A scene from Aftershock, featuring Xu Fan (center) in the main role. [China Daily]

Director Feng Xiaogang's Aftershock has been a box office success and moved viewers to tears but it has had mixed reviews. The movie focuses on a family during and after the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in Hebei province that claimed 240,000 lives.

According to Huayi Brothers, the film grossed 36.2 million yuan ($5.3 million) on the day it premiered, July 22, which was 200,000 yuan ($29,500) more than James Cameron's Avatar when it screened in China in January.

However, the numbers have caused controversy as critics say the figures are exaggerated.

In response, Feng fought back on Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

"Our elites are so worried the Americans will lose face. How can it be possible that a local film beats a Hollywood blockbuster? Something must be wrong!

"Sorry, I hurt your feelings, but the first day gross was 36.2 million yuan, or even more than that. Our nation has experienced many frustrations and that makes some of our people feel inferior all the time."

The State Administration of Radio, Film and TV, China's senior regulator of the industry, confirmed the figures to Sina.com last Thursday.

When filming started last year, Feng anticipated the film would gross 500 million yuan ($73.8 million) at the box office. By Friday, the film had raked in more than 400 million yuan, breaking the record of the highest-grossing Chinese film Founding of a Republic, which featured more than 100 stars and was directed by film mogul Han Sanping.

Aftershock has the benefit of Feng's directorial talents, a strong marketing campaign and the fact that it is the only major movie currently screening, on some 4,000 screens.

As for audience reactions, many viewers have been won over by the heartrending story of parental love and theater owners have even been keeping paper tissues handy for tearful viewers.

"What I feel after seeing the film is, children please cherish your parents and parents your children," says Xiao Jing, a 28-year-old teacher. "The film reminds me that family is the most precious treasure."

"The Tangshan earthquake was something I knew about but it was distant. The film is a vivid portrayal of the disaster, its repercussions and the dignity of the people who suffered," wrote a netizen.

An undeniably powerful filmmaker, director Feng Xiaogang knows his audience well and can make them laugh with his comedies or make them cry when it is a tragedy. [China Daily]

As for the critics, some complain that the story isn't really about Tangshan but is just a generic disaster movie. "The story would probably work just as well for any disaster, fire, flood, or another earthquake," says Sun Jie, a 28-year-old PR manager. "It has a grand name but does not present a grand scene. It is more like a family melodrama."

The film presents the four minutes or so of the earthquake in a breathtaking way, with convincing visual effects, but the rest of the movie is mainly about a mother's emotional reunion with her daughter, who is forced to fend for herself during the calamity.

Feng responded to these criticisms on his Sina Weibo microblog.

"The crime of 'scratching the scar of the nation to make money' would have sentenced me to death during the 'cultural revolution' (1966-1976).

"According to this logic, Saving Private Ryan manipulated emotions using dead soldiers; Schindler's List, the Jews; Titanic, those dead in the sunken ship; and Hibiscus Town, those who suffered during the 'cultural revolution'. I feel lucky that I am in a better era."

The outspoken director also explained the need for product placement in the film, which has also been a point of contention.

In the 135-minute film, there are at least six obvious product placements, including wine, insurance, a car and sportswear.

Feng responded by saying that is the reality of the Chinese film industry.

"The box office is almost the only way filmmakers can make a profit nowadays in China and this has forced us to find other ways to do so. The key is how to place products smartly."

However, few would disagree that Feng knows his audience well and can make them laugh with his comedies or make them cry when it is a tragedy, and that he is an undeniably powerful filmmaker.