Once Upon a Time in the Middle East

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese歡迎來龍餐館
Simplified Chinese欢迎来龙餐馆
Literal meaningWelcome to the Dragon Restaurant
Hanyu PinyinHuānyíng lái Lóng Cānguǎn
Directed byWen Muye
Written byWen Muye
Lang Qunli
Wei Zhong
Produced byNing Hao
StarringShen Teng
Jiang Qiming
CinematographyWang Boxue
Music byHuang Chao
Production
companies
Release dates
  • August 11, 2026 (2026-08-11) (Mainland China)
  • September 11, 2026 (2026-09-11) (Australia)
  • September 11, 2026 (2026-09-11) (New Zealand)
  • September 11, 2026 (2026-09-11) (Malaysia)
  • September 17, 2026 (2026-09-17) (Singapore)
  • September 18, 2026 (2026-09-18) (Japan)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryChina
LanguagesMandarin
Arabic
English
Box officeCN¥1.931 billion ($299 million)

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (Chinese: 欢迎来龙餐馆; pinyin: Huānyíng lái Lóng Cānguǎn; Arabic: مرحبًا بكم في مطعمِ التنينِ, romanized: Marhaban bikum fi maṭ'am al-tannin, lit. 'Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant')[note 1] is a 2026 Chinese anti-war comedy-drama film written and directed by Wen Muye and starring Shen Teng and Jiang Qiming. The film tells the story of Xu Fu, a philanthropic chef at a Chinese restaurant in the fictional city of Bahata in the Middle East. When a war erupts with the United States, he transforms his restaurant into a refuge for a group of orphans trapped in the city, but he is caught in the crossfire.[1] Whereas most war films give focus to heroism and battles, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East distinguishes itself by offering a humane story of ordinary civilians struggling to survive.[2]

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East was released in China on 11 August. It quickly gained popularity, crossing CN¥1 billion in just 8 days, opening at number one on the Chinese box office charts.[3]

Despite the war depicted in the film being heavily implied to be the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the film never actually mentions what country it takes place in. Wen explained that he did not want to "limit it to any particular war" in history and emphasized the film's timeless and universal human themes, saying that the film's story could even be playing out in the present day.[4]

Cast

  • Shen Teng as Xu Fu, Chinese head chef of the Dragon Restaurant
  • Jiang Qiming as Ma Junsheng, Chinese floor manager of the Dragon Restaurant
  • Zhang Xiwei as Xu Le, Xu's daughter
  • Wei Qing as Xu's mother
  • Sherif Sabry as Zayd, an official of the country's regime and owner of the Dragon Restaurant
  • Omar Sherif as Seif, an orphan who becomes an apprentice at the Dragon Restaurant
  • Naira Al-Qasim as Lina, an orphanage teacher and Ma's fiancée
  • Karma Hasim as Susu
  • Yasmine Rahmy as Amina
  • Ahmed Salim as Ali, a terrorist warlord
  • Faruk Muhammad as Jamal, a child suicide bomber indoctrinated by Ali
  • Russell Shealy as Morgan, an American lieutenant officer from the 800th MP Brigade
  • Tanner Hagen as Joel Brady
  • Michael Koltes as Olwell
  • Jason Paul Field as Peter
  • Aarif Rahman as Tony Wang, a Chinese-American private first class from the 1st Armored Division

Production

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East was first conceived by Wen in 2017. Wen stated he was inspired by multiple accounts of Chinese immigrants who ran restaurants in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, finding a contrast between food as a symbol of life and war as a symbol of death. Chen Xianzhong, a restauranteur in Baghdad who used his restaurant as a sanctuary for journalists, doctors, refugees, and children,[5][6] and Liu Lei and Shuai Xuejun, two friends who opened the Chinese Dragon restaurant in the US-occupied Green Zone in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq were notable inspirations. Wen adapted many events seen in the film from their personal experiences and modeled the character of Xu Fu was closely after them.[6]

Prior to filming, Wen and the production team conducted several visits to the Middle East to survey locals and capture details to be authentically recreated by the film's art department on set.[4] Wen originally wanted to film entirely in the Middle East, but due to the region being embroiled in conflict, it became impossible. The set for Bahata was intensively constructed in full scale over the course of five months on a vast 100,000 square meter lot at the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis where a majority of the film was shot. A secondary ruined townscape was created in Shitanjing Subdistrict in Ningxia. Desert scenes were filmed in the Gobi Desert while a select few which required a Middle Eastern environment were filmed in the Egyptian Sahara.[7][8] Filming began in April 2024 and entered post-production in September of that year. The film was partially shot using IMAX.

Before release, the film had already generated widespread attention through word of mouth and the film's cast and crew making several public appearances. At Weibo Movie Night on 14 June 2026, Shen Teng passed out advertisements to guests, prompting directors in attendance to help promote the film at the event.[9]

Release

In May 2025, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East debuted at the 27th National Film Promotion Conference in Xiamen.

On 8 August, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East premiered in Shanghai Cinema SHO and was attended by the film's cast and crew.[10] Limited advance preview screenings were held from 8–10 August. The film was released in theaters nationwide on 11 August.

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East is scheduled to be released to Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand on 11 September, Singapore on 17 September, and Japan on 18 September. It is later scheduled to be released in North America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.[11]

Reception

Box office

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East earned over CN¥180 million ($26.6 million) on its opening day. In 8 days, it had surpassed CN¥1 billion ($148 million), ranking number one at the Chinese box office above Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey.[3] Once Upon a Time in the Middle East grossed $232.2 million by its second weekend, remaining number one at the Chinese box office.[12] As of 30 August 2026, the film has grossed over CN¥1.931 billion ($299 million) from more than 50 million ticket sales.[13][14]

Critical reception

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East received exceptionally positive reviews, earning an 8.7, 9.7, and 9.9 out of 10 score on Douban, Maoyan, and Tao Piao Piao respectively.[13][14] Chinese state media and commentators lauded Once Upon a Time in the Middle East for breaking the mold of Hollywood war films by representing the voices of non-combatants and casting the United States Army as invaders. They also praised the film's nuance and humanity for depicting neither side as pure villains or flawless heroes but as helpless people exploited in a traumatic conflict, describing it as a "more objective" and "distinctly Chinese perspective on war".[5][15] The film's neutral, anti-war theme was characterized by CGTN as an embodiment of core Chinese civilizational values, the uniquely Chinese philosophical ideals of "great peace under heaven" and "harmony is to be prized", and the Chinese foreign policy of a community of common destiny for mankind.[16][5]

Audience members deeply resonated with the film and praised it for its thought-provoking message on war and peace while avoiding preachiness, allowing viewers to have their own conclusions. Analysts viewed the film through the lens of the ongoing 2026 Iran War, interpreting the Loong Restaurant as an allegorical representation of China itself and Xu as Chinese mediation efforts in the war.[5] Others were impressed Shen Teng's dramatic range, his serious and emotional performance being a significant departure from his previous purely comedic characters that was highlighted as a career milestone by critics.[4][17]

However upon release, some found the film’s promotional materials misleading as they failed to clearly communicate the comedy's descent into a war. This confusion even caused some parents to mistakenly take their children to see Once Upon a Time in the Middle East expecting a lighthearted family-friendly comedy, only to find scenes of atrocities entirely unsuitable for young viewers.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also translated as Welcome to the Loong Restaurant. “Loong” is the phonetic transcription of Chinese 龙 (lóng, "dragon").

References

  1. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (17 August 2026). "China Box Office: 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' Dominates With $70 Million Weekend as Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' Debuts Second". Variety. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Tseng, Hugo (18 August 2026). "Beyond the Fog of War: A Chinese Critique of Empire and Everyday Survival in 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East'". City News Service (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Chinese war comedy tops 1 billion yuan, defying box-office slump". South China Morning Post. 18 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "A Chef Caught in a Middle East War Is China's Latest Hit". SixthTone. 14 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "China's New Hit Film Serves Up a Middle East War Parable at 'Dragon Restaurant'". The China-Global South Project. 15 August 2026. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 "《欢迎来龙餐馆》中沈腾角色有真实原型吗？战火伊拉克，"龙餐馆"老板守着一口锅既谋生也救人". 百度 (in Chinese). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  7. ↑ 青岛早报数字报-东方影都再造一个中东城镇. 青岛日报 (in Chinese). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Chinese anti-war drama dominates 'The Odyssey' at mainland box office". The Week. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "微博之夜"变"微博龙餐馆之夜"，沈腾逮谁都发传单. 扬子晚报网 (in Chinese). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  10. ↑ 上海出品《欢迎来龙餐馆》上海首映，文牧野沈腾解读"好好吃饭". 上海观察 (in Chinese). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Chinese war comedy 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' announces global release plan-Ecns.cn". ECNS. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (24 August 2026). "China Box Office: 'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' Stays on Top as 'V' Debuts in Second". Variety. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East". Maoyan (in Chinese). Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East". Endata (in Chinese). EntGroup. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "What does a hit film about the Iraq war say about Chinese views of the world?". South China Morning Post. 19 August 2026. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "《欢迎来龙餐馆》（Once Upon A Time in the Middle East）：一部中国反战题材电影正重塑全球电影叙事". Sina. 13 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Shen Teng delivers career-defining dramatic performance in Once Upon a Time in the Middle East". The Standard. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
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