Curse of the Golden Flower, director Zhang Yimou's latest Oscar hopeful, had a surprise screening at Beijing's New Century Wednesday morning.
Chinese actress Gong Li and actor Chow Yun-Fat in the movie
Most audience members gave high marks for the film after watching the movie, saying the movie is much better than Zhang's previous efforts, Hero and House of Flying Daggers.
The high-profile movie was quietly released this time. The exact time and venue of the screening was not revealed to the public before the premiere.
Moviegoers can buy a ticket only by sending a short message to wangpiao.com.cn's designated SM service or book online on the website.
Though the ticket costs are high at 160 yuan, most audience member felt it was worth the price after watching the movie.
The screening will last for one week starting Wednesday in Beijing.
The production company is screening the film commercially for a week to meet the requirements for lodging a best foreign film application at next year's Oscars.
The movie will be shown nationwide on December 23.
(CRI September 21, 2006)