The Mermaid

The Mermaid centres on Liu Xuan, a wealthy property developer whose plans for a coastal reclamation project threaten the survival of a hidden community of mermaids. Sonar technology used in the area has already harmed many of them, so Shan, a young mermaid, is sent to deal with him. Her mission changes course when the two fall in love, and Xuan considers abandoning the project—only for the mermaids to face a worse danger.

Stephen Chow directed and co-wrote the film, which followed Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons as the tenth feature he directed. The screenplay is credited to Fung Chih-chiang, Chow and Ivy Kong Yuk-Yee, with Kong also among the producers. Lin Yun plays Shan and Deng Chao plays Liu Xuan, alongside Kitty Zhang, Show Lo, Tsui Hark and Wen Zhang, with 43 cast members credited in total.

Released in February 2016 and running 94 minutes, the Hong Kong-China co-production blends comedy, fantasy and romance. Made for a budget of 61 million US dollars, it took 554 million US dollars worldwide, a return far beyond its cost. On IMDb it holds 6.2 out of 10 from around 11,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.6 from roughly 500 votes. A critics' rating of 6.9 from 40 reviews places it slightly above both audience scores.