Double World
Double World is a 2020 fantasy action film based on the video game "Zhengtu". The film was directed by Teddy Chan and produced by Soi Cheang, and stars Henry Lau, Peter Ho, Lin Chenhan, and Jiang Luxia. Development began in 2016 and principal photography commenced in the second half of 2018. The film was initially scheduled to be released in November 2019, but was delayed to New Year's Day 2020. Finally due to the coronavirus pandemic, the film forgoed a theatrical release and was released to streaming on IQIYI in Mainland China and Netflix internationally in July  2020. Plot. "Double World" is set in the fictional world of Central Plains from the video game, in which there are ten kingdoms. There has been a long conflict between the kingdoms of Southern Zhao and Northern Yan. An assassination attempt on the King of Southern Zhao causes a war to break out, but with the lack of a field marshal, a tournament is held to find a new one. Three warriors were summoned from each of the eight big clans to participate in the contest. From the Qingyuan clan, Chu Hun (played by Peter Ho) known as a "deserter  among the villagers, and Dong Yilong (played by Henry Lau), a young orphan thief reminiscent of an Asian Aladdin" were selected. On the way, Chu and Dong run into a young girl skilled at martial arts, Jinggang (played by Lin Chenhan), and the three team up for the competition. In the meantime, they rescue Binu (Jiang Luxia), a slave of Northern Yan who lived in Southern Zhao. Development. Developed by Teddy Chan, the film is based on the MMORPG game "Zhengtu". The film had a reported budget of $43 million. Release. The film was released on IQIYI in China  on July 24, 2020 and in other territories via Netflix on July 25, 2020. The film broke the 72-hour revenue record for paid film premieres on the Chinese streaming platform IQIYI. PR Newswire noted the film was an instant hit in China with 400 million views on its first day. Reception. James March of "South China Morning Post" reviewed the film giving a score of 2.5 out of 5. Kung-Fu Kingdom gave a score of 7 out of 10.