BEIJING, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The three patriotic films that debuted around the National Day, Oct. 1, have all been granted an extended theatrical run in China following their tremendous market success there, according to the films' distributors.
"The Captain," a blockbuster based on a real-life miraculous emergency landing, has been granted an extended theatrical run until Nov. 29 on the Chinese mainland, the film's co-distributor Huaxia Film Distribution said.
Debuting on Sept. 30, the film has generated a total box office revenue of more than 2.8 billion yuan (about 400 million U.S. dollars) on the mainland, ranking among the 10 highest-grossing films ever screened there, showed figures from the China Movie Data Information Network.
The emergency landing occurred on May 14, 2018, after the right side cockpit window of a Sichuan Airlines-operated Airbus A319 plane broke mid-flight over Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, at an altitude of 32,000 feet.
Part of the co-pilot's body was sucked out of the plane due to the sudden decompression and he was saved only by his seat belt. The plane lost most of its automated controls.
Pilot Liu Chuanjian managed to regain control and manually slowed the plane, making a successful landing in Chengdu, with all 119 passengers safe and sound.
The other two films are "My People, My Country," a film recalling important historical moments in China over the past seven decades, and "The Climbers," a cinematic depiction of the real-life expedition of Chinese mountaineers ascending Mount Qomolangma in 1960 and 1975, which both debuted on Sept. 30 and have been granted extended runs until late November, according to Huaxia Film Distribution.
"My People, My Country" also ranked among the 10 highest-grossing films ever screened on the Chinese mainland by raking in more than 2.8 billion yuan, while "The Climbers" achieved domestic success with total box office revenue of over 1 billion yuan.
The three patriotic films dominated Chinese theaters during the National Day holiday and generated a record 5 billion yuan of box office revenue from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7.
Their box office success indicates Chinese audiences' recognition of the filmmakers' innovative and enterprising spirit in artistic creation. Also, the national feeling displayed in the movies echoes the rising patriotic passion among the Chinese people, according to Sun Xianghui, director of the China Film Art Research Center.
"Either based on real-life events or inspired by historical moments, the three films are works that come in step with the pulse of the times with warm feelings," said Li Qian, a Beijing-based screenwriter.
