The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2024
Yi Ren Zhi Xia (异人之下): a ¥450M Wuershan IP epic that clawed back a fraction of its budget
Wuershan's ¥450M live-action adaptation of the 一人之下 manhua grossed about ¥120M in China, leaving backers with losses reported above ¥400M.
新丽传媒 (New Classics Media) · 阅文集团 (China Literature) · 2024-07-26
What happened
异人之下 was director Wuershan's big-budget live-action adaptation of the hugely popular 一人之下 manhua, released across mainland China on July 26, 2024. Total investment was reported at ¥450 million, and the project was planned as a trilogy with a large cast led by 胡先煦.
The film opened in a crowded summer slot opposite major competition and its box office collapsed quickly. By early August — about two weeks after release — cumulative receipts stood at roughly ¥117 million, with final take expected near ¥122 million.
Because the backers needed box office of roughly ¥1.5 billion to break even, the haul was a fraction of the target. Reports put the distributor's profit share at only about ¥37 million, implying a net loss in excess of ¥400 million on the first instalment.
Why it happened
- A ¥450M cinematic bet on a manhua IP was greenlit on franchise expectations that one film could not carry on its own.
- The film opened against a stacked summer lineup, and mixed reviews of the loose adaptation failed to convert the source manhua's enormous fanbase.
- Building a trilogy on a single film's theatrical economics meant the first film had to cover the whole franchise's cost, which it never came close to doing.
The lesson
Planned-franchise spending must not outrun what the first instalment can actually earn. IP alone does not guarantee a theatrical audience.
Sources
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