New Chinese Epic Fantasy Film Set to Hit French Cinemas in 2024 After Limited Release

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A film compared to Lord of the Rings finally returns to France

Unless you are an extremely fan of Chinese cinema and were available right at the time of its lightning release in France, you have certainly never seen the first film in the trilogy Creation of the Gods. A few months ago, on the occasion of Chinese New Year, the film was screened in French cinemas for… two days. The opportunity still to bring together around 15,000 spectators, but not to make an impression despite some arguments in its favor. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Stormsits full name, is actually the first film in a trilogy directed by Wu Ershan, and suffice to say that the film was quickly compared to Lord of the Rings. It must be said that like Peter Jackson's famous trilogy, it is an adaptation of a classic novel of fantasy literature, although the original material does not come from the same region of the world.

Indeed, Creation of the Gods is the adaptation of The Investiture of the Gods, originally written in 16th century China. This first opus tells the story of the rise to power of an evil prince named Yin Shou. Obviously, the latter's reign will be challenged by a young hero named Ji Fa. As is often the case with Chinese fantasy films, expect a impressive staging and to visual effects to die for, even if plausibility is put aside. If this cultural difference does not bother you, or even fascinates you, know that you will finally be able to discover the first episode of this trilogy in French theaters. Indeed it is now official, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms will finally arrive in France on July 10.

A treatment reminiscent of another

If you like Asian cinema, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms' treatment might remind you of something else. Indeed, this is not the first time that a film from this part of the globe has been screened for just a few days in French cinemas. At the end of 2023, Godzilla Minus One had in fact only been entitled to two poor days on display even though it had still convinced a lot of spectators in this short time. Finally, it was then integrated into the official programming a few weeks later for a return with fanfares.

We sincerely hope that this type of method will not become a habit with Asian films, which can attract a lot of people even in France. Furthermore, while it required a colossal budget (close to that of James Cameron's Avatar), Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms is already a success in its country of origin. In fact, no less than 372 million dollars were collected at the box office, including 61 million admissions in China. It remains to be seen whether or not its release in France will result in international success.