Editor's note: There are a huge number of movies, TV series and variety shows broadcast every week. How do you choose? You might as well take a look at the recommendations of The Paper.
【Movie】
Cinema box office
According to the Lighthouse Professional Edition, this week's national box office (7 weeks in 2025, including service fees) was 1.482 billion yuan. "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King" continued to dominate the list, constantly breaking the box office miracle created by itself. "Detective Chinatown 1900" and "Your Voice" ranked 2nd and 3rd on the box office list.
In addition to the two Spring Festival films, new films including "Captain America 4" and "In the Mood for Love" director's special edition have all earned tens of millions of yuan at the box office. It can be said that under the "Nezha fever" in cinemas, the space left for other films is still very limited.
→ 2025 Director's Special Edition "In the Mood for Love": The "Secret" of the Secret
→ Under the halo of "Nezha 2", is there still a way for "Captain America 4" to go?
Even so, there are still several quality works released this week that are worth noting.
The new film "The Way of Weird Talent", produced by "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils", was officially released on February 22. The film combines horror and comedy elements, is full of nonsensical funny plots, and constructs a novel and interesting "hell workplace". It has just been nominated for the Best Asian Chinese Film at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards. At present, Douban has a score of 7.7 and has an excellent reputation. Audiences who like novel themes and comedies should not miss it.
The animated film "Your Color", which was released on February 21, is the first original feature film by Japanese female director Naoko Yamada, who has created classic girl comics such as "K-ON!", "Tamako Love Story" and "A Silent Voice". The film won the Golden Goblet Award for Best Animation at the Shanghai Film Festival last year. The lively girl, the throbbing of youth, the beautiful music and the sensitive mood are very moving when expressed in animation.
Focus on Berlin
→ "The Ambassador in the Iron Box", the 4K restored version of "Goddess" debuts
Other recommendations:
Observation | 007 no longer has the family color, who can be the king?
【TV drama】
New drama starts
The TV series "You Are Belated Joy" , produced by Huace Film & TV and adapted from the novel of the same name, officially announced its starring lineup on February 14. It will be jointly broadcast by Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV. The drama started filming on February 2. It is directed by Liu Dong and starred by Wei Zheming and Zheng Hehuizi.
The suspense web drama "Drunken Dream" started filming in Harbin in early January, and the full cast was officially announced on February 20. It will be exclusively broadcast on Tencent Video. The series is directed by Yang Yang, written by Jia Dongyan and Yang Yang, and starred by Liu Shishi, Hu Xianxu, Li Naiwen, Li Qin, Huang Xiaolei, Chen Yongsheng, Lin Jiachuan, Li Dazui, Yao Anlian, Hao Ping, Ying Er and others.
New drama starts
The urban romance drama "Love You", starring Zhang Linghe and Xu Ruohan, will premiere on Jiangsu Satellite TV and iQiyi on February 25. The drama is adapted from Sheng Li's novel "Loving You is the Best Thing I Have Ever Done".
Love You Poster
The ancient costume love comedy "Only This Jianghu Dream" produced by Qingchun Hello Media will be exclusively broadcast on Tencent Video from February 26. The drama started filming in the first quarter of 2022 and is now scheduled to be broadcast. It took a full three years and is starred by Gao Weiguang and Xuan Lu.
"Hard to Please"
The urban love drama "Hard to Woo" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jinjiang writer Zhu Yi. It is broadcast by Youku, directed by Qu Youning, and starred by Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan. The drama focuses on the two-way secret love and reconciliation between Sang Yan (played by Bai Jingting) and Wen Yifan (played by Zhang Ruonan) after they reunited because of sharing a house. It integrates real-life topics such as workplace and family, and uses "life stream narrative" to show the emotional push and pull and redemption of adults.
From the data, "Hard to Woo" had a strong start. Since the second day of its broadcast, it has firmly occupied the top spot in the daily ranking of the broadcast volume of the main film of the Lighthouse network, and it is also among the top in the Yunhe public opinion popularity list. On the third day of its broadcast, its popularity on Youku exceeded 10,000, setting a record for the fastest popularity of idol dramas on the platform.
In terms of public opinion, the drama was highly discussed, but the reviews were polarized.
Some viewers praised the production level of the drama. Director Qu Youning created a full sense of atmosphere, with scenes such as dim street lights and campus memories. The good-looking combination of Bai Jingting and Zhang Ruonan was also eye-catching. The Chongqing street scenes and daily life of sharing a house created a real sense of life, making the audience feel warm and healing. The story of Wen Yifan and Sang Yan's mutual growth and redemption was also touching.
However, many viewers have also criticized the plot, in the first 9 episodes, the heroine Wen Yifan was sexually harassed 6 times, which was accused of over-exploiting women's suffering, and the "saintly" character of the heroine who did not call the police and comforted the family of the perpetrator was criticized for distorting values. In addition, some special effects and scene switching were not refined enough and were also complained.
180-Day Restart Plan
Directed by Li Mo, written by Han Jianv and Su Lingzi, and starring Zhou Yutong and Wu Yue, the drama tells the story of Gu Yunsu, a post-90s who returned home after losing his job, and discovered that his 48-year-old mother was pregnant at an advanced age, thus starting a 180-day life of accompanying his mother during the birth of her child. A series of hilarious, yet warm and healing stories happened while he was getting along with his family.
In the real-time popularity rankings of Lighthouse Professional Edition, the drama hovered around 10th place after its premiere, and on Yunhe it even dropped to outside the top 15.
However, judging from the feedback from the public, the drama has a good reputation on social media platforms. Through the setting of "mother is pregnant at an advanced age and daughter becomes a caregiver", the drama not only establishes the positive inheritance of three generations of women in the family and society through the story of the conflict and reconciliation between the two, but also reflects the innovation of women's choices given by the times, reflecting the extremely unique intention of the drama, which can arouse strong resonance. Zhou Yutong and Wu Yue's acting skills are highly recognized, and other characters are also vivid, adding many highlights to the plot.
Some viewers also think that the plot is a bit exaggerated, and some plot settings are out of touch with real life, which to some extent affects the immersiveness of watching the show. The controversy caused by Zhou Yutong in the variety show seems to have not yet subsided and still has an impact on the series. Whether the subsequent reputation can expand the circle remains to be seen.
There is a Red House Under the Tree
Directed by Zhang Xiaoan, written by Wang Yuan, and starring Zhai Xiaowen, Zhou Keyu, Yang Xizi, etc., the drama is adapted from Xiao Ge's original novel of the same name. It tells the story of a small town girl Chen Huaner who moved to a big city with her parents and grew up with her friends Jing Qichi and Song Cong. The drama uses the "Red House" as an emotional bond to connect the characters' growth and bond over a decade. It not only tells the sour secret love of adolescence, but also the tenacity of facing the pressure of life after adulthood, and finally presents an "ordinary but real" epic of growth.
In terms of broadcast data, the drama performed well in the Lighthouse drama popularity rankings, and quickly entered the top ten after its broadcast. Considering the fame of its leading actors, it has already demonstrated its own popularity. Yunhe data ranked it around tenth, and the popularity of public opinion continued to rise, with the popularity of topic discussions and search volume steadily increasing.
The drama has sparked widespread discussion on social media. Audience feedback is quite diverse. Many viewers praised the drama for its excellent production and high-quality pictures. From costumes and props to post-production special effects, the crew's professionalism and dedication are fully demonstrated. The portrayal of the youth campus group in the drama is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. It not only has beautiful love, but also sincere and touching friendship and warm family affection, full of life. Some viewers said that following the drama is like flipping through their own youth diary, and they can empathize with it. The actors' lifelike acting is natural and unpretentious, and they shape the characters very vividly.
However, some viewers felt that the plot had some flaws. For example, the student days were too long and the career line was a bit hasty. Some individual plots (such as the details of Chen Huaner and Jing Qichi's long-distance relationship) were accused of "insufficient foreshadowing", which weakened the emotional impact.
Other recommendations:
"There is a Tree in Xiantai": The Law of Conservation in Xianxia Dramas
Exclusive interview | Actress Ying Er: "Never give up" is a powerful female force
【Variety Show】
The innovative family relationship growth reality show "Wife's Romantic Travel 2025" created by Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV has started broadcasting. Four cross-cultural couples are about to embark on a journey. Start an 18-day study tour to find the essence of marriage.
The first episode was released on February 21. The guests of this season are Jingshan Lu, Han Geng, Hu Jing, Zhu Zhaoxiang, Qi Wei and Li Chengxuan.
This Wednesday and Thursday, the third case of "The Great Detective: Pick Up Time Season" "Mangshan Notes" has been aired. On February 19, M190, Wei Xinwen (played by Wei Chen) and Tao Xishi (played by Wen Tao) were specially invited by the head of Mang Village to do a folklore interview. As soon as they entered the village, they were greeted by a special performance of the "crazy" style of the northwest. The scene was "crazy" and lively. After the performance, everyone visited the local characteristic cultural relic "Shancai Pottery Figurines", but found that Expert Zhen was "dead" under the rocks!
The seventh episode of "Happy Start Again·Mountain and Sea Season" was launched on February 21. Chen Chusheng, Lu Hu, Su Xing, Wang Yuexin, Wang Zhengliang, Zhang Yuan and six others experienced the Indian and Pakistani style hair salon. Some shed tears while others enjoyed it. Let's see who is the perfect player.
This week, the newest competition item of the 12th season of "The Brain" is "Four People Make a Lock". As the name suggests, each team of players must work together to decipher the "password lock". Six teams will appear together to crack the numbers within a limited time and compete for key points. It seems to be a simple challenge, but in fact it requires extremely high information integration, logical reasoning, and team communication skills. Any mistake in any link may cause the entire team to miss the chance to win!
This Thursday, Zhejiang Satellite TV's life observation reality show "Our Dad" aired its second episode. In the observation room, Wu Zun watched the way his father raised his child and said that he felt a little nervous watching "him" raise his child; Xu Xin shared his own parenting method, which was to bring competitions to the dinner table. What made Miao Miao say bluntly: "I haven't reached this stage yet, what should I do in the future?"
Today, the third season of the music live house reality show "Music Warehouse No. 17" will be launched at 20:20 on Zhejiang Satellite TV and 20:50 on the Z TV client. Warehouse managers Hu Xia, Bai Jugang, Xilinnayi Gao, Deng Jiaxin, and warehouse friends Tan Jiexi and Zao An will gather in Laifu Haoshi to discuss the performance repertoire.
Good morning
【cartoon】
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