Li Bingbing and Chen Kun as Zhong Kui - Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal's Snow Girl and Zhong Kui Photos: Courtesy of Shan Shan

 

 

Poster for Zhong Kui

Wednesday was probably one of the busiest days of the year so far for movie journalists in Beijing, as two of the New Year holiday period's heavyweight films chose to hold premieres on the same day at almost the same time.

Zhong Kui - Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal and Wolf Totem didn't just choose the same day for their premiere, they will also be hitting theaters on the same day, February 19, the first day of the Chinese New Year. 

One of few movies in China filmed in 3D, Zhong Kui's producers are showing their ambition by going against French director Jean Jacques Annaud's Wolf Totem. The film cost about 200 million yuan ($32 million) to film the underworld and special effects that the film's main character, Zhong kui "The King of Ghosts," uses to fight against ghosts and monsters.

At the press conference, co-director Peter Pau said that every penny of the budget had been spent on the movie to include special effects and post production.

According to the film's producers, the film takes the mythology surrounding Zhong Kui, a scholar who is given power over ghosts after he commits suicide, and develops it into a more Western- style story with strong Hollywood-style special effects.

The story will follow Zhong Kui, played by actor Chen Kun, as he goes through three important stages in his life, or afterlife, as he grows into his role of The King of Ghosts, whose job  is to capture evil spirits and maintain order among the world of ghosts.

According to Pau the film will use the budding romantic relationship Zhong Kui develops with the film's titular Snow Girl (played by Li Bingbing), to explore Zhong Kui's trio of identities as man, ghost and god.

Global Times