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The Academy Award-winning documentary "Free Solo" was released on the Chinese mainland last Friday.
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and mountaineer Jimmy Chin, "Free Solo" intimately records rock climber Alex Honnold's stunning and inspiring ascent of the 3,000-foot El Cap in America's Yosemite National Park in June 2017.
Alex has stunned viewers, as he practices the most dangerous form of rock climbing, free solo, which rejects any form of protective equipment and relies entirely on his own strength and skill instead.
You may also be interested in Oscar-winning 'Free Solo' climbs into China, 'Hobbs & Shaw' keeps lead.
(L-R) Evan Hayes, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Shannon Dill, Alex Honnold and Sanni McCandless accept the Documentary (Feature) award for "Free Solo" onstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo
"Free soloing is rock climbing where you don't use a rope or any safety equipment. It's just your hands, your feet and a chalk bag. Nobody has ever free soloed El Cap without a rope. People weren't even talking about it; it wasn't something that people in the climbing world were talking about, saying 'Oh, who's going to free solo El Cap?' Just because it seemed unthinkable," said Jimmy Chin, co-director of the film.
Despite receiving many positive reviews, the jaw-dropping film has not become a box office hit in China. It grossed about 22. 5 million yuan (about 3.2 million U.S. dollars) after four days, far below other Hollywood films running in Chinese cinemas.
In contrast, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," which was released in China in late August, raked in over 39 million U.S. dollars on its opening day.
Alex Honnold becomes the first person to climb El Capitan without a rope. /VCG Photo
"Benefiting from stunning visual effects and high investment, commercial films have been leading the market over the years. But 'Free Solo' also gained many followers, especially moviegoers who want to see something based on true stories," said Zhang Jiaxing, a manager at Beijing's Shuangjing UME movie theater.
On China's film review site Douban, "Free Solo" received a high rating of 9 out of 10, and many young moviegoers have gone to watch the film.
"Free Solo" also had limited screenings at the Beijing International Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival ahead of its official release on the Chinese mainland. All the viewings were sold out within minutes.