Editor's note: There are a huge number of movies, TV series and variety shows broadcast every week. How do you choose? You might want to take a look at the recommendations of The Paper.
【Movie】
Cinema Information
According to Lighthouse Professional Edition, as of 15:00 on March 21, the top four movies at the box office that day were: "Nezha: The Devil Child Conquers the Dragon King", "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Detective Chinatown 1900" and "Snow White".
On March 19, the Malaysian distributor of "Nezha 2" released a poster. The film's local box office exceeded 22 million ringgit (about 36.09 million yuan), surpassing "All or Nothing" to become the best-selling Chinese film in Malaysia.
On March 21, "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King" officially announced that the release key was extended again. In February, the film announced that the release date would be extended to March 30, and this time it was announced that the release date would be extended to April 30. As of 15:00 on March 21, according to Maoyan Professional Edition data, the global box office (including pre-sales) of "Nezha 2" has exceeded 15.2 billion yuan, of which North America ranked second with a box office of 20.33 million US dollars, and Hong Kong, China ranked third with a cumulative total of 6.334 million US dollars.
On March 21, the 4K restored version of "A Chinese Ghost Story" returned to the big screen. This restoration used advanced technology, and the smiles and frowns of Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong were clearer. The ghostly and fantastic scenes in the film fully displayed the oriental aesthetics. When the familiar theme song of the same name sounded, it was believed that it would evoke the memories of countless viewers.
Stills from Snow White
On March 21, Disney's live-action musical "Snow White" is released. This film is an innovative adaptation of the classic 1937 animation. Snow White, played by Rachel Ziegler, is no longer a weak image waiting for the prince to save her, but has the tenacity to control her fate. Gal Gadot plays the poisonous queen with a strong aura and a charming villain. In an era when women's stories are constantly being retold, let's see what new twists the classic princess story can bring.
→ Why does the live-action version of "Snow White" fail to please everyone?
"I'll Be Fine" , which was released on March 22, is a healing masterpiece that can make people laugh and cry. The girl Zhao Xiaoman, played by Zhang Zifeng, lives a dull and lonely life until the stray dog "Zhao Xiaoyi" appears. The film focuses on the end-of-life care of humans for pets. Unlike previous human-pet movies, it explores in depth how to face the life issue of farewell. The producer and screenwriter Xue Xiaolu continues the humanistic care of "Ocean Paradise". The delicate portrayal of the new director Dong Hongjie, coupled with Zhang Zifeng's smart performance, you can tell from the introduction that it is very tearful.
Audiences who like crime suspense films should not miss "The Angry River" which will be released on March 22. The story begins with the disappearance of Yu Na, a veterinarian at a pig farm, and leads to the horrific serial rape and murder case "The Evil Ghost Case" 20 years ago. The film was launched by the "HB+U New Director Support Program" and was brilliantly performed by powerful actors such as Ning Li, Wang Xun, and Liu Mintao.
Other recommendations:
"Nobody": The director is responsible for nostalgia and deeply entrusted to Dylan's songs
【TV drama】
The web drama "Daydream and Her" will be exclusively broadcast on Youku from March 24. The drama was filmed in 2023, starring Wang Zixiuan and Tang Xiaotian.
The nostalgic life drama "Born at the Right Time" started filming in Leshan, Sichuan on March 5, starring Guan Xiaotong, Wang Ziqi, Liu Lin, Guo Tao and Guo Xiaodong.
The prosecutorial-themed suspense drama "Prosecution" started filming on March 7, starring Hou Wenyuan and Zhang Guoli, and will be exclusively broadcast on Youku.
The crime suspense drama "Winter City Hunting" starring Wang Yang, Wan Qian and Liao Fan started filming in Dalian, Liaoning on March 10.
The criminal investigation suspense web drama "Crazy Black Fish" started filming on March 18, starring Wei Xiang, Sha Yi, Liu Yase, Wang Yanlin, Na Ran, and Gao Weiguang.
The criminal investigation drama "Secret Showdown" started filming on March 18, with Pan Yueming as the leading actor.
The TV series "The Love of a Pragmatist", adapted from the novel of the same name, started filming in Xiangyang, Hubei on March 18, starring Chen Feiyu and Sun Qian.
When the Wild Geese Return
This ancient costume suspense love drama directed by Yang Long and written by Cao Xiaotian is adapted from Qianshan Chake's novel "The Noble Lady Is Hard to Find in Rebirth". The drama is based on the story of Zhuang Hanyan (played by Chen Duling) who turned from an abandoned girl to a "noble lady in the capital", telling the story of her and Dali Temple Shaoqing Fu Yunxi (played by Xin Yunlai) from their alliance of interests to their joint efforts to break the deadlock. It combines elements of house fighting, suspense and power struggle, and adds a rebirth setting. The production highlights the restoration of Ming Dynasty Hanfu, and uses real-life Chinese gardens for shooting.
Stills from When the Wild Geese Return
The popularity on Tencent has exceeded 26,000. Although the series was aired and renamed from "The Lady" to "When the Wild Geese Return", the overall popularity is still considerable. Judging from the fermentation of topics on social platforms, it is the ups and downs and excitement of the plot that made the series break through the double disadvantages of airing and changing its name.
Judging from the overall public opinion feedback, the more than 30 sets of Ming Dynasty Hanfu in the play are exquisitely styled, the low-saturation pictures and symmetrical composition have been praised, the costumes and props are quite delicate, and the first three episodes of the plot throw out three suspense: murder, house fighting, and court conspiracy. The fast pace and strong reversal fit the preferences of young audiences. Chen Duling's "white-cutting-black" acting skills are also different from her previous image. Wang Yan's transformation and contribution to the role of "Smiling Tiger Aunt" may be another classic villain image in house fighting dramas.
Its core of female counterattack and intangible cultural heritage output are worthy of recognition, but the routine house fighting and the poor acting skills of the leading actors drag down the reputation. There are also many bugs in the process of constantly reversing the house fighting, such as the emotionally complicated mother-daughter line. If the suspense logic can be strengthened and the bloody plot can be weakened in the future, it may be able to counterattack with excellent production. Otherwise, it may be difficult to escape the controversy of "fast food ancient idol" and become another typical example of "explosive but not refined".
Yellow Bird
The drama was created by the original team of "Rivals", written by Wang Xiaoqiang, directed by Lu Lunchang, and starred by Guo Jingfei and Qin Lan. The drama is set in the southern city of Licheng Railway Station in 2004, focusing on the game between railway anti-pickpocketing elite Guo Pengfei (played by Guo Jingfei) and the theft gang. Through seven major theft cases, it connects the perspectives of the police, thieves, and the victims, showing the struggle of human nature and the battle between good and evil under the torrent of the times. The drama adopts the "life stream narrative + high-density case-solving" model and incorporates real anti-pickpocketing cases.
Stills from Yellow Bird
Despite the "all-star cast" and the suspense theme, the series is generally popular on iQiyi and has not yet broken through 8,000. It is also hovering outside the top five on lists such as Lighthouse and Yunhe. Public opinion feedback shows that because the first four episodes of the series have an average reversal every 10 minutes, the train roof pursuit, dressing room swap and other plots still attracted many viewers and were praised as "movie-level rhythm". The crew specially invited former anti-pickpocket police to guide and truly restore the criminal methods such as "blade hidden ring" and "deaf-mute theft group", which not only reflects professionalism but also takes into account the sense of drama. However, after the "high opening", it faced a split in reputation due to logical loopholes and production flaws. Its real case adaptation and group portrait portrayal show new possibilities for criminal investigation dramas, but the "magic reasoning" and suspension setting of Guo Jingfei's character weaken the texture of reality, and due to excessive jumps in editing, the timeline is unclear and the rhythm is chaotic, which is not very friendly to ordinary audiences.
"Death Tips"
Poster of "Fatal Hint"
"The Deadly Hint" is a suspenseful criminal investigation drama jointly launched by TVB and Youku, produced by Man Wai-hung, starring Chan Shan-chung, Cheung Chun-long, and Moon Lau. The series is based on the core setting of "mysterious text messages across time and space". It tells the story of Chief Inspector Guo Bofei (played by Chan Shan-chung) of the Serious Crime Unit and Police Inspector Jiang Xiwen (played by Cheung Chun-long) of the Intelligence Department. While investigating a serial dismemberment case, they continue to receive AI prompts that predict crimes, and set up the Mysterious Message Intelligence Department (ASIB) to solve the mystery. As TVB's first police drama that deeply integrates AI elements, its innovation is reflected in the dual-line narrative of "future clues + reality detection", combining bizarre cases such as spontaneous human combustion and missing children to explore the boundary between technology and crime. The first episode shocks the audience's senses with heavy-tasting plots such as dismembering a female undercover with a chainsaw and hiding a corpse in a garbage dump.
The series premiered simultaneously on Youku and TVB on March 17. Due to the unfamiliarity of the actors and production team, Youku's Hong Kong drama series was generally not popular, and ranked around 20 on the Lighthouse and Yunhe lists. Although the combination of "AI + criminal investigation" is quite innovative, and the close combat scenes directed by the Cheng family team are also eye-catching, the "heavy taste" images and logical flaws have led to a split in word of mouth, and it is a typical series that focuses on the current problems of Hong Kong dramas.
Other recommendations:
BBC four-part mini-series Miss Austen: A sister's perspective
【Variety Show】
Starting from March 21, "Sisters Who Make Waves 2025" (Sisters Who Make Waves 6) will be launched on Mango TV and broadcast every Friday and Saturday. This season's program breaks the previous studio recording mode and sets up the stage outdoors for the first time.
After watching the first stage, among the 30 sisters, who would you pick?
Born in 1963, Maggie Cheung becomes the oldest guest in the history of "Sister Lang"
In recent years, whenever the list of invited guests is released, there will be a wave of hot searches for the "most obscure" Pi Ge/Sister Lang. Judging from the situation in previous seasons, one season did start low and end low, while another season started low and ended wildly. However, looking back on the past, the memorable points left in these years are often not the stage itself, but the interactions between the participating guests backstage and in the dormitory, such as the term "Wang Luodan, don't ask", which became the number one hot search shortly after the launch of this season, and "Karina, don't do this", which was asked by Zhang Xiaowan and Guan Le for Xiaoka, and became the third hot search.
The fifth season of Shining Days has been online on Douyin for two weeks, with an update every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This artist life observation program has been broadcast on various platforms, from Tencent to Tencent and Mango TV, and now exclusively on Douyin. It has been displaced all the way, and has been "naked" for many seasons. It can only be said that it is a good deal to still be able to watch it. Looking through the Douban short reviews of the previous seasons, you can find that the significance of this program is to give many mid-level and bottom-level artists a chance to show themselves. Of course, the reason why the program can be self-sustaining within a certain range is also due to its "outrageous" content.
This week, the official cast of "Running Man 13" was announced: Li Chen, Zheng Kai, Sha Yi, Bai Lu, Zhou Shen, Fan Chengcheng, Song Yuqi, Zhang Zhenyuan, and "Running Friends" Meng Ziyi and Li Yunrui. Netizens expressed their great anticipation for "Yun and Meng Rao".
"I Smile When I See You" is an annual variety show launched by Tencent. It is currently in the intensive recording stage and is expected to be broadcast as a long-term fixed program. Positioned as a comedy interactive variety show, it combines game links with multi-scene switching. The resident guests include Yang Chaoyue, Chen Duling, Zhou Ye, Cheng Lei, Tan Jianci, Huang Zihongfan, etc. During the recording period, the crew also participated in the joint promotion, such as the actors of "Jin Yue Ru Ge" (starring Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei) and "When the Wild Goose Returns" (starring Chen Duling and Xin Yunlai) participated in the recording.
The exclusive after-work variety show for working people , "No Overtime Tonight", will be broadcast on Dragon TV every Saturday at 20:20 starting from March 22. The guest lineup includes Li Chuan, Pang Bo, Chui Nalisa, He Guangzhi, Zhang Weiwei, and Yu Youkuang.
