BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) — “Dead To Rights,” a film on the Nanjing Massacre, has taken China’s summer box office by storm, surpassing 1 billion yuan (about 140 million U.S. dollars) in just eight days.
Directed by Shen Ao, the film became the first post-Spring Festival release to achieve this box office milestone and has maintained its daily box office dominance in China since its July 25 debut, according to industry trackers Maoyan and Beacon.
The film has topped daily box office charts in all provincial-level regions across the Chinese mainland for five consecutive days through Friday. So far, it has attracted over 30 million admissions, reflecting its strong resonance with audiences.
Drawing on verified photographic evidence of Japanese wartime atrocities during the Nanjing Massacre, “Dead To Rights” tells the story of a group of Chinese civilians who seek refuge in a photography studio during the brutal occupation of Nanjing by Japanese aggressors.
In a desperate bid for survival, they are compelled to assist a Japanese military photographer in developing film, only to discover that the negatives contain damning evidence of atrocities committed by Japanese forces across the city. Determined to expose the truth, they secretly keep the negatives and risk their lives to smuggle them out to the outside world.
“In that era, photographs usually preserved life’s most cherished moments. A single image could carry an entire family’s memories,” said director Shen Ao in an interview. Yet during the Nanjing Massacre, he added, Japanese forces weaponized photography for propaganda. “The studio in our film holds the crimes they tried to erase. Truths that need to be exposed.”
The director stressed that few people truly understand how these photographic records of Japanese wartime atrocities survived, highlighting the film’s mission to depict how Chinese civilians risked their lives to preserve the damning evidence.
“Dead To Rights” currently holds an 8.6 out of 10 rating on Douban, a key film review site.
“The simplicity and restraint of the storytelling make every scene piercingly poignant. The few images — such as the knife held to a baby, the rolling heads, the red river of blood — are more than enough to communicate the horror,” observed a popular comment on Douban. The film avoids sensationalism, allowing these chilling images to speak for themselves, the comment added.
A Maoyan user recalled a touching moment after the screening, when a young girl asked her mother if there were any “post-credit scenes.” The mother gently replied, “The real ‘post-credit scene’ begins when we step out of the cinema.” The comment continued, “Indeed, the lively streets, the bustling crowds, the aroma of food in the air — these are the true miracles.” This sentiment captures the film’s profound message: a call to cherish the peace and vitality of modern China, all made possible by the sacrifices of the past.
Renowned director Feng Xiaoning hailed the film as “a new high point” for Chinese cinema. “When the film ended, the entire audience remained seated, unmoving, until the credits had fully rolled. Everyone was lost in deep thought,” he said in a video circulated widely. “I believe every Chinese, and everyone in the world with a conscience, will be shaken by this film.”
According to the latest projections, “Dead To Rights” is now expected to gross over 4 billion yuan in total revenue, an upward revision from earlier estimates. If achieved, it would become China’s second-highest-grossing film of the year so far, trailing only the animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2.” ■
