Editor's note: Every week, a plethora of movies, TV series, and variety shows are released. How do you decide what to watch? Consider the recommendations from Pengpai!
【Movies】
Box Office
According to the Lighthouse Professional Edition, as of 16:00 on October 25, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," "The Volunteer Army: War of Existence," and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" held the top three positions on Friday's single-day box office chart.
On its third day of release, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" reached a 39.9% screening rate and garnered 55.2% of the single-day box office share. Since its release in mainland China, the film has already earned 126 million yuan.
→Premiere: "Venom: Let There Be Carnage": Tom Hardy bids farewell to Venom
→"Venom: Let There Be Carnage": A lackluster conclusion to the series
The re-release of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" achieved an 18% box office share with a 5.3% screening rate on its first day back in theaters.
New Releases
→Premiere: "Old Gun": A gun hangs on the wall, and it will surely fire
Other Recommendations:
"816": Learning from children how to live well
【TV Series】
New Shows Launching
Directed by Liu Dong and adapted from Lang Lang's novel "The Years of Goddess," the contemporary urban drama "Happy Reunion" will premiere on CCTV-8's prime time slot and exclusively on Tencent Video starting October 26. The cast includes Bai Baihe, Li Chun, Wang Yuwen, Chen He, Yu Jinwei, Zhang Tao, Ding Yongdai, Liu Jia, Xia Yu, Yang Lei, Zhu Yin, Ma Xinmo, Chang Huasen, and Wang Shengdi.
Produced by Noon Sunshine Pictures and directed by Zhang Kaizhou, the period drama "The Alley House", adapted from the novel of the same name, will air exclusively on Hunan TV's Golden Eagle Theater and Mango TV starting October 28. The cast features Yan Ni, Li Guangjie, Guo Xiaodong, Jiang Xin, Fan Chengcheng, Guan Xiaotong, Wang Anyu, Lu Yuxiao, Shi Yunpeng, Zhou Jieqiong, Li Qian, and Zhang Ruihan.
Updates on New Series
Noon Sunshine Pictures has begun production on the crime mystery series "Life at Stake", directed by Sun Molong and adapted from the Douban novel "One Life at Stake," with the main cast announced. It will exclusively air on iQIYI. Starring are Huang Xuan, Li Gengxi, Zhang Zhehua, Bai Yufan, Yin Fang, Jiang Peiyao, and Xu Aojun.
Adapted from the novel "Three-Line Cycle" by Wei Yu, the web series "Three-Line Mystery" began production on October 21, with the main cast announced, and will be exclusively available on Tencent Video. The cast includes Meng Ziyi, Wang Hongyi, Ma Sichao, and Wang Yi.
Changxin Media's "The Strange Case of the Tang Dynasty: Chang'an" (Tang Dynasty Strange Cases 3) held its launch ceremony on October 23 at Hengdian Film and Television City, with the original cast returning, including Yang Xuwen, Yang Zhigang, Yue Lina, Gao Siwen, Chen Chuang, Sun Xueqing, and Shi Yueanxin, while also being exclusively aired on iQIYI.
"Black and White Decision"
This crime investigation drama stars Yang Xuwen, Tian Yu, Zhang Zhijian, and Gai Yuexi. It tells the story of young police officer Han Zhengfei, who is dispatched from the provincial capital to Yangquan, teaming up with veteran detective Ren Zhonghua to solve the kidnapping case of the area's richest man, Ma, while uncovering the real culprit.
Despite lacking celebrity stars to drive viewership, the show performed well in terms of ratings, thanks to the rarity of crime drama narratives and audience demand. Three days after its launch, it surpassed a heat rating of 6500 on Youku and ranked seventh on the Lighthouse chart, while it hovered around tenth place on Yunhe.
However, feedback indicates that the overall production feels too conventional. Yang Xuwen once again plays a modern portrayal of a valiant officer, and as a suspense drama, it lacks captivating elements, with a slow pace and insufficient period feel, relying on uninspired cinematography.
Fans of crime dramas might want to wait and see before making a decision.
"Your Lies Are Beautiful"
This urban healing romance stars Chen Xingxu and Zhang Yuxi and is adapted from the novel of the same name by Er Yue Sheng. It primarily revolves around volunteer Qin Fei and medical team leader Xing Zhizhi, showcasing their mutual support in both career and life. Currently, the series has not performed notably well in Lighthouse, Yunhe, or Detawen rankings.
The drama is set against the backdrop of the urban entertainment industry, attempting to portray the warmth and healing of city love through complex character relationships and romantic entanglements. Yet the plot summary resembles too many previously seen tropes in urban idol dramas, presenting a serious and idealized view of the entertainment circle that fails to leverage the unique strengths and characteristics of celebrity-driven narratives.
Viewer feedback post-premiere indicates a sentiment of "not enough comedy, not enough healing," where narrative shortcomings rendered the show less appealing in the early phases. This marks Chen Xingxu's third urban idol drama this year, and with a mundane plot and flat character portrayals, viewers find it challenging to resonate emotionally with the protagonists.
"Detective Qing'an"
The series stars Chang Huasen and Zhao Qing, telling the story of gang leader Lan Che (played by Zhao Qing) who meets Chief Ming Ye (played by Chang Huasen) during a murder case, leading to mutual affection as they collaborate to solve the crime.
After two days online, the show is experiencing relatively low performance metrics on Lighthouse, Yunhe, and Detawen, but has surpassed a heat rating of 18,000 on Tencent. While neither the cast nor production is considered high-profile, audience feedback suggests that it aligns well with the ancient idol drama niche, combining a little mystery with romance, maintaining a brisk pace without dragging, and effectively utilizing its modest budget to win over a solid viewer base.
→Interview: Screenwriter Yu Xiaoqian on creating national-themed narratives without a tourist mindset
【Variety Shows】
On October 25, "Chopping Through the Thorns" Season 4 celebrated Family Birth Night, where four major factions competed for spots in the all-round singing and performance family, singing "Give You a Little Red Flower" together in farewell.
The empty chair in the middle is reserved for the audience who accompanied "Chopping Through the Thorns" through all four seasons.
Li Keqin became the annual X-Leader of the fourth season of "Chopping Through the Thorns," while You Changjing, Wang Zhengliang, and Hu Xia were named annual X-Fire.
Li Keqin
Congratulations to our brothers, happy graduation!
On October 25, "Comedy Conference" premiered. The unexpected dark horse comedy competition has begun, with the first episode now online featuring guest representatives Da Zhangwei, Guo Qilin, and Xie Na. HAHAMAKER is set to launch; which stage will tickle your funny bone?
In the latest episode of "Goodbye Lover 4", Huang Shengyi, after seeing Yang Zi get reprimanded, felt Yang Zi was adorable, leading her to choose not to divorce, shocking netizens who had been worried for her in the first episode. Papi Jiang amusingly described this as "simply child's play."
In the "Shooting Divorce Photos" segment, Yang Zi, facing a stranger photographer, absurdly remarked, "We meet again," then began to question: "Are you married? What year were you? Do you have a boyfriend?" showing a complete lack of boundaries. Even during the shoot, he suddenly asked the photographer, "What is your surname?" making everyone uneasy! The behavior of this couple is truly perplexing.
Yang Zi
On October 24, "Reading on an Island 3" aired its second episode, featuring Yu Hua, Su Tong, Cheng Yongxin, and Ye Zi exploring the ancient city of Heraklion, with unexpected appearances by writer Ma Jiahui and scholar Yang Shaobo. The guests casually discussed literary works such as "Following the Monsoon," "The Garden of Forking Paths," and "Eighty Books Around the World," immersing themselves in the authors' perspectives to navigate the world.
"Time Music Concert" Season 4 will air its third episode on October 25 at 18:00 on Mango TV and at 22:00 on Hunan TV. The "Time Family" members Zhang Hanyun, He Jie, Shang Wenjie, and Li Xiaoyun will join members of "Voice Into the Heart," including Cai Chengyu, Ma Jia, Gao Yang, He Liangchen, Ju Hongchuan, Li Qi, Wang Kai, Yu Di, Fang Shujian, Liang Pengjie, Qi Yu, Xu Junshuo, Zheng Qiyuan, Dai Wei, Jian Hongyi, Liao Jialin, and Zhang Yingxi, for a reunion performance on stage.
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