Summary
- Deep Sea opens in select cinemas nationwide on November 24, 2023.
- Viva Pictures acquired the North American rights to Deep Sea, emphasizing their commitment to breathtaking visuals and enthralling storytelling.
- Deep Sea achieved financial success in China, making $10.8 million over its opening weekend and a total of $136 million.
Shenxiu finds herself way in over her head in writer/director Tian Xiaopeng’s animated Shēn Hǎi (深海), aka Deep Sea. What started off as a simple family cruise turns into an underwater wonderland when Shenxiu (Wang Tingwen) finds herself in a strange, brightly colored kaleidoscopic realm deep beneath the stormy waters. Check out the mind-blowing trailer for Deep Sea below:
Viva Pictures acquired the North American rights to Xiaopeng’s animated, 3D adventure, Deep Sea. And the President of Viva Pictures, Victor Elizalde, said in a press release:
“Viva Pictures is honored to join forces once more with Mr. Tian Xiaopeng following our successful release of his movie, Monkey King: Hero Is Back, in 2015. Deep Sea represents a pivotal juncture at Viva, as we embrace a renewed commitment to championing cinematic artistry characterized by breathtaking visuals and enthralling story telling. Deep Sea is a truly unique cinematic experience that belongs on the big screen, continuing our ongoing dedication to theatrical releases.”
In addition to beginning a theatrical run in select cinemas across the United States on Black Friday, Deep Sea most recently appeared at the Denver Film Festival for a pair of showings (November 4 and 5). And Deep Sea was also nominated for Best Animated Film by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Check out the synopsis for Deep Sea, courtesy of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards website, below:
“Shenxiu was abandoned by her mother when she was a child. Since then, she’s had bad dreams about a monster called Nightmare. One day, she travels on a cruise ship with her family. On a stormy night, she sees Nightmare on the deck, humming her mother’s song and calling her to the sea. She falls and breaks into the fancy Deep Sea restaurant, in an old transformed submarine. She meets the Chef, Nanhe, and embarks on a mysterious journey.”
Related: Best Underwater Adventure Movies, Ranked
Deep Sea Opens in Select Cinemas
Viva Pictures
In the Chinese 3D adventure Deep Sea, Shenxiu (Tingwen) awakes underwater to find herself being guided by a creature known as the Hyjinx. It’s in the dreamlike world that Shenxiu comes across Nanhe (Su Xin) who is the chef of an underwater restaurant! The animated movie is scoring with critics, and Tian Xiaopeng’s jaw-dropping animation currently registers an impressive 80% on the Tomatometer.
Deep Sea also performed very well over its opening weekend when it debuted in China on January 22, 2023 (per The Numbers). Shenxiu’s underwater adventure made $10.8 million on 40,000+ screens to start its theatrical run. And to date, Xiaopeng’s film has made $136 million total in China. That bodes well for the movie since its production budget comes in at $80 million.
After debuting at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) back in January 2023, Deep Sea has enjoyed a prosperous run on the worldwide festival circuit, which includes stops and screenings at the Tribeca Festival (New York City), the BFI London Film Festival, SXSW Sydney (Australia) and the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Will Shenxiu be reunited with her mother and return to the surface world? Find out when Deep Sea opens in select cinemas nationwide on Black Friday, November 24. And fans can check out the full-sized movie poster, which appeared at the Berlin Film Festival below:
Berlin Film Festival
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