The Battle at Lake Changjin II
The Battle at Lake Changjin II, also known as Water Gate Bridge, is a 2022 Chinese epic war film and the sequel to "The Battle at Lake Changjin" (2021). It was directed and produced by Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam and stars Wu Jing, Jackson Yee, and Duan Yihong. The film commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and is based on the historical fighting at Funchilin Pass during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. The film was released on 1 February 2022 (Chinese New Year). The  film grossed $676 million in China by the end of 17 April 2022. Plot. After fighting at Sinhung-ni and Hagaru-ri, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's 7th Company arrives at the Water Gate Bridge in the Funchilin Pass, which guards a strategic point on the American 1st Marine Division's retreat route, and the 7th Company engages in sniper action with the American forces. Production. "The Battle at Lake Changjin II" was filmed back-to-back with the preceding film "The Battle at Lake Changjin" in early 2021. According to Bona Film Group president and producer  Yu Dong, the film would "complete the story of the 7th Company and make people see why they are called the 'steel 7th Company. The production was led by the film office of the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Most of the film was shot in early 2021 with two crews, who shot for a combined total of 210 days. Some scenes were reshot at Hengdian World Studios in late 2021. The film uses extensive special effects, including millions of RMB worth of white sand that was transported to Hengdian for use as fake snow. Actors also wore  special makeup to simulate frostbite on the characters' faces. Actor Wu Jing said that the combat in this film was more difficult than in the preceding film. Release. On 13 January 2022, it was announced that the film would be released on 1 February (Chinese New Year) as a Chinese New Year film. It was released in IMAX theaters and formed part of IMAX's second-highest-grossing Chinese New Year after 2021. Yu Dong suggested in an interview that the production company might release a six-hour director's cut combining material from both "The Battle at Lake Changjin  and its sequel. Reception. Box office. By the end of 17 April 2022, the film has grossed () in the domestic Chinese market. The movie had a 641 million CNY ($100.7 million USD) debut day, for the second-biggest Chinese New Year opening day ever, approximately 35% below the record set by Detective Chinatown 3". The film earned a 3 day total of $241 million USD and a 5 day total of $351 million USD, beating the original film in both respects. in the first week of the Chinese New Year holidays, the movie ended up grossing $ 398 million USD, with 981 million CNY ($154 million USD) from its opening weekend. On its first two days in theaters, its average ticket price was between US$9.00 and $10.00, lower than the average ticket price for rival films "Snipers" and "Dunk for Future", possibly because "The Battle at Lake Changjin II" was more widely shown in lower-tier cities with lower ticket prices. Grosses began to drop after the first weekend, from $288 million CNY ($45 million USD) on Sunday to $189 million CNY ($29.7 million USD) on its first Monday. Critical  response. The film has been rated with a 7.2 out of 10 and a 9.6 out of 10 on Chinese aggregator sites Douban and Maoyan respectively, compared to 7.4 and 9.5 for its predecessor. Scott Mendelson of "Forbes" called the film a just action' flick" and said it was patriotic but "not quite nationalistic or terribly jingoistic".