iQIYI Expands Highly-Acclaimed Mist Theater with Launch of "Sisyphus"

BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, has expanded its highly-acclaimed Mist Theater, with the release of season 1 of Sisyphus on September 2.

Produced by iQIYI and co-produced by Give Me Five, a Beijing-based media company, the 12-episode Sisyphus is the fourth suspense thriller released as part of its Mist Theater. Starring Wang Qianyuan, Lu Han, and Qi Xi and directed by Wu Bai, the suspense drama has been well received by viewers since its release, scoring an average score of 8.0 on the influential media review platform Douban and 9.0 on the popular Q&A site Zhihu.

Sisyphus tells the story of Zhang Haifeng, a former police captain, who becomes involved in a serial murder case following the bizarre death of his only daughter. Zhang finds himself in a cat-and-mouse battle of wits with the main suspect as he attempts to unveil the truth. Using an interesting combination of suspense and a maze of twisted time and space, the drama depicts a thrilling detective case and takes Chinese suspense dramas into a bold new realm. Whereas traditional Chinese thrillers focus on the methods and psychological aspects of crimes, Sisyphus explores the complex inner process that drives the decision-making of the protagonist as he becomes ensnared in multiple time traps, providing an in-depth exploration and discourse of human nature.

With four distinctive suspense thrillers premiering in succession, iQIYI's Mist Theater meets users' diversified needs for content and has received widespread acclaim for its premium quality from viewers and industry professionals, fully reflecting the impact of the series. The three other dramas released earlier are Kidnapping Game, which combines suspense and romantic elements, The Bad Kids, a hit series that addresses the topic of home education, and Crimson River, which features a creative audiovisual style loaded with localized Chinese elements. The soft sci-fi series Sisyphus adds a new dimension to iQIYI's growing selection of suspense genre titles as the Company continues to deliver richer and more diversified viewing experiences to audiences.

The Bad Kids and other series such as We are All Alone, Tientsin Mystic 2, and Kidnapping Game all represent recent iQIYI works that reflect the Company's commitment to focusing on the quality of its story narratives, diversification of its content categories and exchange of cultural values. This focus on high-quality production standards is the key driver behind not only the continuous success of iQIYI's original productions but also the overall progression of Chinese entertainment productions.

Regarded as milestones of Chinese TV production, these shows are representative of iQIYI's emphasis on its progression in producing high-quality and diversified content. Going forward, iQIYI will continue fulfilling its commitment of producing only content of the highest quality by placing narratives and values at the center of its productions, and continue to produce breakthrough content that leads the production standard of Chinese entertainment content.

SOURCE iQIYI, Inc.