Song Zu Er's movie 'won big', Yu Shu Xin was criticized by fans for her bad acting and was only worth 'inhaling smoke'

The rating war between Chinese blockbusters has never lost its place in the hearts of audiences. In addition to comparing films with each other, fans compete for the appeal of their idols in the entertainment industry, making this topic always a ho.t hit.

On May 13, the drama Kneeling , starring Liu Yu Ning and Song Zu Er, was unexpectedly broadcast and quickly became a hit with a popularity exceeding 23,000 after only half an hour. This is the first drama in 2025 to achieve this feat on the first day of its release, affirming its outstanding appeal in the increasingly saturated historical drama market.

In just the first 10 minutes of broadcasting, Khom Lung surpassed the 20,000 heat mark, 15 minutes later reached 22,000 and ended the first half hour at 23,315 heat points. This achievement helped Khom Lung rise to the top position among the most anticipated projects. Compared to works on the same platform, the film was outstanding from the first minute when it had an index nearly 1,000 points higher than competitors such as Vinh Da Tinh Ha starring Dinh Vu He and Ngu Thu Han (surpassed the 30,000 mark after 9 days of broadcasting).

Compared to When the Swallow Returns starring Tran Do Linh and Tran Van Lai, which took three days to surpass the 28,000 temperature mark, Khom Lung shows outstanding potential when many viewers predict that the film can completely reach the 30,000 mark in the coming days. Notably, before airing, Khom Lung had 3 million people making reservations to watch (as of noon on May 13).

Regarding the main cast, Liu Yu Ning, with a height of 1m89, the image of a war general and the original voice, has successfully built the image of a "heroic general" with the charisma of the character Wei Shao. Fightin.g scenes such as "riding a horse to save the world" or "single-handedly swinging a spear" are becoming ho.t topics in the content creation community on social networks.

Continuing to return after the tax scanda.l, Song Zu Er still received a lot of attention when returning to the historical genre. The female lead role with bright red costumes and the "marry first - love later" plot setting along with a 30cm height difference with her co-star helped her create a strong discussion effect.

On the other hand, Kneeling is adapted from the novel of the same name by author Bong Lai Khach, which already has a stable fan base thanks to the theme of "family feud - mutual redemption". The TV version has removed controversial details in the original, focusing on the elements of power and the maturity of the female lead character.

Set in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, a period of turmoil and conflict, Kneeling revolves around the long-standing feud between two great families: the Qiao family and the Wei family. The female protagonists Xiao Qiao (played by Song Zu Er), the youngest daughter of the Qiao family, and Wei Shao (played by Liu Yu Ning), the young master of the Wei family, are sworn enemies. However, through political events and power struggles, the two are forced into a marriage. From confrontation and suspicion to gradual affection and understanding, their love story becomes a thread connecting personal grudges and the turbulent times.

Kneeling impressed with its "surprise broadcast" strategy (no prior announcement) combined with highlights such as forced kissing scenes, blood.y battlefields... which were analyzed and spread effectively on social media platforms, helping the film cover the entire network.

Since completing filming in 2023, the film has maintained its heat thanks to a series of trailers, behind-the-scenes photos, and "fake schedule changes" that have kept audiences waiting and increasing expectations.

Besides the compliments, Kneeling also received some mixed opinions. Some viewers said that Liu Yu Ning's ancient costume was not really convincing, while Song Zu Er was commented to have a "swollen face". In addition, minimizing the emotional element to emphasize the political and power-oriented line also made some fans of the original work unsatisfied.

However, most of the responses were positive. Experts said that if there were no errors in the script or broadcast schedule, Kneeling could have become the first historical blockbuster of the year.

With cinematic image quality, epic battlefield settings and a fast pace, Kneeling is highly regarded by observers for its potential to create a breakthrough. Tencent is said to be applying the strategy of "first 6 episodes - testing the audience's taste" to accelerate the spreading effect.

The main competitor of Kneeling is currently Vo Uu Do - a key historical drama produced by iQIYI. However, with the advantage of a dramatic plot and a ho.t pair of actors, Kneeling is having a stronger start.

The phenomenon of "Ho.t Before It's Aired" of Khom Lung on one hand shows that the market is still thirsty for quality historical projects, but on the other hand, it also raises questions about the risks of the "calling the wolf too much" strategy - when fake rescheduling can "erode" the audience's patience.

However, with an explosive start and positive effects from both content and acting, Knee.l is showing signs of becoming the first explosive on the Chinese historical front in the first half of 2025.

Chinese movie "shelved" suddenly makes a comeback, female lead escapes the spotlight after scanda.l? Hướng Dương22:18:18 12/04/2025It was noticed and expected to air right from the time the cast was announced, but because of the female lead's controversy, this work was shelved for a long time. It seemed like there would be no chance of a comeback, but a miracle happened.