Movies Like Once Upon a Time (2017)

Once Upon a Time is a 2017 drama, fantasy, romance film from Zhao Xiaoding with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with New Gods: Nezha Reborn and Monkey King: Hero Is Back.

Drama Fantasy Romance

New Gods: Nezha Reborn

2021

While living as an ordinary deliveryman and motor racing fan, Nezha encounters old nemeses and must rediscover his powers to protect his loved ones.

8.1

MagicScore

Monkey King: Hero Is Back

2015

The all-powerful Monkey King once roamed freely between Heaven and Earth, but after angering the Gods, he was imprisoned within an ice cage deep within the mountains. 500 years later, monsters attack a small village and a child flees to the mountains. Unknowingly, the child releases the Monkey King from his curse. With the help and encouragement from this special child, Monkey King saves the village from the evil monsters.

6.9

MagicScore

To Live

1994

Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.

8.1

MagicScore

Hibiscus Town

1987

Based on a novel by the same name written by Gu Hua, a melodrama about the life and travails of a young woman who lives through the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.

7.9

MagicScore

Comrades, Almost a Love Story

1996

Jun arrives in Hong Kong from mainland China, hoping to be able to earn enough money to marry his girlfriend back home. He meets the streetwise Qiao and they become friends. As friendship turns into love, problems develop, and although they seem meant for each other they somehow keep missing out.

7.8

MagicScore

Millennium Actress

2002

Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.

7.8

MagicScore

White Snake

2019

One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, and together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. But as they learn more about her past, they uncover a darker plot of supernatural forces vying for power, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

7.7

MagicScore

The Road Home

1999

Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.

7.5

MagicScore

Destiny

1921

As a young couple stops and rests in a small village inn, the man is abducted by Death and is sequestered behind a huge doorless, windowless wall. The woman finds a mystic entrance and is met by Death, who tells her three separate stories set in exotic locales, all involving circumstances similar to hers.

7.4

MagicScore

#10

Lust, Caution

2007

During World War II, a secret agent must seduce and assassinate an official who works for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai.

7.3

MagicScore

#11

The Painted Veil

2006

A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Still Life

2006

A town in Fengjie county is gradually being demolished and flooded to make way for the Three Gorges Dam. A man and woman visit the town to locate their estranged spouses, and become witness to the societal changes.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

SoulMate

2016

The films spans two decades as the story unfolds in a series of flashbacks that begin when Qiyue and Ansheng were just thirteen. The two became inseparable until they met a boy who ended up tearing their lives apart.

7.1

MagicScore

#14

Forever Young

2018

From World War, to revolution and ultimately rebirth, Forever Young is the story of four generations spanning a hundred years of modern Chinese history. Each generation faces its own unique set of challenges. Up against corporate corruption, the trials and tribulations of the cultural revolution, and one's duty to nation in time of war, they are faced with choosing their individual paths through history. But as the challenges and turmoil of each generation may differ as time changes, what was learned in the past cannot help but effect the choices that are made in the future as it is passed down from generation to generation. And that is the universal message that being true to yourself is precious. It is the source of strength that empowers one to become the person they want to be, to march forward as far as their hearts desire, into the future.

7.1

MagicScore

#15

How Wang-Fo Was Saved

1987

Wang Fo, the greatest master of medieval China, aided by his assistant who has given up everything to follow him, desperately seeks aesthetic perfection. A day comes when he thinks he has achieved it. But his genius arouses both the curiosity and the jealousy of the Emperor. Wang Fo will be able to escape the Emperor's vindictiveness only by going to the limit of his talents.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Shanghai Express

1932

A beautiful temptress re-kindles an old romance while trying to escape her past during a tension-packed train journey.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Lan Yu

2001

A love story between a country boy in Beijing to study and a wealthy businessman set against the backdrop of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Ash Is Purest White

2018

Set in China's underworld, this tale of love and betrayal follows a dancer who fired a gun to protect her mobster boyfriend during a fight. On release from prison 5 years later, she sets out to find him.

6.9

MagicScore

#19

Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl

1919

The love story of an abused English girl and a Chinese Buddhist in a time when London was a brutal and harsh place to live.

6.9

MagicScore

#20

Curse of the Golden Flower

2006

During China's Tang dynasty the emperor has taken the princess of a neighboring province as his wife. She has borne him two sons and raised his eldest. Now his control over his dominion is complete, including the royal family itself.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Once Upon a Time?

The top films similar to Once Upon a Time by MovieMagicScore are New Gods: Nezha Reborn (8.1), Monkey King: Hero Is Back (6.9), To Live (8.1). Each shares drama/fantasy/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Once Upon a Time worth watching?

Once Upon a Time holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 42 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Once Upon a Time?

Once Upon a Time (2017) is a drama, fantasy, romance film directed by Zhao Xiaoding, starring Liu Yifei, Yang Yang, Luo Jin.

Where can I find more recommendations like Once Upon a Time?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like New Gods: Nezha Reborn Movies like Monkey King: Hero Is Back Movies like To Live Movies like Hibiscus Town Movies like Comrades, Almost a Love Story Movies like Millennium Actress

About movies like Once Upon a Time

This ranked list pairs Once Upon a Time (2017), a drama and fantasy and romance film from Zhao Xiaoding, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Liu Yifei take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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