Jackson Yee (Yi Yangqianxi), one of China’s most acclaimed young actors, has once again demonstrated his unshakable popularity. His latest film, Crazy agealso starring Shu Qi, Mark Chao and Li Gengxi, surpassed 100 million yuan (~$14 million USD) in pre-sale earnings, setting a new personal milestone.
With Crazy ageJackson has now directed eight consecutive films that have each surpassed the 100 million yuan threshold in pre-sales – a remarkable feat, especially amid the general downturn in the Chinese film industry. Even top-tier comedians struggle to fill seats these days, yet Jackson continues to draw audiences in droves.
He boasts a 100% success rate, with all of his major roles included Better days, A small red flower, The Battle on Changjin Lake, Miracle: stupid guy, Water Gate Bridge, Full red riverAND Something about me—surpassing 1 billion yuan at the box office. At just 25 years old, Jackson has also surpassed 15 billion yuan in total box office receipts, making him the highest-grossing Chinese actor of the 2000s generation.
In Crazy ageJackson takes on a courageous challenge, playing five different roles. Directed by Bi Gan and praised for its dreamlike narrative, the film earned the Special price at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. While the narrative may seem abstract to mainstream moviegoers, the pre-sale success demonstrates the audience’s unwavering faith in Jackson’s performances and script choices.
According to QQ, this level of pre-sale revenue is rare for an arthouse film, where even total earnings often do not exceed 10 million yuan. Jackson’s star power turned him into a guarantee of both critical acclaim and commercial success.
Earlier this month, Jackson won Best Actor at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards for his role as Liu Chunhua in Something about me. This marks his fourth Best Actor nomination following previous nominations Better days (2020), A small red flower (2021) e Miracle: stupid guy (2022). He became the youngest actor in the history of the Golden Rooster to win the award and the first born in the 2000s to do so.
In just five years of focusing on cinema, Jackson Yee has not only gained critical recognition, but also redefined what a box office king looks like in modern Chinese cinema.
