iQIYI Releases 'The Long Night', the Fifth Suspense Drama of its Highly-Acclaimed 'Mist Theater' Content Library

BEIJING, Sept. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, exclusively premiered The Long Night, the fifth suspense drama in its highly-acclaimed Mist Theater series, on September 16. The drama, released by iQIYI and produced by Haoji Film, tells the story of a prosecutor who spends seven years searching for the truth in a perplexing case. Having received a rating of 9.2 on Douban, an influential Chinese social media platform known for its movie and TV show reviews, the Show represents the highest rated drama series produced in China's mainland over the past 20 months.

The Long Night features a multi-character narrative structure comprised of three timelines, calling upon the audience to piece together clues to understand the story's logic. Notably, the drama boasts a cast that includes Liao Fan, the first Chinese winner of the Silver Bear for the Best Actor Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, rising star Bai Yu, and versatile character actors Tan Zhuo and Ning Li.

iQIYI launched Mist Theater this year, making it the first online streaming platform to adopt a stylized theater-like category for online dramas. To date, the Company has released five high-quality short suspense dramas under the Mist Theater banner, namely Kidnapping Game, The Bad Kids, Crimson River, Sisyphus and now The Long Night.

iQIYI continues to innovate and explore different market segments, catering to the diverse preferences of its users. These dramas cover multiple themes, broadening Mist Theater's content offering with diverse creation perspectives, and filling many gaps in the domestic suspense genre.

Mist Theater has been a big hit with viewers since its debut as multiple dramas in the series have achieved an average rating of over 8 on Douban. Among them, The Bad Kids also peaked with a rating of 9.2 on Douban and has ranked first on various prestigious hot drama lists.

With widespread popularity and great reviews, Mist Theater has driven the rising confidence in China's burgeoning original drama series industry. Another major hit was the recently released Sisyphus, which achieved a popularity index score of 7,000 within just 18 hours of its release, making it an instant blockbuster drama. With the addition of The Long Night, iQIYI is expected to further strengthen the Mist Theater brand, which is now synonymous with high-quality short suspense dramas that have widespread appeal.

Mist Theater represents iQIYI's advanced and deepened play in the suspense segment, serving as a model of refined production in the online film and television industry. With its industry-leading philosophy of producing high quality online dramas, Mist Theater has generated a strong brand for its 12-episode short suspense dramas and quickly achieved scale. Going forward, Mist Theater will continue to offer more diversified content, broadening the imagination of users and continuing to push the limits of the drama genre.

About iQIYI, Inc.

iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user-generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.

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SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.