Boonie Bears: Back to Earth

Boonie Bears: Back to Earth is a 2022 Chinese animated science fiction comedy film, the eighth film in the Boonie Bears series and the series' tenth anniversary film. The film is directed by Lin Huida. It was released in China on 1 February 2022.

Boonie Bears: Back to Earth
Chinese theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese熊出沒·重返地球
Simplified Chinese熊出没·重返地球
Hanyu PinyinXióng Chūmò: Chóngfǎn Dìqiú
Directed byLin Huida
Written byWan Qin
Xu Yun
Jiang Lin
Produced byZhang Bo
Xiao Yi
Edited byWu Lezhao
Tang Yuanzhi
Music byLi Zhiping
Production
company
Fantawild Animation
Distributed byFantawild Animation
Release date
  • 1 February 2022 (2022-02-01)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryChina
LanguageStandard Chinese
Box officeRMB 955 million ($152 million USD)[1]

Plot

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Bramble has always dreamed of becoming a great hero in order to gain recognition from everyone, especially his older brother, Briar. A piece of the alien nucleus that fell from the sky broke the peace of Pine Tree Mountain, but unexpectedly, Bramble merged with the alien nucleus and became a bear with alien wisdom and energy. However, this also brought about the pursuit of "alien" Avi who wanted to reclaim the nucleus. In order to do so, Avi deliberately causes trouble and turned Bramble's friends and family against him. Just as Avi was about to succeed, an attack by a mysterious high-tech army completely disrupted all plans and put Bramble's team and even the entire Earth in great danger. In the dire situation, Bramble and everyone worked together to defeat the villains and protect Avi's final home.[2][3][4]

Original voice cast

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  • Zhang Bingjun as Bramble
  • Zhang Wei as Briar
  • Tan Xiao as Vick
  • Li Wanyao as Avi
  • Cheng Ziyang
  • Liu Siqi

Release

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Boonie Bears: Back to Earth was released theatrically in China on 1 February 2022 as part of the Chinese New Year slate.[5][6] Official early screenings began on 15 and 16 January.[7][8]

Reception

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Writing in The Guardian, Phil Hoad awarded the film three stars, and considered the film to be lacking in originality, comparing its visual and plot similarities to the Transformers and Kung Fu Panda, but praised the detail of the animation and comedy, concluding that it was "an incoherent splurge, but it’s moving in the right direction".[9] Reviewer Rich Cline commented negatively on the under-developed theme and the "several moments in which all seems desperately lost", but praised the voice work, engagement, and animation, and overall gave the film three and a half stars.[10]

Box office

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The film grossed 106 million RMB on its day of release, the highest-ever single-day gross for an animated Chinese New Year film in China.[11] It was the highest-grossing animated film of the 2022 Chinese New Year period, grossing $563 million RMB (US$89.44 million) over the holiday its first week and earning an opening weekend of $249 million RMB.[12][13] On 28 March, it passed US$152 million to become the highest-grossing film in the Boonie Bears franchise.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "熊出没·重返地球". 猫眼电影. Archived from the original on 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  2. ^ "Spring Festival movie guide 2022 - China.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  3. ^ "Boonie Bears: Back to Earth set to hit theaters". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Trailer: 'Boonie Bears: Back To Earth'". Far East Films. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ^ "登月第一熊!动画电影《熊出没·重返地球》定档大年初一". 搜狐. 2021-12-13. Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  6. ^ "上映7天吸金超6亿,华强方特还能再造一个"熊出没"吗?-中新网". www.chinanews.com.cn. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  7. ^ 宁静海 (2022-01-12). "《熊出没·重返地球》发布新预告 1月15日开启点映". 动漫星空. Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  8. ^ 唐李晗; 羅帥 (2022-01-16). "《熊出沒·重返地球》超前點映 湖南方特邀數百名粉絲歡樂觀影". 人民網. Archived from the original on 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  9. ^ "Boonie Bears: Back to Earth review – Chinese animated blockbuster is messy but fun". the Guardian. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  10. ^ "Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films". www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  11. ^ "《熊出没·重返地球》单日票房破亿,春节档上座率第一". 搜狐. 2022-02-01. Archived from the original on 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  12. ^ "China Box Office: New 'Boonie Bears' Film Takes $89M Over Lunar New Year". Cartoon Brew. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  13. ^ "艺恩娱数".
  14. ^ "Boxoffice,China Boxoffice,China film Boxoffice,Weekly Boxoffice,Yearly Boxoffice-EntGroup". english.entgroup.cn.
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