The summer box office season in Chinese mainland for 2024 has come to a close, and the Cantonese opera film "Madam Xian" has made an impressive impact, grossing over 11 million yuan.

On its premiere, the film set five historical records for opera films in 2024, including the highest box office and highest audience attendance for both domestic and international opera films, as well as the highest number of screenings in a single day. The film's momentum was undeniable.

As of August 29th, "Madam Xian" has accumulated a total box office of 11.067 million yuan, with 233,000 admissions. In 2021, "White Snake" broke the Chinese opera film box office record within just 20 days of its release, surpassing 10.46 million yuan. Prior to this, the highest-grossing Chinese opera film was "Li Sanniang", which earned 10.4 million yuan.

"Madam Xian", following the success of "White Snake," is another innovative masterpiece in the realm of opera films from the collaboration between Pearl River Film Group and Guangdong Yueju Opera Theater. The film portrays the legendary life of Madam Xian, hailed as "the first heroine of China," using the distinctive expression of opera film. It won the Best Opera Film award at the 36th China Golden Rooster Awards.

As the second installment in the "Cantonese Opera Film Innovation Trilogy" following "White Snake," "Madam Xian" has seen its creative team embark on a roadshow spanning six events across five cities including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguansince July 15th.

During these roadshows, audiences frequently expressed a desire to watch "Madam Xian" multiple times but lamented the limited screenings available. "Promoting opera films has always been challenging, and we struggle with this as well," admitted Zeng Xiaomin, who plays the titular role of Xian Fu and serves as the chairwoman of the Guangdong Province Iheairisi Association and the director of Guangdong Yueju Opera Theater. She acknowledged that Cantonese opera films currently cannot compete with commercial blockbusters, often losing out on prime-time evening slots.

"I've long understood that for Cantonese opera to thrive, it must enter the market, resonate with audiences, and keep pace with the times, especially in meeting the aesthetic demands of new generations," Zeng Xiaomin explained. She remains committed to making Cantonese opera films and is ready to embrace all the challenges that film art and its conventions pose to opera performers. "Even though Cantonese opera films may not yet match the market size of commercial blockbusters, we are not discouraged. We believe that more and more people will come to love traditional culture."

What more can be done to expand the market for opera films and boost their box office performance? Besides enhancing the quality of the films themselves, it is suggested that cinemas provide more support in scheduling screenings for opera films. Additionally, marketing efforts could capitalize on the "local appeal" of opera films, playing to the emotional connection with regional audiences.

It is worth noting that approximately one-third of the box office revenue for "Madam Xian" came from her birthplace Maoming. Local audiences flocked to theaters to watch the film, drawn by the spirit of Madam Xian: "Only with a good heart", which is a commitment to always doing good and avoiding harm.

粤剧电影《谯国夫人》：为传统戏曲之美创造“大银幕表达”

2024年中国内地电影暑期档落下帷幕。在暑期档上映的粤剧电影《谯国夫人》，交出了逾1100万元的票房成绩。

首映当天，该片一口气打破2024年戏曲片内地票房、2024年国产戏曲片内地票房、2024年戏曲片观影人次、2024年国产戏曲片观影人次、内地影史戏曲片单日总场次五项影史纪录，势头迅猛。

据统计，截至8月29日，《谯国夫人》累计票房为1106.7万元，观看人次达23.3万。2021年，《白蛇传·情》在上映短短20天内便打破中国戏曲电影的票房纪录，票房超过1046万元。此前，中国戏曲电影票房最高纪录为《李三娘》的1044.87万元。

《谯国夫人》是继《白蛇传·情》后，珠江电影集团携手广东粤剧院在戏曲电影领域的又一创新力作。影片以戏曲电影的特色表达，展现“中国巾帼英雄第一人”冼夫人的传奇人生。该片荣获第36届中国电影金鸡奖最佳戏曲片奖。

继《白蛇传·情》之后，《谯国夫人》是“粤剧电影创新三部曲”的第二部。自7月15日起，《谯国夫人》主创团队接连奔赴深圳、上海、杭州、佛山、东莞五个城市进行六场路演。

几场路演中，总有观众提出，想多看几遍《谯国夫人》，奈何影院排片太少。“戏曲电影宣发素来不易，我们也为此苦恼。”在《谯国夫人》中饰演冼夫人一角的广东省剧协主席、广东粤剧院院长曾小敏坦承，目前来看，粤剧电影比不上商业大片，在排片上容易陷入劣势，“尤其难以争取到晚间黄金场次”。

“我很早就明白，粤剧要传承，必须走向市场，与观众共鸣、与时代同频，尤其要跟上新一代观众的审美需求。”曾小敏说，她坚持做粤剧电影，并为此坦然迎接电影艺术的形式和规律给粤剧演员带来的所有挑战。“尽管在当下，粤剧电影的市场规模还远远比不上商业大片，但我们不怕，因为未来一定会有越来越多的人爱上传统文化”。

戏曲电影要进一步扩大市场，提高票房，还可从哪些方面努力？除了做好戏曲电影内容本身，建议院线在排片上要给予戏曲电影更多支持；此外，在宣发上还可深挖戏曲电影的“在地性”，打“共情牌”。

据了解，《谯国夫人》就有约三分之一的票房，是由冼夫人故里茂名市贡献的。在茂名当地，观众纷纷走进影院，观看《谯国夫人》，感受冼夫人的“唯用一好心”精神。

文丨记者 黄宙辉
图丨出品方供图
翻译丨赵凡
英文审校丨林佳岱