The odds were stacked firmly against Stephen Chow's The Mermaid when it was released in the US a little over two weeks ago. With only 34 U.S. theatres set to play the movie, the writing on the wall looked pretty gloomy for The Mermaid.          

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The movie being a 'comedy' was not an encouraging factor either as traditionally foreign comedy movies have never performed well at the US box office. Not to mention that there was literally zero marketing before the movie's release in the US.

But The Mermaid turned out to be a dark horse, beating all the ominous odds. Well into its second week, the movie has impressively grossed $2 million at the American Box office.  More importantly, it scored North America's biggest opening for a Chinese movie in a decade.

There can be little argument that the Chinese diaspora played a big role in  The Mermaid's roaring box office performance. But a movie cannot earn $2 million from the Chinese audience alone. This means that the American audience also contributed to the movie's success.

This is a rare feat considering that in the recent past Chinese movies have failed to bring American audience into theatres, let alone connect with them.   

This brings us to the curious question about how Stephen chow's movie managed to achieve this highly unlikely feet. After much contemplation, we have come up with three convincing reasons that apparently helps to explain why this fantasy comedy movie has struck a bond with the American audience.

The movie is filled with visual comedy

The reason why most Americans shy away from foreign movies - more so foreign comedy movies - is because they do not want to read subtitles. But with The Mermaid, that is not the case. That is because the movie's actors are so funny in their appearance and acting that they make most gags and comic scenes such a visual thing.

For instance, Taiwainese pop star Show Luo, who plays an octopus-man who can not always keep his tentacles in his pants, can make any non-Mandarin audience laugh out really hard.

The scene of lead actor Deng Chao trying to convince police officer that he was kidnapped by a Mermaid is a classic example of how 'visual comedy' can break the language barrier. The New York Times has called this scene "probably the funniest thing that'll play on a screen this year", and we agree.

The movie has a feel of true blockbuster

Cinema is all about defying the ordinary and making everything look 'larger than life'. The Mermaid epitomized this essence of cinema in every aspect - whether you consider the spectacular set, the expensive costumes or the impressive 3D effects. Stephen Chow incorporated all the elements of a blockbuster into making the movie. The American audience, which is known for enjoying larger than life movies, is apparently impressed with The Mermaid's authentic blockbuster feel.          

The movie gives a serious message, but not without lot of laughter

American audiences are no different when it comes to having low tolerance for preachy movies. However, they admire movies that preach important message, but without being pretentious or over-the-top. And if the movie can make them laugh really hard, then the better.        

The Mermaid striked all these fine balances immaculately. The movie's message of 'saving the ocean' touched on the sensitive issue of 'global warming', but it did so with so much light heartedness and humor. The fact that 'global warming' is probably more popular in America than anywhere else also helped the movie strike a chord with the U.S. audience.   

TagsStephen Chow, The Mermaid, chinese movies