The nightmare game has returned to China after 22 years as Dwayne Johnson is starring in the Jumanji reboot "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" set to open in China soon.
Director and screenwriter of the film, Jake Kasdan, appeared along with leading actor Dwayne Johnson and actress Karen Gillan in Beijing for the film's China premiere on Thursday.
The first installment of the Jumanji franchise, based on a 1981 fantasy children's picture book by the American author Chris Van Allsburg, directed by Joe Johnston and starring the late Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst, hit Chinese screens in 1996 as the first ever fantasy and visual effect blockbuster imported into the then conservative Chinese market which had only just allowed foreign films to enter.
The film stunned Chinese audiences, opening their eyes to Western spectacular productions, and it became a haunting memory of a generation as China’s first taste of the Hollywood fantasy genre.
"Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," may trigger the older generation's nostalgia and also appeal to new generations with its elements of adventure, fantasy and comedy, as well as the charm of Dwayne Johnson.
Set 21 years after the first film, the plot follows four teenagers who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji, playing characters they chose, and uniting with another player to overcome the game's magical power and fight the villain and his forces of predatory guards in order to win and be able to return home.
"We have so much fun in making it, I hope you also enjoy it and have fun," Karen Gillan told cheering audience members before the premiere screening.
The Sony/Columbia Pictures-produced film has received rave reviews from critics and has earned a worldwide total of US$342.7 million at box offices thus far before its release in China on Jan. 12, 2018.
Source: china.org by Zhang Rui