Chinese box-office hit The Mermaid coming to U.S. theaters
BY JONATHON DORNBUSH • @JMDORNBUSH
The Mermaid (MĚI RÉN YÚ)
Posted February 18 2016 — 4:20 PM EST
Stephen Chow, the man behind Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, is back with a new blockbuster. The Chinese box-office smash The Mermaid is coming stateside.
Sony Pictures announced that The Mermaid, which has already earned more than $348 million in China, will hit U.S. theaters on Feb. 19. Directed by Chow, the film follows a mermaid (Jelly Lin) on a mission to seduce and kill a wealthy, malevolent tycoon (Deng Chao), but ends up falling in love with him. The film also has set records opening in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.
The Washington Post reports that in the week following its opening (Feb. 8, Chinese Lunar New Year), the film helped raise China’s cumulative box office to a record-setting $548 million; that’s more than the American box office took in each of the first two weeks of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ opening in December 2015, according to Box Office Mojo. According to Sony, the film took in $66 million on its opening day, doubling The Force Awakens’ opening day in China.
While the film may not open on a scale to challenge the U.S.’ current box-office champion Deadpool, fans of Chow’s films and those curious about the latest craze sweeping one of the world’s biggest film markets will have a chance to see The Mermaid beginning this Friday. For a look at the film, check out the trailer below.