In the past few days, the movie "Hua Qiangu" has continued to arouse discussion among netizens. On the one hand, after 10 days of the movie’s release, the box office has just broken through the 6 million mark, which is far lower than the prediction of 17 million to 40 million before the release; on the other hand, the movie’s reputation and ratings are dismal, and it was even rated as "the first bad start of the year" by CCTV Movie Channel. The box office and word-of-mouth are both lost, and behind them are new changes such as film and television drama creation and publicity that are worth thinking about.
In 2015, the TV series "Hua Qiangu" based on the online novel of the same name broke many records such as viewership and broadcast volume. Not only are the "Bone Painting Couple", Killing Qianmo, Sugar Treasure, Ni Mantian and other related characters deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, the theme song and interlude in the play are widely sung, and even the "Power of the Great Desolation" in the play has become a hot stalk of the year in one fell swoop. The drama version "Hua Qiangu" successfully developed the online text IP and created the Xianxia Ancient Idol track, which is still the "white moonlight" in the minds of many audiences. So, with its back to the top IP and sitting on the "audience filter", how did the movie version "Hua Qiangu" end up in such a situation?
Looking at the online and offline evaluations, it is not difficult to find that most fans of both novels and dramas dislike the movie version – the former feels that the adaptation is "unsuitable to the soil" and the logic depends on "brain supplementation"; the latter is confused about the plot and says it is difficult to understand. In terms of content, compared with the detailed restoration of 50 episodes of the TV series, the length of the movie is limited. By stuffing the detailed and rich novel plot into the capacity of 97 minutes, the narrative rhythm of the movie version seems to be doubled, omitting many key turns and transitions, making the characters and stories fall into the rut of upgrading and fighting monsters.
On the other hand, it is a matter of form. Objectively speaking, in recent years, domestic film and television dramas have generally been improving, and the audience’s aesthetic level has also been constantly improving. As a fairy and hero movie released in 2024, the movie version "Hua Qiangu" not only failed to give the audience artistic enjoyment and technological shock in the special effects presentation, but even lagged behind the 2015 drama version in some places, which inevitably disappointed the audience.
Due to the poor box office and reputation, the film director Zhang Chao apologized for the haircut video, which once again pushed the film into a frenzy of discussion. Zhang Chao Li said that the box office is now sorry for the producers and team partners, and four years of hard work and dedication have not been rewarded. Unfortunately, many netizens did not buy this apology, believing that the director’s move was equivalent to "sad-fishing".
In the end, the audience is running for IP, plot and characters, and will not simply buy it for their feelings. Compared with 2015, Ancient Idol + Xianxia can collide with fresh sparks. In recent years, all kinds of Xianxia Ancient Idol film and television works have come out one after another, which itself is not so fresh and attractive. If it cannot be presented with more creative designs and better quality, the film version not only cannot "borrow light", but also faces the comparison and doubts brought by "pearl jade first".
Whether it is a movie or a TV series, the feedback from the market and the audience has repeatedly explained the simple and important truth: by occupying the "big IP" and inviting traffic stars, even if the plot is full of loopholes and the special effects are flashy, they can top the charts. The era of fans is over. Quality is the must-kill skill forever. Creation with ingenuity, sincere presentation, and high-quality works are the last word. Only by truly respecting the production team and the audience can we truly win respect and harvest success.