The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2025
Operation Hadal 蛟龙行动: a ¥10亿 submarine epic that pulled itself from theaters
Bona's ¥10亿 sequel to Operation Red Sea grossed only ~¥4亿, was pulled from the Spring Festival slate, and re-released as a recut.
Bona Film Group · 2025-01-29
What happened
蛟龙行动 (Operation Hadal) is a 2025 Chinese submarine war film directed by Dante Lam 林超贤 and produced by Bona Film Group. It was the sequel to the 2018 hit Operation Red Sea and China's first nuclear-submarine-themed blockbuster.
The film reported a budget of ¥10亿 (1 billion RMB). It grossed only a little over ¥3.9–4.17亿 at the box office, far short of recovering its high production cost, which Chinese financial media described as a major loss.
On February 14 2025 Bona announced it would not extend the film's playing key beyond February 15, effectively pulling it from the Spring Festival slate. A 130-minute special edition was re-filed and re-released on August 30 2025, but the initial run had already cemented the flop.
Why it happened
- A ¥10亿 budget priced the film like a national blockbuster, but its box office of only ~¥4亿 left it around ¥6亿 short of recovery.
- A much-ridiculed '涉密' marketing stunt claimed actors had to hand-write lines to keep military secrets from foreign actors, drawing mockery and even discouraging some viewers.
- Critics noted the equipment and submarine designs looked closer to NATO and Russian hardware than the Chinese Navy's, undercutting the patriotic pitch.
- The film was pulled from theaters on February 15 2025, a rare collapse for a heavily hyped Spring Festival title.
The lesson
A huge budget does not buy a Chinese New Year hit: Operation Hadal cost ¥10亿 and grossed only ~¥4亿 because a ridiculed marketing stunt and a muddled patriotic pitch turned it into a major loss.
Sources
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