Female power rises: 'Captain Marvel' beats 'Alita' to take the lead

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With International Women's Day marked on Friday last week, the rising female power has also manifested itself in the film industry.

"Captain Marvel," Marvel Studio's first female-led superhero film, has successfully snitched the first place in the Chinese box office last week, three days after its debut in the country.

According to Maoyan, China's ticket service website, it has already garnered 594 million RMB (88.3 million U.S. dollars) as of Sunday, resetting the previous first-week box office record of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)'s single-hero film held by "Ant-Man" with 464 million RMB (69 million U.S. dollars).

A still from "Captain Marvel." /VCG Photo

But on Monday, its rating score on Douban.com has dropped to 7.0 from the previous 7.2, and on Maoyan, the score also dropped 0.1 points to 8.8. Douban is the Chinese rating website for films, books and music among others, similar to the Rotten Tomatoes website in the United States.

Most of the negative criticism hold that the character of the heroine, Carol Danvers or Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson, is only thinly depicted, without any development.

"After watching 'Iron Man', we know who Tony is, and after 'Spider-Man' we know who Peter Parker is, and yet when Carol Danvers standing in front of us after the film, she is still a complete stranger to us," a Douban.com user commented, saying that "Captain Marvel" has exposed the MCU's soft spot of the period of time.

Brie Larson attends Marvel Studios "Captain Marvel" premiere in Hollywood, California, March 04, 2019. /VCG Photo

"The MCU's superhero films have already fallen into a fixed pattern, and it is not quite difficult for the audience to predict what will come up before watching the film," the Doubaner said. "The pattern used to be an impenetrable helmet, but now it has turned into a cord which bonds itself."

The positive criticism still accounts for a larger portion, among which many speak highly of the film's representation of the superheroine and the rising female power she represents.

"Green Book" remains second in the box office. Pulling in 309 million RMB (45.9 million U.S. dollars) on Monday, it has already become the Oscar's Best Picture films with the second highest box office in China, following "Titanic" which grossed 946 million RMB (140.7 million U.S. dollars) when it was released in China in 2012.

"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" is on the third place with 323 million RMB (48 million U.S. dollars). Following it is "Alita: Battle Angel," last week's box office champion, with 858 million RMB (127.6 million U.S. dollars).

A poster for the Japanese animation film "Natsume's Book of Friends." /Photo via Douban.com

Japan's manga-based animation film "Natsume's Book of Friends" is on the fifth place of last week's box office ranking with an earning of 83.6 million yuan (12.4 million U.S. dollars) during the first week. It is already the highest among all Japanese films screened in China.

The film is about Natsume, an orphan who can see spirits, and his experience of contacting with the spirits after inheriting his grandmother's notebook she used to bind the spirits.

Most of the viewers said the story in the film is "simple yet heartwarming" which brings a subtle sense of touching to the sincere heart. The film is produced to mark the 10th anniversary of the manga's adaptation into cartoon series in 2008, and it has already enjoyed a large fan base in China.

Another poster for "Natsume's Book of Friends." /Photo via Douban.com

For some, their love of the film is also mingled with nostalgia of their own childhood, or youths.

"Natsume is still the same, and yet where is my youth?" a moviegoer wrote down on Douban.com. "I couldn't hold back my tears in the cinema, as I have expected, for those cured growing pains in my youth."

Debuting in China in the early Spring, the film has probably chosen the best season as well, as warm and courteous as its own rhythm and style.

A poster for "On the Balcony." /Photo via Douban.com

For this week, film enthusiasts could expect 13 new films, and most of them are small-budget productions. "On the Balcony" starring Zhou Dongyu, Golden Horse Best Actress award winner, is among the most anticipated. So does Japanese animation film "My Hero Academia: Two Heroes."

Love romance "More Than Blue," the box office champion in southeast China's Taiwan in 2018, and "The Crossing," also a youth film, are also expected to make their debut. But without any blockbusters to join the arena, "Captain Marvel" could be expected to continue its dominance.

(Top Image designed by Yin Yating)