“Article 20” was one of the highest-grossing movies during the Spring Festival holiday.
Zhang Yimou’s comedy drama “Article 20” opened in Australian cinemas on February 22. It will hit cinemas across the United States, Canada, the UK and Ireland on the 23rd.
The movie took in around 1.34 billion yuan (US$186 million) in revenue during the Spring Festival holiday from February 10 to 17.
With “YOLO”, “Pegasus 2” and “Boonie Bears: Time Twist”, they took up 97.7 percent of the total Spring Festival holiday box office revenue which was a record 8.02 billion yuan this year.
Starring Lei Jiayin, Ma Li and Zhao Liying, the film centers on Chinese prosecutors’ efforts to restore the truth of a challenging case and safeguard the fairness and justice of the judicial system.
The film combines elements of both reality and comedy.
The movie has aroused public concern on legal concepts and cases.
The movie title refers to Article 20 in China’s Criminal Law, which is about justifiable self-defense.
Based on real-life cases, the movie also showcases the development and progress of China’s legal concepts and judicial system. It has won widespread attention on the Internet.
On China’s film review website Douban, movie buff Ju Wujian praised director Zhang’s mature storytelling techniques that capture both reality and comedy.
“At the age of over 70, Zhang is still exploring new narrative forms,” Ju said. “Intertwined with multiple lines, the film provides an insight into the major legal difficulties in real life and promote the spirit of fairness and justice in law. “
