No Curse for Zhang Yimou’s Martial Arts Epic

If you enjoyed Hero and House of Flying Daggers, you may just need some room in your list of favorites for Zhang Yimou’s latest big-budget martial arts epic: Curse of the Golden Flower.

It seems the talented director has found the golden ticket, audiences are captivated by his latest effort and the success may translate internationally as well.

Curse of the Golden Flower recently finished its opening weekend in China with 96 million yuans (roughly $12.3 million) at the box office. This more than doubles the old record set four years ago by Zhang with his first action-epic film, Hero, starring Jet Li. Hero made $6.04 million during its opening weekend, an undeniably high amount for Chinese audiences at the time. 

"Unspeakable secrets are hidden within the Forbidden City..."   

The story, set in 10th century, Tang Dynasty China, tells of an ill-fated romance between an imperial bodyguard and a prince. The relationship takes the lovers on a dangerous journey where royal family secrets are revealed. Against a moonlit night, thousands of golden chrysanthemum blossoms are trampled as blood spills across the Imperial Palace.

Set amidst lush scenery and breathtaking cinematography, Zhang takes his newest film to a whole new level of even grander proportions.

The film stars Chow Yun-Fat (Bulletproof Monk, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) (pictured above left) as the emperor. Gong Li (Memoirs of a Geisha, Miami Vice) (pictured bottom right), has starred in many of Zhang Yimou's films in the past, and plays the empress in his latest masterpiece.

Curse of the Golden Flower cost a reported $45 million to make. As the most expensive Chinese film to date, the verdict is out on whether it will shortly reap back its production costs. With such a strong start in the Chinese market and positive reviews from international critics so far, the outlook seems favorable.

Starting this week, the film will be released in the rest of Asia and throughout North America. It opens in US theaters on December 22nd.  

Watch previews at the official website here.