Wong Kar Wai's BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI to Premiere on The Criterion Channel

The Criterion Channel will premiere Blossoms Shanghai, created and directed by Wong Kar Wai, later this year. The 30-episode series opened in China to phenomenal success, topping TV ratings for its entire run and becoming the most-streamed television series nationwide.

Wong Kar Wai commented, “I am thrilled to continue my long-standing relationship with Criterion with the North American debut of my first series on the Criterion Channel. The series captures the vitality of Shanghai’s roaring 90s, revealing universal human truths about desire and destiny. We hope the series provides insight into the pivotal moment of China’s reinvention.”

Blossoms Shanghai is the first original episodic series by legendary filmmaker Wong Kar Wai. An adaptation of Jin Yucheng’s award-winning novel Blossoms, the series chronicles the ascent of self-made millionaire Ah Bao, the Jay Gatsby of Shanghai, during the economic boom that followed the opening of the Shanghai stock exchange. The major Chinese actor Hu Ge stars as Bao, personifying the idealism and adventurism that defined the 1990s. While In the Mood for Love pays tribute to the Shanghainese community in Hong Kong, Blossoms Shanghai is Wong Kar Wai’s first attempt to tell a story about his birthplace, at one of the most intriguing moment in its recent memory.

Blossoms Shanghai will join an extensive collection of Wong Kar Wai titles on the Criterion Channel, the North American home for his swoon-worthy filmography. The Criterion Collection released the stunning WORLD OF WONG KAR WAI box set in 2021, the most comprehensive collection ever released, featuring 4K digital restorations of his acclaimed feature films. The Criterion Channel features the DIRECTED BY WONG KAR WAI collection, with As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, and In the Mood for Love now streaming. In celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary, In the Mood for Love will also be returning to theaters this summer, starting June 27 in NYC at the IFC Center and Film at Lincoln Center, with a national rollout to follow. Criterion has also acquired streaming rights for Blossoms Shanghai in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. Additional details to be announced at a later date.