success proves that the actress remains one of Asia’s most versatile and enduring stars.
Sources: K14
You must be logged in to post a comment.