The Coronavirus is still very much a threat to moviegoers, though the promise of a low-risk environment in certain areas in the mainland may prove beneficial for folks still aiming to catch Teddy Chan’s new fantasy action adventure, Double World, may prove beneficial.
For the time being, pre-release ticket sales are currently underway from Chinese streamer iQIYI, who have since jointly announced their release of the film through their premium video on demand (PVOD) mode beginning July 24, in association with Giant Pictures and Filmko Film. Netflix releasing the film outside the mainland beginning July 25.
In a fictional universe comprising ten nations. Seeing the neighboring country become more and more powerful, a warlord organizes a competition to reveal the best warriors. Hearing the news, Dong Yilong, a valiant young villager decides to take up the challenge despite the doubts of his village. So begins the journey.
Produced by Soi Cheang and budgeted at approximately RMB 300 million yuan, Double World took four years to develop from script to screen with special effects comprising 80% of the film’s runtime, and with VFX provided by More VFX (The Wandering Earth). The film stars Henry Lau, Peter Ho, Chenhan Lin, Luxia Jiang, Chung Him Law and Ming Hu.
The film’s PVOD release marks a continuing pattern of success for iQIYI since launching the format in January, firstly releasing Enter the Fat Dragon in February, followed by Knockout, Spring Tide and the Oscar-winning Marriage Story.
“This is a timely release as 2020 celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Zhengtu game. The Internet provides a fantastic avenue for Double World, an adaption of an online game, to reach audiences during this special period.” said Zhang Amu of GIANT PICTURES. “iQIYI’s partnership model provides us with a way to reach users and recoup our investment and the platform has drawn on its wealth of technical, co-marketing and streaming experience to make it a reality. We hope viewers enjoy this sincere work.”
“We intend to introduce more excellent films through this win-win model for producers, audiences and our platform,” Song Jia, General Manager of iQIYI Film Center said. “Since the COVID-19 outbreak, viewers haven’t seen any newly released films featuring powerful and stunning visual effects. Double World fills this void, providing a new movie-viewing experience to our users.”
