Movie theaters all over China were closed because of the COVID-19. So Lost in Russia became the first Chinese film to premiere (首映) online. Many people saw it as a milestone (里程碑) for Chinese film industry, as it showed the possible future of cooperation (合作) between the film and internet industries.
Directed and acted by Xu Zheng, the comedy(喜剧) is about a journey to Russia. The film tells that a middle-aged son wants to escape her mother's control.
It was planned to be released(发行) in theaters on January 25. But it was shown on video platform on January 24 instead. One day later, the film can be seen for free on mobile app and smart TV. Data showed that Lost in Russia was watched by more than 600 million people within three days.
Different from going to the theater, online premieres allow people to share their feelings by writing bullet comments (弹幕). During the premiere of Lost in Russia, there were over 100,000 bullet comments. They turned the film-watching experience into an online social activity.
Following Lost in Russia, two other films have premiered online so far: Enter the Fat Dragon on Feb 1 and The Winners on Mar 20.
