China’s communists mark 90th birthday with big-budget film1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA big-budget film with an all-star cast opened on Thursday to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of China’s ruling Communist Party.
Beginning of the Great Revival features more than 100 well-known actors, including Hong Kong superstars Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau, who recreate the early years of the party that has ruled China since 1949.
The state-run China Film Group said it aimed to beat the 415 million yuan (65 million dollars) it took at the box office with its 2009 film The Founding of a Republic.
Tong Gang, the director of the State Administration of Film, Radio and Television, said at the Beijing premiere last week that the film was expected to take at least 1 billion yuan at the box office.
State enterprises have reportedly bought many tickets to distribute free to employees and their families.
Twenty state-run firms had bought all tickets for 30 showings of the film at Shanghai’s Yonghua Cinema City, marketing director Li Lan told the Global Times newspaper.
