Panda Plan

Panda Plan (Chinese: 熊猫計劃) is a 2024 Chinese action comedy film starring Jackie Chan. It was released in China on October 1, 2024.^[2]

Panda Plan
Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	熊猫計劃
Simplified Chinese	熊猫计划
Hanyu Pinyin	Xióngmāo jìhuà
Directed by	Luan Zhang
Written by	Wei Xu Meng Yida Luan Zhang
Produced by	Han Mei Wei Wang
Starring	Jackie Chan Xiang Wei Ce Shi Yanbo Han
Cinematography	Daxin Dong
Edited by	Yiding Ma
Music by	Yixin Huang
Production companies	Tianjin Maoyan Weiying Culture Media Emei Film Group Co., Ltd.
Distributed by	Tianjin Maoyan Weiying Culture Media
Release date	1 October 2024 (2024-10-01)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin
Budget	¥180 million (US$25 million)
Box office	US$42.2 million[1]

Plot

Jackie Chan plays a caricaturized version of himself as an international action film star who gets involved in the rescue operation to save a famous zoo panda named Hu Hu from mercenaries.^[3][4][5]

Cast

• Jackie Chan as Jackie
• Xiang Wei as David
• Ce Shi as Su Xiaozhu
• Yanbo Han as Cha Kun
• Dani Ray as Harry
• Andy Friend as Director

Production

The production was officially announced on August 10, 2023, including the participation of actors Jackie Chan and Yanbo Han. Filming was completed in October 2023. Chan lost consciousness while filming one scene in a headlock, which was released as a "behind the scenes" clip.^[6]

The official October 1, 2024 release date for China was announced on August 30, 2024. The film had a limited release in 25 North American cities on October 18, 2024.^[7]

Reception

The film grossed more than ¥261 million yuan (approximately $36.8 million) in its initial release in China.^[7]

James Marsh of the South China Morning Post gave the film 1 out of 5 stars, calling it a "tedious trudge through lazily choreographed fight sequences, sluggish chases, and torridly scripted interactions between Chan’s lethargic protagonist and an interchangeable ensemble of goofball mercenaries."^[8] Paul Bramhall of City on Fire was similarly unimpressed: "A charmless affair devoid of any purpose or entertainment value, at one point a bad guy says, “What is Jackie Chan doing here!?”, which is the same question anyone who dares watch it will likely also find themself asking."^[9] Nevertheless, taking it for what it is, Mike McGranaghan of The Aisle Seat called it an "infectiously silly" "fast-paced comic adventure" despite "a couple wrong notes."^[10]