The stars of Warner Bros.’ Hollywood-China co-production ‘Meg 2: The Trench,’ Jason Statham and Wu Jing, were among the scores of actors and directors to walk the Shanghai red carpet Friday night.

The Shanghai International Film Festival kicked off on a triumphant note Friday night in China’s commercial capital as the country’s film industry threw open its doors to the global film community.

“Each section of this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival is fully back offline, and we are more than thrilled to meet all guests in-person again,” says Wenquan He, general manager of Shanghai International Film & TV Events Center. “We also extend our gratitude to the many films, guests, partners and cinephiles who have remained supportive and accompanied us throughout the year-long delay of the festival.” He adds: “2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Shanghai International Film Festival, which has become a celebration of the city that resonates with both the cinematic industry and ordinary cinephiles.”

And he says: “We hope to fully utilize the international platform that the festival provides to show the style of Chinese film creation to the world film industry, through forums, markets, and other activities.”

Another function that the Shanghai festival’s glitzy opening ceremony provides each year is as a promotional platform for China’s biggest upcoming summer blockbusters. That was certainly true on Friday night as a slew of directors and stars hit the Shanghai red carpet. Jason Statham brought Hollywood star power when appearing with British filmmaker Ben Wheatley, director of Warner Bros.’s next blockbuster, Meg 2: The Trench, and co-stars, male lead Trung. Quoc Ngo Kinh. Director Tran Dai Minh walked the carpet with actors Truong Ham Ngoc and Vivi, the main cast of his upcoming crime drama Unspoken for Huanxi Media. And the team behind The Ex-Files 4: Marry Plan, the latest installment of the hit comedy series, was also present. They include executive producer Wang Zhonglei, director Tian Hanyu and the full main cast: Han Geng, Zheng Kai, Yu Wenwen, Zhu Yanmanzi, Zeng Mengxue and Luo Mi. There were many Chinese stars attending.