Recently, the Wall Street Journal published a list of 2013's most notable Asian films, among which, Jay Chou's self-directed film "The Rooftop" has been listed.
Since its premiere in July, 2013, film "The Rooftop," a musical-action film created by Jay Chou, has not only renewed the box office record of Chinese musical films, but also gained high reputation both at home and abroad, becoming a milestone of Chinese musical films.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Asia's most notable films of 2013 include "Drug Wall" (China), "The Grandmaster" (Hong Kong), "Ilo Ilo" (Singapore), "Like Father, Like Son" (Japan), "The Missing Picture" (Cambodia), "Moebius" (South Korea), "The Rooftop" (Taiwan), "Snowpiercer" (South Korea), "Stray Dogs" (Taiwan), "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" (Taiwan).
The Wall Street Journal highly praised Jay Chou's "The Rooftop":
"Jay Chou's musical - a love story between a good-natured hooligan and a proper young woman, and which he directed - may look Baz Luhrmann-inspired with its vivid set pieces, but the pop singer may just as well have been invoking Francis Ford Coppola's ill-fated 1982 musical 'One From the Heart.' This movie isn't for everyone, but its imaginative movie-studio recreation of a seaside town and lively supporting cast made it a welcome summer treat for the willing."
"The Rooftop" is the second self-directed film after the production of film "Secret" in 2007. Since its debut in Chinese theaters, the Rooftop has pocketed over 120 million yuan, exceeding the 60 million yuan gained by the world-famous musical film "Les Misérables" in Chinese theaters.
The box office record of Chinese musical films has been renewed. After its premiere in South America, Jay Chou got recognized in the international film industry. Leading media such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported extensively on Jay Chou and "The Rooftop". "Making a musical was a daring step: The genre, which has plenty of precedents in Western cinema (think anything from 'The Sound of Music' to last year's 'Les Misérables'), is relatively unfamiliar to Chinese-language audiences and is rarely attempted by Chinese directors."