Editor’s Note: With a plethora of movies, TV shows, and variety programs airing every week, it can be tough to choose what to watch. Here are some recommendations from Pengpai's performing arts team.

【Movies】

Theatrical Box Office

According to Lighthouse Professional Edition, as of 3 PM on August 30, the films Alien: Covenant, The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye, Hedgehog, Rebirth, and Detective Conan: The Millionaire’s Five-Pointed Star topped the daily box office list.

Poster for The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye

Among them, the Japanese animated film The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbye, was a new release that day, having premiered in Japan on September 9, 2022.

The summer movie season (from June to August) is nearing its end. As of August 29, the box office revenue for summer films in 2024 stood at 11.3 billion yuan, while last year’s summer season reached 20.619 billion yuan, and the 2015 summer box office was 12.431 billion yuan.

→Immediate Review: How to Assess the Insufficient Quality of This Year’s Summer Film Season

On this occasion, the 7th China Film New Power Forum is being held in Changchun, Jilin.

During the forum's opening ceremony, Mao Yu, deputy director of the film bureau under the Publicity Department of the Central Committee, stated in his speech, "Since the beginning of this year, the film industry has made solid progress in promoting the May 1st holiday and summer seasons, achieving box office revenues, but there is still a long way to go. We must recognize the potential crises. Since entering the summer season, although around 100 films have hit the market, the market's performance has sounded an alarm for us with a box office drop of over 22%, exposing deep-seated and structural issues in the industry. The crisis has arrived, and change is imminent. Faced with these intertwining old and new problems, we need to explore solutions because there are no ready-made answers. We hold this forum in hopes of fostering exchanges that will spark ideas and illuminate a bright path for the future of film by igniting more vitality through innovation."

→“Don’t Believe the Eastern Winds Can’t Bring Back the Past”—Release of the Seventh China Film New Power Screening List

Other recommendations:

Exclusive Interview: Director Zhang Yudi—Overturning the Warehouse is also the Confusion of Everyone's Youth

Commemoration: Wang Yan—He Recently Recreated the Young Mao Zedong on the Big Screen

Premiere: "Love Stops Here"—Bravely Saying No to Domestic Violence

"A Bit Extra" Becomes France's Best-Selling New Film of the Year

【TV Dramas】

Starring Zhang Han and Zhu Xudan, the historical fantasy romance drama The Flowing Light will be exclusively broadcast on Tencent Video from August 30. The drama was filmed in the second half of 2021.

The urban drama Ordinary People, produced by Noon Sunshine Film & Television, will premiere on CCTV-8’s prime time slot starting August 31, and will be aired simultaneously on iQIYI and Tencent Video, featuring Yu Tho, Wang Xiao, Zhang Ruonan, Qin Junjie, Zhang Zhehua, and Chen Haoyu.

Supervised by Zhang Yimou, the crime investigation and drug enforcement drama Snow Maze will air on CCTV-8 starting September 3, and on Youku. The leads include Huang Jingyu, Wang Ziqi, Xie Keyin, Liu Runnan, and Zhao Yutong.

The web drama Their Wonderful Times (original title: The Metaverse of Love), starring Zhou Jieqiong and Ge Qiugu, will be exclusively available on Tencent Video starting September 3. The drama was filmed in the second half of 2022.

The iQIYI suspense web drama Blind began filming in Wanzhou, Chongqing on August 21, starring Luo Jin, Wang Ziwen, and Yu Nan.

The costume drama Into the Blue Cloud, adapted from the novel of the same name by Bai Lu Cheng Shuang, and directed by Luo Luo, began filming in Hengdian on August 25, featuring Hou Minghao, Lu Yuxiao, Yu Cheng’en, and He Nan.

Produced by iQIYI, Yuewen Pictures, and New Classics Media, the crime investigation and drug enforcement drama Eradicate Evil held its opening ceremony and announced the full cast on August 25, featuring Ren Suxi, Wang Xiao, Cai Wenjing, Li Zefeng, Wang Youjun, and Dong Qing.

The Youku women's suspense drama The Return of Them started filming on August 28, starring Wu Jinyan, Jiang Shuying, Huang Jue, Tu Songyan, and Liu Dan.

Parents' WeChat Group 2 began filming on August 28 and will air on Hunan TV and Mango TV, starring Zhang Jiayi, Chen Hao, Wang Xiaocheng, Zhao Da, and Liu Ruilin.

Filming for the 16-episode suspense web drama Marriage Strategy (original title: Don’t Fall for It Again) took place at the end of 2021 and will exclusively air on Youku starting August 29, starring He Hongshan and Li Zifeng.

The web drama The Water's Edge surpasses 10,000 views on Youku

The Water's Edge has surpassed 10,000 views on Youku, becoming the seventh series to do so this year after The Young Dragon Roars, Love: Always, Flower Between the Gaps, Flower Zhi, Mo Yu Yu Zian, and Young White Horse Drunk in the West Wind.

→Exclusive Interview: Director of The Water's Edge Talks about the Freedom Brought by the Alternative Worldview

 The Hidden Sea Flower

The series, with Nanpai Sanshu as the chief screenwriter, stars Zhang Lu Yi, Wen Yongshan, Chen Minghao, Zhang Kangle, and Wei Qianxiang. It continues the storyline from the Tomb Raiding Chronicles, telling the story of Wu Xie returning to China from Nepal in 2010 and experiencing an adventure after discovering a painting in a post office in Tibet.

Surprisingly, rice has made a comeback today, with the author personally serving as screenwriter and another iteration of the "Tian Sanjiao" storytelling from the Zhang family. However, it is somewhat unfortunate that Zhang Lu Yi's portrayal of Wu Xie has not gained the consensus of some netizens, leading to numerous comparisons with other versions of Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling. Nevertheless, as an adventure series, The Hidden Sea Flower performs quite well among many new dramas, hovering around fifth place in the Yunhe and Lighthouse rankings, with over 20,000 views, indicating that the audience's demand for this genre is indeed significantly greater than the current airing volume in the market.

According to audience feedback, the series is produced with serious attention but is prone to issues commonly seen in Nanpai's adaptations, such as excessive setups, complex character relationships, and lack of originality in character development. Overall, for fans of adventure dramas, especially those feeling deprived while waiting for the yet-to-air Treasure Hunt series, this may provide a pleasant diversion.

The Spring Breeze Transforms Rain

Poster for The Spring Breeze Transforms