Journey to the West: The Demon Seal
Directed by Tsui Hark and produced by Stephen Chow, this sequel to The Monkey King: Quest for Afterlife follows the four disciples on their initial pilgrimage to subdue demons.
Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back is a fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Tsui Hark and produced and co-written by Stephen Chow. Released in mainland China on January 28, 2017, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, it serves as the sequel to Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013). The film stars Kris Wu as Tang Sanzang, Lin Gengxin as Sun Wukong, Yao Chen as Xiao Shan (a transformation of the White Bone Demon), Ba Ta'er as Sha Wujing, and Yang Yiwei as Zhu Bajie. Continuing the story from the previous installment, the four disciples have only recently formed their pilgrimage party. During their journey west, they encounter formidable foes such as the Perfected Lord of the Nine Palaces (played by Yao Chen) and the Little Emperor of the Biqiu Kingdom. Plagued by suspicion and misunderstanding, the master and disciples find their bond strained, forcing them to build trust as they strive to subdue demons. The film blends Tsui Hark's signature visual spectacles with Stephen Chow's comedic pacing, featuring grand special effects sequences. Before its release, pre-sales broke records for Chinese cinema by surpassing 176 million yuan. Within 19.5 hours of its premiere, the box office exceeded 312 million yuan, eventually earning approximately 1.656 billion yuan. It became the champion of the 2017 Spring Festival season and ranks among the highest-grossing action-fantasy films in Chinese cinematic history.