Netflix acquires Rene Liu’s Us And Them

Posted by

Netflix has acquired Chinese romantic drama Us And Them, the directorial debut of Taiwanese actress Rene Liu, which has grossed more than $200m in mainland China after 12 days on release.

Produced by Zhang Yibai, the film started life as a short story written by Liu who decided to turn it into a feature film.

Starring Jing Boran and Zhou Dongyu, the film revolves around a couple who fall in love on the train back home for Chinese New Year, struggle as a couple and eventually break up, but are reunited ten years later on a flight home.

“At Netflix we believe great stories transcend borders. We are always in search for great content that touches the audience’s hearts and we are thrilled to bring a beautiful film like Us And Them to the service,” said Netflix vice president, content (Asia), Rob Roy.

The strong box office results make Liu the highest-grossing female director for Chinese-language films. However, Us And Them has been mired in controversy due to allegations in the local press over manipulation of ticket sales and screen share.

Online ticketing platform Maoyan, which was a producer and distributor of the film, has been accused to selling refundable tickets to inflate presales figures and boost screen share.