Xiang83

Enjoy the second watch! You might feel like a kid in the candy store exploring the stars. That's what I mentioned in my review.

And during the first six days of CNY, many of us were admiring Tang Lici and more in this CNY video of Luo Yunxi: https://m.weibo.cn/status/5267396190541070

I believe the overseas news is heartening, in terms of more than symbolism. Yuen Woo-ping wanted to make this movie more than 8 years ago, and finally sought out Wu Jing. Wu Jing didn't have the confidence to be part of the project nor take on the main role when he first heard of it, also because he has endured a lot of criticisms plus he knows wuxia films in general receive a lot of criticism and they don't do well. He also asked someone else for a second opinion, and they voiced all the plausible logical reasons of a wuxia film not succeeding while saying NO.

But Yuen Woo-ping managed to inspire Wu Jing.

Wu Jing also became even more determined, even after reading the source material, hence Wu Jing also became primarily responsible for drawing investments for this project. That said, why film a wuxia movie that is highly likely not to recover its expenditure?

After listening to that someone else, Wu Jing thought he had a suitable reply for Yuen Woo-ping who went to find Wu Jing in-person. In that meeting, Yuen Woo-ping took Wu Jing's hand and told Wu Jing, "京，这可能是我人生中最后一部戏了。" (Jing, this could be the last movie I make.)

Wu Jing's only reply was integrally Dao Ma, even though he didn't know it yet. "我接了。”

This project would not have happened without Yuen Woo-ping plus Wu Jing. Wu Jing mortgaged some real estate to finance this film according to one news article. Wu Jing has also made a 10-year pact with director Li Tianchi to aid martial arts and action films in China through at least one initiative.

The first 7 days of Spring Festival buzz is over, and now the post-Spring Festival period is going to ride on the coattails of the first seven days. From today onwards, "Blades Of The Guardians" is going to go through the hardest days of aiming to recoup enough of its expenditure. Just like the first movie for "Creation Of The Gods", what will be the total takings at the end of the run for "Blades Of The Guardians"?

The China box office needs enough variety. China's box office has been recovering over the past three years for the Spring Festival, but doesn't hide or help the fundamental problems with weekly attendance rates over an entire year in every cinema, each year, post-pandemic. "Nezha 2" is an outlier.

Over in South Korea, "The King's Warden" is doing well, and I hope it hits the numbers needed to really help the film industry.

Enjoy the official end-credits Easter Egg using Doubao Seedance 2.0! https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5269922335956282

His father had become seriously ill, and all his brothers died in battle.

Ayuya was a ray of light to Heyi Xuan, but the engagement was broken off. Lao Mo also did not want his daughter married to what Lao Mo considered a madman. Without what he considered to be his light and the Pei generals giving him the solution he needed, Heyi Xuan murdered his father to gain full lawful position as head of his clan, to go against Lao Mo. And in doing so, "take back" Ayuya as the future wife belonging to him all along, which Heyi Xuan alludes to at least twice to Lao Mo in the movie.

Ci Sha said even though Heyi Xuan's actions looks illogical and incomprehensible at first, they are necessary.

“不得不” is the key of Heyi Xuan's actions.

Zhishilang is the biggest immediate threat to the Emporer, hence a bounty of 100,000 coins versus Daoma as the second-most-wanted fugitive of 30,000 coins. The Five Clans have been given the ultimatum of helping to apprehend Zhishilang or losing their heads. One thousand Sui troops are at the disposal of the Pei generals for this matter. Lao Mo refused to agree. The other three heads of the respective clans would follow Lao Mo's decision. Heyi Xuan's choices became too obvious to Heyi Xuan.

He was once told by a seer that he would be crowned with five feathers by his beloved. And the prophecy came true. Just as Heyi Xuan finally understood what the seer meant, so will you, the viewer.

Other preparations by Ci Sha included adopting the posture of Heyi Xuan, as drawn in the comics. Facial hair such as the thin moustache, and bells when riding a horse were part of this portrayal.

In his essay of a biography about Heyi Xuan, Ci Sha also wrote about the experiences of Heyi Xuan, the friends Heyi Xuan had, Heyi Xuan's life and the circumstances. All this was in preparation for the moment the camera rolls: When Ci Sha becomes Heyi Xuan.

"As long as I become HIM, I reckon that all his thoughts, his actions and his expressions will be in place."

Working with Yuen Woo-ping gave Ci Sha a broader sense of focus. He also carefully observed the different portrayals and attitudes of Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse and other senior actors conveying their characters, as well as different working styles of martial arts by martial artists.

"The biggest emotional takeaway is that no matter the place, the time or your age, you must maintain your passion of self."

When asked what is most important for a young actor to hold onto in this rapidly-changing environment, Ci Sha almost literally blurted out, "Pure love for acting." He paused and then added, "It is necessary to maintain pure love for acting, but also a certain sobriety (ie clarity in self-awareness) when choosing roles and works." - https://finance.sina.cn/2026-02-24/detail-inhnvysx2491788.d.html?vt=4

And here is Ci Sha in a BTS compilation, during his filming: https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5269585339089747

If we look at the international picture for films in general, it's fundamentally problematic: https://patrickvonsychowski.substack.com/p/summer-2025-the-cinema-industrys

The film industry, regardless of country, needs films such as "Pegasus 3", "Blades Of The Guardians", and "The King's Warden". I see them all as necessary. I believe "The King's Warden" should be able to reach 10 million cinema-goers. So far, my predictions for "Blades Of The Guardians" are correct.

When I write an article, I am acutely aware of the problem.

There are MDL users who are not aware and don't care. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but some people have no substance and no legs to fault productions if they are not paying for services that affect decisions in an industry, such as what types of films are being produced.

Meanwhile, I am sharing the extent of efforts different cast members put in, to make "Blades Of The Guardians": https://news.mydramalist.com/article/cinematic-wuxia-epic-blades-of-the-guardians-premieres-on-february-17#comment-25216214

In the fight between Wu Jing and Jet Li, there are several moves that wuxia fans might recognise them using. One is a specific move involving a kick from "Fist Of Legend" in 1994, when Jet Li fought Chin Siu-ho (this entire fight is awesome including switches between fighting styles, and pay extra attention after 2:39): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JypP_UY0VgM

The best fights showcase an individual's character plus tell a story within each fight sequence of an individual.

Yuen Woo-ping had the rare luxury of working with three wushu champions in certain fight scenes. Certain fight sequences can only be filmed with such martial arts veterans because no wires are possible with the dexterity and strength required between seasoned fighters going at each other 100% ie very dangerous unless professionally capable... Minimum qualifications include those who have been in the national team and represented China in wushu and/or prodigies in martial arts. There's one point during filming when Wu Jing, Jet Li, Zhang Jin and Yuen Woo-ping are looking at specific footage after Jet Li mentioned age was catching up, and Yuen Woo-ping said the movements (specifically Jet Li) are too fast!

Nicholas Tse was willing to risk his life and limbs given his allergies to horse hair, just to shoot this film. He had to take several antihistamine pills each time before each shooting, and the pills only last for 4 hours. He took the most pills during the shooting of the fight scenes with Wu Jing in the sandstorm. The intensive training they did with wirework for six months before shooting for the sandstorm scenes was necessary, because the risk of breaking an arm or leg or more is high when buffeted around in mid-air while swinging certain weapons.

Yu Shi didn't use any stand-ins when doing different leaps over burning oil (filming for the Dark Ox Flats).

For Wu Jing to fight and move the way he did in the trailer on horseback and on a horse is impressive, when you consider how many layers he is wearing in black throughout minimum-40-degrees-heat.

I'm grateful that I don't have to go through all that, and can sit in a cinema to see the fruits of all that toil.

Cinemas in many countries worldwide have suffered badly during Covid, and are still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of attendance. "Blades of The Guardians" contributes to this effort of helping cinemas by also drawing audiences aged 40 and above to the cinemas. Fans of the comic are curious, to see how characters have been conveyed. The movie adaptation of this manhua is a well-chosen bridge to younger generations who may not be familiar with Jin Yong's work and the concepts of wuxia.

I have watched this movie twice on IMAX screen. Sensation of being transported to experience a bird's eye-view is amazing, especially with the sandstorms, rolling vast sand dunes of the Gobi desert beautifully expansive and awe-inspiring, overlooking Mo Jia village, and glorious ending scenes. Pyrotechnics are insane. And each fight is wonderfully choreographed!

The ensemble cast really touched me with their efforts. Many of them them also wowed me with their portrayals. Ci Sha as Heyi Xuan is one of them, captivating me with his performance.

Ci Sha is a fan of the manhua, which was first serialised in July 2015 and is currently at 12 volumes licensed by Beijing United Publishing. Next week on 3 March, Kana will officially release Volume 1 in English.

Ci Sha read the manhua before being invited to be a part of the film. He watched the animation series by Tencent during casting, and wrote a long biography of his character which he sent to the author Xu Xianzhe, Yuen Woo-ping and Wu Jing. Discussing the inner world character of Heyi Xuan in his essay, he received approvals and he also contributed constructive suggestions to the script. For him, Heyi Xuan is psychologically complex (and I totally agree).

“成为角色本身，做好前期工作，写人物小传” - To become the character, prepare well with the preliminary work, and write a biography. He was joyous as a kid with a secret, when sharing in an exclusive interview about the audience being able to hear the bells of Heyi Xuan while riding the horse.

Hidden below the spoiler tag is what he went through, for his role:

The first episode is all shades of awesome! Wait till you see the second episode!

I was reading what Ci Sha did to get into the role. Literally everyone threw themselves 200% into their role. Chen Lijun got by with an average of 3 hours of sleep per night while filming in the desert, Nicholas is allergic to horse hair but insisted on taking antihistamine pills to complete the shooting for all of it including the sandstorms (the crew used the necessary to replicate a sandstorm so it was not on a green screen)- The details are almost insane but frankly, is very old-school.

The sand was so hot that normal shoes couldn't be used, so the cast had to wear special shoes plus layers of clothing (three to five layers) for filming. And the weight of various weapons- Wu Jing uses at least ten different weapons, while at least thirty different types of weapons were utilised for this film. All this is in minimum-40-degrees heat.

"Blades Of The Guardians" has already made huge history as a wuxia film and now the question is whether it will reach a certain figure to help this movie break even. Filming everything authentically on-location raises costs significantly, unlike green screens in studios and AI. Viewers aged 40 and above constitute the biggest demographics. Wuxia must be passed down and in the 1950s to 2010, that would be the likes of Jin Yong's novels. In this modern era, the manhua which has the first volume in English being released for sale on 3 March next week is likely to be the torchbearer to help forge a bridge to those novels.

Cinemas have not been doing well especially post-Covid, so it's great to hear "The King's Warden" is doing well.

Patrick's substack is focused on Asian cinema, and he notes the "The King's Warden" could be something special:

[ Korean theaters saw 3.23 million admissions across the four-day Lunar New Year period (14 to 17 Feb). But still way below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the Seolal holiday period averaged between 1.35 and 1.41 million daily admissions. This year’s four-day total works out to a daily average of roughly 808,000...

... The film attracted 1.41 million moviegoers from Friday to Sunday, bringing its cumulative audience to over 5.8 million in 19 days. Local media report that the film’s budget was KRW10.5 billion ($7.25 million) break-even point was approximately 2.6 million spectators. It is now being asked whether the film can go all the way and reach 10 million spectators, the old-era mark of a full -blown blockbuster.]

I have posted three updates on the "Blades of The Guardians" movie page. The results have been very impressive within 7 days, given all the limitations and disadvantages placed upon this film.

One more bit of news, before calling it a night for 23 February 2026:

Within 7 days of screening including today, "Blades of The Guardians" has grossed 800 million RMB as of 8.26 pm Beijing-time (Yanzi-niang looks lovely on that poster), also reversing many opinions of those who thought this movie would underperform and be overwhelmed in launching during this period:

https://www.sina.cn/news/detail/5269609559099732.html
https://www.163.com/dy/article/KMG088K00517RTVV.html

Despite having less than "Pegasus 3" and "Scare Out" in terms of number of screenings in film schedules available every day, "Blades of The Guardians" has now moved into second place for projection results of the Spring Festival box office takings.

Also due to word of mouth, including Maoyan score as high as 9.4 alongside Douban ratings, real-time audience data has forced domestic theatres to increase their number of film schedules for "Blades Of The Guardians", from a limited screening availability of 16.8% to currently at 19.3%.

Originally, Dengta and Maoyan predicted the film's total box office gross to be approximately 900 million RMB. This estimate has been raised six times in a row, and currently in the range of 1.5 billion to 1.6 billion RMB, as of tonight. The predicted overall forecast takings has increased by more than 80% from initial expectations.

185 days was spent in the desert for authenticity. No studio comforts or special effects for much of this film, which the cast and crew had to go through. Yuen Woo-ping refused to use green screens for all scenes. Instead of utilising AI to create thousands of troops, more than 70% of the actions scenes were shot in the desert whereby every cast member earned more than bruises and mouthfuls of sand. It is paying off :)

I'm glad you love it! I watched it twice with IMAX screens, and I am very impressed by how Ci Sha, Yu Shi, Li Yunxiao, Chen Lijun and other artists portrayed their roles.

What did you like best about it?

Kana (Abrams ComicArts) will release Volume 1 of the manhua/graphic novel in English, on 3 March. A total of 4 volumes in English will be released this year.

And lastly, one more update about the USA reception, which has been fantastic: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25211846

Lastly, "Blades of The Guardians" has grossed more than 800 million RMB within 7 days of screening: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25211958

"Blades Of The Guardians" is punching well above its weight domestically and internationally as a wuxia film to puncture initial expectations, including drawing a crossover audience in countries such as USA. In this recently-published article about the USA audience:

[ "Well Go USA is super pleased with the debut of its Chinese New Year’s title Blades of the Guardians... looking at an estimated $760k from 184 runs, including $282k from Thursday previews. Well Go says the audience is crossing over from the Chinese diaspora to mainstream action fans...

...“Crossover momentum is turning this into a true theatrical event, and we’re expanding to meet the demand,” says Jason Pfardrescher, EVP Distribution. He’s hoping to add at least 100 screens, which would be unusual as Chinese films don’t often move beyond their opening footprint. ] - https://deadline.com/2026/02/indie-film-box-office-blades-of-the-guardians-elvis-presley-1236732697/

In case you want to know how "Blades Of The Guardians" is faring at the box office: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25208004

Here is how "Blades of The Guardians" is faring, this far: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25208004

May you enjoy my update above!

You should. Pytheos will be in Shenzhen next week to watch this.

It was fantastic and amazing on IMAX for me to enjoy!

I have posted a total of 3 updates chockful of details for "Blades Of The Guardians" today, at the top of this drama page. "Blades of The Guardians" has grossed more than 800 million RMB within 7 days, and broken at least 10 records. In USA, the reception has been fantastic also due to crossover audiences.

The clarion call for wuxia fans exploded, and there are people who haven't watched a wuxia film for more than 20 years returning to cinemas.

Been busy for the first 6 days of CNY, hence only now have I posted an update for Blades of The Guardians, to help viewers get an accurate picture of how the movie is performing domestically: https://kisskh.at/767811-blades-of-the-guardians#comment-25208004

Woohoo! Enjoy Shenzhen! And IMAX is the way to go!

Yu Shi and Ci Sha did very well in their roles! I have posted a recent update as the newest of 141 comments posted to this page.

Well, Nezha is currently an animated cartoon in my mind not matching any actor 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂