Fans of the popular Japanese cartoon character Doraemon visit a special exhibition marking the 45th anniversary of the Doraemon manga series at Joy City mall in Beijing. Photo provided to China Daily
Takashi Yamazaki, one of the directors behind the movie, told media that he hopes Chinese moviegoers will "recollect" their childhood memories in the theaters", and reveals that he may shoot a sequel, if this film grosses more than 200 million yuan.
Yamazaki's hope for the film's box office takings seems destined to come true. The popularity of Stand By Me Doraemon on its first weekend saw the film go from being shown at 25 percent of the country's cinemas to around 35 percent of China's 23,600 screens on Monday.
Though nostalgia is widely accepted as a major explanation, some industry insiders regard the commercial success more relevant to the "good timing" during the fast expanding period of the world's second-largest market, which has maintained a 30-percent rising pace year-on-year since 2008.
"China's market has developed very fast in recent years. The major ticket buyers are 30-somethings who have become regular cinema-goers to take a relaxing break from the stresses of daily life," says Zheng Ye, the production department head of Shanghai-based Fundamental Films, which has a close connection with foreign markets.
"Stand By Me is not the first Doraemon movie to be introduced to China. The previous title was not so well received at the box office, as the market was not as mature as it is today," he tells China Daily.
Doraemon: Nobita No Kyoryu, about Noby's adventurous journey hunting for a dinosaur egg, only brought in 5 million yuan in the first week when it was released as the first Doraemon feature-length movie on the mainland on July 20, 2007.
Suo Yabin, a film professor and an animated title researcher at the Communication University of China, says the long-running animated series has an "oriental" flavor.
"It's about an ordinary child seeking to change his misfortunes and the bullying from schoolmates. But he never becomes a superhero or struggles for success, not like those frequently seen in Western animated productions," says Suo.
"For Chinese, it's a story close to their culture, education system and their childhood lives."
As the first Japanese movie to be shown in China in nearly three years after a Ultraman movie released in 2012, Stand By Me Doraemon is also being seen by some foreign media as a reflection of the improving relations between China and Japan.
