"Who Would Pay to Go to a Theater?"... Chinese COVID-19 Film Fails to Open

Film About Wuhan During COVID-19 in China
Starring Andy Lau and Others
Controversy Grows as Criticism Continues on Social Media

A Chinese film about the lockdown in Wuhan, Hubei Province, during the early days of COVID-19 has sparked controversy and ultimately failed to open on its scheduled release date.

On November 6, the film "Baekuiyeokhaengja" (白衣逆行者), which had been expected to open that day, was no longer available for booking on Chinese movie-ticketing platforms such as Maoyan, with its screening schedule removed.

Poster for "I Did It My Way," starring Andy Lau. Baidu

Production Company Makes No Comment on Release Schedule

On Douban, a Chinese movie-rating site, the film's release date was changed to 2027. The site's features for users to leave ratings and comments were also restricted.

The film drew attention for being directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Herman Yau and starring Andy Lau and Yang Zishan. Set in Wuhan in early 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread, it tells the story of medical workers, patients and residents helping one another amid the public health crisis.

On October 17, the production company announced through social media that the film would open across China on November 6, releasing a trailer with the line, "76 days, 10 million people, a road between life and death." However, ticket sales had yet to begin just days before the scheduled release, and no related posts appeared on social media even on opening day.

The production company has offered no explanation for the change to the release schedule. A popular film blogger wrote, "It was a film made with a budget of 200 million yuan (approximately 40.8 billion won), but everyone expected that it would ultimately be unable to open. No matter how popular the cast is, its box-office failure is all too obvious."

Criticism Continues on Social Media

Poster for the film “Baegui Yeokhaengja,” starring Andy Lau. Baidu.

Filming wrapped in December 2020, but the film failed to open for nearly six years before its screening schedule was finally confirmed last month. However, after news of its release broke, Chinese internet users voiced criticism of the film's purpose, saying they did not want to revisit the painful and difficult memories of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some users commented, "The wound has healed and scabbed over, so why reopen it?" and "Who would pay to go to a theater and relive that time?" Others said, "We shouldn't pretend that what needs to be remembered never happened," "I was a college student then, and now I'm working," and "Thinking about that time reminds me once again how precious everyday life is."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.