More than a safe landing

Film inspired by real-life event makes top 10 list at China's box office, Li Yingxue reports.

Starring Zhang Hanyu, Ou Hao, Du Jiang and Yuan Quan, The Captain had earned nearly 2.72 billion yuan ($383 million) by Wednesday since it hit theaters in China on Sept 30, joining the list of the top 10 films of all time at the country's box office.

Even though the winning blockbuster of this year's National Day holiday week was My People, My Country, The Captain's daily box-office takings have surpassed the anthology since Oct 5, and the gap between the commercial performance of the two films has narrowed since, according to box-office tracker Maoyan.

"We tried different ways to get the audience's attention, from the selection of the cast to the budget for special effects, and I'm glad it worked out," says Hong Kong director Andrew Lau.

Born in 1960, Lau started to direct films in 1990 and created the Young and Dangerous series. His works also include the Infernal Affairs trilogy, Initial D and The Founding of an Army.

The Captain is based on a real-life event in which Sichuan Airlines pilot Liu Chuanjian managed to land an Airbus A319 safely after the cockpit window broke at an altitude of nearly 10,000 meters en route to Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region, from Chongqing on May 14, 2018.