According to QQ, the competitive atmosphere of the 2026 Lunar New Year film season in China has not cooled down, but the gap in reputation and revenue between films has gradually become clear: some films are breaking against the trend, some films are disappointing beyond expectations.
Among them, the work directed by Zhang Yimou - "Kinh Trap Vo Thanh" - is a name that surprised many people because the revenue and scores did not meet expectations.
This is Zhang Yimou's first contemporary national security spy film, with continuous advice from security agencies and inspired by real secret leaks.
The work is predicted to be the "main card" of the Tet movie season but is mired in controversy both about quality and promotion strategy.
Among Chinese movies screened during Tet 2026, "Phi trì nhân sinh 3" received 7.4 points (leading revenue in the Tet season with 2.68 billion yuan); "Tiêu nhân: Phong khởi đại mạc" achieved 7.5 points and created a comeback in reputation; "Tinh hà nhập mộng" although low revenue also received 6.9 points; while "Kinh trập vô thanh" only achieved 6.2 points, ranking at the bottom of the list.
This achievement, placed next to Zhang Yimou's directorial position, is even more controversial.
Gloomy scores lead to revenue pressure. Although screenings always account for more than 20%, the revenue ratio of "Kinh Trap Vo Thanh" is only around 15%.
As a typical director of Chinese cinema, the work Zhang Yimou has always attracted attention, but this performance was not commensurate with his title of "national master", nor with the presence of a cast of A-list actors.
Before its release, Dich Duong Thien Ti confidently declared that she would strive to surpass the achievements of "Man Giang Hong" (revenue of 4.5 billion yuan). However, "Kinh Trap Vo Thanh" currently only reached 800 million yuan, predicting that revenue has now fallen below 1.6 billion yuan.
In that situation, the crew should have adjusted the promotion strategy, but the media team chose to cause controversy: instead of focusing on the main actors including Dich Duong Thien Ti, Chu Nhat Long, Tong Giai, they delved into Duong Mich's figure, even exaggerating unfounded rumors.
On the film crew's official video account, most of the recent content revolves around Duong Mich: editing scenes of disheveled clothes, exaggerating "vague" scenes between her and Chu Nhat Long.
Titles according to the content "Duong Mich is the lover, Luu Thi Thi is the main wife", "Chu Nhat Long cheats on Duong Mich" were spread, causing a serious security movie to be dragged down to the topic of "tabloids".
It is undeniable that the female spy character Bach Pham played by Duong Mich has the element of "beauty trap" in the script. She expresses contrast with delicate expressions and gestures, praised as a "prey-eating fox" style of acting. But "beauty trap" is only a part of the story, not synonymous with advertising that can exploit appearance too much.
Many viewers also pointed out that the problem lies in the way female characters are built. Duong Mich's role is considered a "sexy vase", while Luu Thi Thi - in the role of the chief architect of the quantum laboratory - is pushed into the "pregnancy, betrayed" line, becoming a tragic tool character. Two "little flowers 85" are labeled as characters lacking depth.
The media assessed that "Kinh Trap Vo Thanh" possesses a cast of talented actors, but the abilities of Dich Duong Thien Ti, Chu Nhat Long, Tong Giai are overshadowed between the controversial promotion strategy and the unbalanced way of exploiting characters.
Compared to the period when Zhang Yimou created classic female figures like Gong Li or Zhang Ziyi, many people think that he is repeating the old motif: either beautiful to the point of ostentation, or weak to the extreme, lacking the multi-dimensionality that once made his brand.
