'Lost in the Stars' dominates Dragon Boat Festival box office

Local residents are seen watching movie posters in Shenyang on June 24, 2023. Photo: VCG

Chinese suspense thriller Lost in the Stars has dominated the Dragon Boat Festival box office as it has bagged over 490 million yuan ($68.2 million) since its debut on Thursday, according to figures from box office tracking site Maoyan.

Starring Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni, and Wen Yongshan, the film tells the story of Li Muzi (Wen), who mysteriously disappears during a trip while her husband, He Fei (Zhu), desperately searches for her and gradually unravels the mystery with the help of renowned lawyer Chen Mai (Ni).

It has earned a 7/10 on popular Chinese review site Douban.

Cui Rui, the director of the film, told the Global Times that the audiences' high expectations for suspense thrillers nowadays pushed him to create multiple twists.

"In the past, having one major suspense plot and twist was enough, but now we need to constantly create twists. This is a challenge," Cui told the Global Times.

" I hope the audience experiences the thrill of a high-speed car chase while watching this movie."

The movie started shooting in December 2021.

After the release of the movie, numerous interpretations emerged on social media platforms.

Despite the risk of spoilers, Cui is not worried.

In his view, the process of unraveling the mysteries amid multiple twists and experiencing sudden realizations through intense contrasts is what captivates the audience the most.

"If there was only one twist, it might not meet the increasing demands of the audience," he said, noting the movie has multiple layers and that the visual experience is excellent.

"Even if some viewers know the answer, aren't they curious about why the culprit did it? How did they do it? And how are they ultimately brought to justice? The process is the most important."

Global Times