I was shocked to learn last week of the surprising success of Bi-Gan's “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” at the Chinese box-office. The film, which I reviewed earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, is as artsy as they come. Even some of the highest-browed critics I've spoken to have admitted how hard it was to follow the film's plot. However, thanks to a misleading promotional campaign which sold it as a romcom, Bi-Gan's film had record-breaking success at the Chinese box office. “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” earned $38 million in ticket sales, that is before Chinese audiences caught on and realized this wasn't the film they signed up for.
Read moreArt House Film ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ Breaking Box-Office Records In China
Consider me shocked by the surprising success Bi-Gan's “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is having at the Chinese box-office. The film, which I raved about earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, is as artsy as they come. Even some of the highest-browed critics I know have admitted how hard the film is to fully appreciate. However, don't say that to Chinese audiences who have made Bi Gan's film a record-breaking success in box office pre-sales. No doubt, this has to do with the film switching midway into an incredible, 59-minute one take sequence, in 3D no less. The plot is overtly-complicated, I'm still not sure what it's fully about, but the craft is beyond exceptional.
“Long Day’s Journey Into Night” has earned $15 million and counting in ticket sales, and it doesn't even open in China until December 31. It's set to open in U.S. theaters sometime next year.
Bi Gan’s ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ Is A Masterfully Mysterious Effort & Maybe The Best At Cannes [Review]
Read full review at The Playlist.