Once Upon a Time in the Middle East
Seeking a fresh start, chef Xu Fu travels to the Middle East to support his family and repay his debts. Alongside restaurant manager Ma Junsheng, he transforms the struggling Dragon Restaurant into a thriving business. But when war engulfs the city, their hard-won success is shattered and the restaurant becomes a refuge for those caught in the conflict. As danger closes in, Xu Fu must risk everything to protect his… From TMDB
54 reactions from 3 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon, TMDB reviews) · newest Oct 9, 2026 · last updated Oct 9, 2026 · How this works
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54 of 54 · most liked firstThere’s a movie called Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (Chinese title is better) out in China today about a chef who moves to a MENA (clearly Iraq) that is then invaded by US troops who are portrayed as invaders, but also victims of their own government. He becomes involved in saving children.
unlabelledView post →Πεταλουδίτσες μου, μην χάσετε την κινεζική αντιπολεμική ταινία «Once Upon a Time in the Middle East» όταν βγει στις αίθουσες ή αλλού. Αξίζει πραγματικά να την δείτε!
unlabelledView post →Seated for Once Upon a Time in the Middle East
unlabelledView post →China's submission for the 99th Academy Awards is Once Upon a Time in the Middle East starring Shen Teng and directed by Wen Muye #cdrama #chinesecinema youtu.be/TYKHXxCdGiU?...
unlabelledView post →Psst Go see this movie if you can 欢迎来龙餐馆 / Once Upon a Time in the Middle East US release is October 9, no streaming yet, slightly chaotic list of theaters here: wellgousa.com/films/once-u... youtu.be/iHDNxZF7LRw
unlabelledView post →You need to watch Once Upon a Time in the Middle East btw. Extremely important movie that seems to not have much discursive presence yet. I base this assessment partially on the somewhat breezy and informal tone of its wikipedia article.
unlabelledView post →Chinese "Barbenheimer" but it's Niu Lai and Once Upon A Time In The Middle East as the double feature
unlabelledView post →This is what happened with Once Upon a Time in the Middle East. When my love and I went for The Odyssey I dipped out to go to the loo after we got our seats and they showed a trailer during the five minutes I was away, so all I had to go on was her saying "this looks good, let's watch it"
unlabelledView post →my need to see Once Upon A Time In The Middle East is extremely high
unlabelledView post →New movies out today in Hong Kong: PRACTICAL MAGIC 2, GOOD VIBES ONLY, HOPE, I BLEW OUT THE CANDLES BEFORE MAKING A WISH, PHI PHONG: THE BLOOD DEMON, NIGHT FLOWERS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST (11/9)
unlabelledView post →I look forward to watching Once Upon A Time in the Middle East (2026) #filmsky #moviesky #OnceUponATimeintheMiddleEast #ChineseCinema #China youtu.be/CuloUbTZaSU?...
unlabelledView post →If Once Upon a Time in The Middle East is showing near you, I highly implore anyone to go watch it. 10000/10 movie of the year for me
unlabelledView post →ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST is the Chinese entry for the Oscar. The sort of film Unseen Films was set up to highlight, its uneven but an extremely emotional anti war film. Thank you @wellgousa.bsky.social for releasing a film that is not like others. Review soon Give it a try
unlabelledView post →Worth watching this. The Chinese anti-war film Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has been selected to represent the Chinese mainland in the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
unlabelledView post →Once Upon a Time in the Middle East is both a hopeful and incredible war picture. It is rousing and galvanizing as much as it is heartwarming and heart-wrenching.
unlabelledView post →I saw the new Chinese film Once Upon A Time In The Middle East today. You should watch the trailer, because this poster will not prepare you for what this movie is. I thought it was really well made. Incredibly engaging and moving at times, and quite tense as well. Plus great cooking scenes.
unlabelledView post →ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST sees a Chinese chef (Shen Teng) caught in the cross-fire of a brutal US invasion of an unnamed Middle East nation. There's a lot going on that's sure to raise a few eyebrows, but on a purely technical level, it's cooking on gas. marshattacks.com/2026/09/09/o...
unlabelledView post →Just watched Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (2026) on Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/georgia_pie/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-middle-east/ Post made with @letterboxdposter.finiteui.com
unlabelledView post →Dang, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East looks good, wish there was a way I could watch this www.youtube.com/watch?v=D98i...
unlabelledView post →This "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" sounds interesting. Have come across yet/heard of any possible UK release? 🙏🏼 bsky.app/profile/zhug...
unlabelledView post →Chinese film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" about the 2003 Iraq war emerges as summer hit in China www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1v...
unlabelledView post →Once Upon A Time In The Middle East
unlabelledView post →🎬 The Top 4 Drama Movies Released on October 9! What's your fave? 1. CM Punk: Best in the World 2. Ikiru 3. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East 4. Satantango 96 #Drama movies released today: https://todayinmovies.com/genres/oct-09?sort=rating#drama #FilmSky
unlabelledView post →♟️Some other intriguing and unique offerings at the Waterfront: Grandmasters, Once Upon A Time in the Middle East, V Many other horrors abound. Check our site for the full list. www.pghcinema.com/listings/c3b...
unlabelledView post →Next Week in Tickets for 9-15 October 2026: OTHER MOMMY, THE SOCIAL RECKONING, ANGEL AND THE BADMAN, YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST, V, NEVER AFTER DARK, THE BEAST, THE NORTH, LUCK FOR SALE, NAZA, ANIMALS, and 5 from South Asia open at Boston-area 'plexes.
unlabelledView post →ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST Review: An Emotional Feast Of Timely Proportions https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/once-upon-a-time-in-the-middle-east-wen-muye-well-go-usa-movie-review/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Reviews #onceuponatimeinthemiddleeast #shenteng
unlabelledView post →My latest newsletter: • Appofeniacs (lim) • California Schemin' (NYC/LA) • Friday the 13th • Ghost in the Cell (lim) • My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile (NYC) • Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (Regal Transit) • Stranglehold (VOD) www.heyhaveyouseen.com/week-ending-... #heyhaveyouseen
unlabelledView post →🎬 Top 4 Movies Released on October 9! What's your fave? 1. CM Punk: Best in the World (2012) 2. Ikiru (1952) 3. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (2026) 4. Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015) 228 movies released today: https://todayinmovies.com/oct-09?sort=rating #FilmSky
unlabelledView post →'Once Upon a Time in the Middle East' In theaters on October 9th
unlabelledView post →Love that China's official entry for the 2027 Oscars is called 'Once Upon A Time in The Middle East' (in US & Canadian cinemas 9 October!) Cheers to Letterboxd rando Darren who has made a list of everything using the "Once Upon A Time In" title format
unlabelledView post →#OnceUponaTimeintheMiddleEast is China's entry for International Feature, and it's a wild, epic ride. #Movies #Films #FilmSky sonic-cinema.com/wordpress/mo...
unlabelledView post →New Chinese movie Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (欢迎来龙餐馆) in Pittsburgh, from October 8. www.pennsylvasia.com/2026/10/new-...
unlabelledView post →欢迎来龙餐馆 Huānyíng lái Lóng Cānguǎn (Once Upon A Time In The Middle East) Directed by Wen Muye is China's entry to #Oscars2027 International Feature Film category - info, trailer and poster storytellertrailers.blogspot.com/2026/10/huan...
unlabelledView post →In wr/director Wen Mue’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST restaurant chef (Shen Tang) witnesses Iraqi corruption, cruelty of U.S. invasion & occupation leading to ISIS terrorism, while China epilogues care for kids in war. Et tu Ukraine war? 10/9 @wellgousa wellgousa.com/films/once-u...
unlabelledView post →"Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" is a Chinese anti-American propaganda film. But it's also compelling, engaging, and entertaining, with a story that focuses on the lives of local people during the fog of war and occupation. Recommended. planetdave.com/2026/10/film... #film #movies
unlabelledView post →New trailers for ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST, DOCTOR WHO: THE SATAN PIT EXTENDED CUT, DEVOUR, DEMON SLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE I, R.L. STINE'S PUMPKINHEAD 2 and VAMPIRE CARNIVAL www.theentertainmentfactor.com/2026/10/new-... #onceuponatimeinthemiddleeast #doctorwho #thesatanpit #demonslayer
unlabelledView post →The best verbal joke in Once Upon a Time in the Middle East which might get lost in translation is when (character S) smeared (side character)'s underwear with dried chili, causing massive discomfort in the latter, and (main character) says, bruh are you trying to cook 辣子鸡
unlabelledView post →"Avengers: Endgame Encore" topped China's box office Sept. 25-27 with $12.5M, bringing its China cume to $647.8M. "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" fell to second with $7.6M ($341.2M total). "All Wishes Come True!" held third at $4.6M ($296M). Crime comedy "The Old Fox" debuted fourth
unlabelledView post →The official trailer for Once Upon a Time in the Middle East is here. Shen Teng stars as a chef whose restaurant becomes a refuge when war engulfs the city. Wen Muye’s Chinese war drama hits North American theaters October 9. #GeekRealmHub #Movies #Film
unlabelledView post →The Chinese war drama Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, by Wen Muye, has been acquired by Well Go USA Entertainment for release in the U.S. in the Fall. More + Trailer: vimooz.me/bh93ij
unlabelledView post →An incredible scene from Once Upon a Time in the Middle East AKA Welcome to the Dragon Kitchen between the main character chef Xu Fu and an ABC GI.
unlabelledView post →Once Upon a Time in the Middle East is an Essential Movie for our Fractured Times kevinmathews.substack.com/p/once-upon-...
unlabelledView post →Trailer for 欢迎来龙餐馆/Once Upon A Time In The Middle East. Worth a look. youtu.be/vEqEfqm3P2I
unlabelledView post →China Box Office: ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’ Stays on Top as ‘The Odyssey’ Crosses $100 Million Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” held the number one spot at the mainland China box office for the fifth straight frame, collecting RMB52.9 m… #media #news
unlabelledView post →Once Upon A Time In The Middle East: another film about cooking that makes you hungry. And another Chinese film about a father going to another country for work. It’s a well made film but its politics is very questionable. Being set in a fictional Middle Eastern country does that.
unlabelledView post →5) The film everyone is talking about: “Once Upon A Time in the Middle East”, about a Chinese restaurant in thinly disguised wartime Iraq. SCMP gives it 3.5 stars out of 5. www.scmp.com/lifestyle/en... Not sure if I’ll can do another Five Shakes post next week, but definitely the week after.
unlabelledView post →China Box Office: ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’ Crosses $300 Million Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” retained the top spot at the mainland China box office for the fourth consecutive weekend, grossing RMB82.6 million ($12.1 million) over t… #media #news
unlabelledView post →Then, roughly a decade ago-China’s film industry discovered that social commentary could be commercially profitable. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,” which widens the radius of this commentary from the national to the global, is a natural extension of the trend.
unlabelledView post →China:“Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” is something new in China: a film about the outside world that treats its location as more than just a backdrop.
unlabelledView post →If you have the chance to watch Once Upon a Time in the Middle East please watch. #Movie #MiddleEast #China #Culture
unlabelledView post →China’s hottest movie right now is about a Chinese chef trying to run a restaurant in the middle of a war. Set in an Iraq-inspired Middle East, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has become a hit, and some viewers see something bigger in it:
unlabelledView post →Oh... there's no motivation I have to re-watch that movie. I'm looking forward to the movie "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East". I think it's coming out in theaters soon, but I'm not inclined to see it in a theater. Another new one is "Dear You". I'm impatient w/ unsubstantial flicks these days.
unlabelledView post →China Box Office: ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’ Dominates With $70 Million Weekend as Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Debuts Second https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://variety.com/2026/film/box-office/china-box-office-once-upon-a-time-in-the-middle-east-the-odyssey-1236836046/
unlabelledView post →I went into Welcome to Dragon Restaurant expecting another Shen Teng comedy — and walked out with my eyes swollen from crying. It far exceeded every expectation; this is not a comedy at all, but one of the most powerful anti-war films I've ever seen. Director Wen Muye never relies on spectacle or bloodshed to condemn war. Instead, he exposes its cruelty through contrast: a humble Chinese kitchen planted in the middle of a war zone, where a sizzling wok and a bowl of hot rice become the…
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