Once Upon a Time in the Middle East
2026 Chinese film written by Wen Muye
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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, lit. 'Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant') 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 Chinese chef in the fictional Middle Eastern city of Bahata. 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, saviorism, and grand battles, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East distinguishes itself by emphasizing war's indiscriminate destructiveness, offering a humane story of innocent civilians facing vulnerability and displacement while struggling to survive.[2]
| 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 meaning | Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Huānyíng lái Lóng Cānguǎn |
| Directed by | Wen Muye |
| Written by | Wen Muye Lang Qunli Wei Zhong |
| Produced by | Ning Hao |
| Starring | Shen Teng Jiang Qiming |
| Cinematography | Wang Boxue |
| Music by | Huang Chao |
Production company | Dirty Monkeys |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Languages | Mandarin Arabic English |
| Box office | CN¥1.3 billion (US$195 million) |
Once Upon a Time in the Middle East was released in China on 11 August 2026. It quickly gained popularity, crossing CN¥1 billion in just 8 days, reaching number one on 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 specified that he did not want to "limit it to any particular war" in history, aiming for universal humanitarian themes.[4]
Cast
- Shen Teng as Xu Fu, a chef at the Dragon Restaurant
- Jiang Qiming as Ma Junsheng, floor manager of the Dragon Restaurant
- Zhang Xiwei as Xu Le, Xu's daughter
- Wei Qing as Xu's mother
- Sherif Sabry as Zayd, the owner of the Dragon Restaurant
- Omar Sherif as Seif, an orphan
- 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 leader
- Faruk Muhammad as Jamal
- Aarif Rahman as Tony Wang
- Russel Shealy as Morgan, an American lieutenant
- Tanner Hagen as Joel Brady
- Michael Koltes as Olwell
- Jason Paul Field as Peter
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 operated restaurants in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, most notably Chen Xianzhong, a restauranteur in Baghdad who used his restaurant as a sanctuary for journalists, doctors, refugees, and children,[5][6] as well as Liu Lei and Shuai Xuejun, who opened a restaurant called China Dragon (Chinese: 中国龙; pinyin: Zhōngguó Lóng) in Baghdad in the aftermath of the invasion, suffering the hardships of war-torn Iraq. Many events depicted in the film were adapted directly from their personal experiences and the character of Xu Fu was closely modeled 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] The set for Bahata was built intensively over the course of five months, at 1:1 scale 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. Select desert scenes were filmed in the Gobi Desert while those which required a Middle Eastern climate 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.[9]
Before its 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.[10]
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.[11] 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 earned over CN¥180 million ($26.6 million) on its opening day. In 8 days, it had surpassed CN¥1 billion ($148 million).[3] The film has grossed over CN¥1.3 billion from over 35 million ticket sales, ranking number one on the Chinese box office.[9][12]
Reception
Once Upon a Time in the Middle East received exceptionally positive reviews, earning a 9.7 out of 10 on Maoyan.[9] Chinese state media lauded Once Upon a Time in the Middle East for breaking the mold of heroic Hollywood war films by casting Americans as antagonists and representing local perspectives, while managing to portray each side realistically with humanity and nuance.[5] Audiences 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. Some viewed the film through the lens of the ongoing 2026 Iran War, interpreting the Dragon Restaurant as a symbolic representation of China and drawing parallels between Xu's actions and Chinese mediation efforts in the Middle East.[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 described as a career milestone.[4][13]
However, some found the film’s promotional materials misleading as they failed to clearly communicate the film's wartime setting. 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 war and terrorism entirely unsuitable for young viewers.[4]