MCLC: domestic film industry booms

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: domestic film industry booms
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Source: China Daily (6/20/13):
http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-06/20/content_16641679.htm

Domestic film industry booms in China

In 2012, the quota of imported films to China jumped from 20 to 34. The
figures show that Chinese films struggled to compete with their imported
counterparts. However, so far this year things have been different. The
domestic film market here is positively booming.

China's domestic film industry has seen an extraordinary success in the
first half <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/semi-annual_report.html>
of this year. That's in stark contrast to its failure just last year to
compete with Hollywood blockbusters. While it might be too early to call
it the golden age for Chinese cinema, the lengthening lines at theater are
a clear sign that the market is healthy and growing fast.

Rapidly expanding market

Up to June the 16th, box office revenue in the Chinese mainland totalled
10 billion yuan, already surpassing 2010's annual figure, with domestic
films accounting for a more than 60% share of the total market.

The rapid expansion of cinemas might be one of the most crucial reasons
things have changed. Some 2,000 new screens appeared in the first four
months of this year and another 5,000 are estimated to open their doors by
the end of the year.

Raymond Zhou, film critic, said, "The expansion of cinema lines in the
second and third tier cities. Because in the last decade, the boom is more
or less in the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. And now all these
theater chains start rolling out in smaller cities. So we are getting more
and more audience size. As a consequence the taste has also changed."

In smaller cities, audiences might be more interested in stars like Zhao
Wei and Xu Zheng who earned their fame on TV rather than overseas super
heros or fantasy franchises.

New generation of directors emerging

Zhao Wei's recent directorial debut "So Young", with its nostalgic themes,
harvested over 700 million yuan at the box office. Xu Zheng’s directing
debut "Lost in Thailand" raked in a staggering 1.24 billion yuan and
remained on the throne of the Chinese box office. Stephen Chou's "Journey
to the West: Conquering the Demons" was a close runner-up in second place,
with James Cameron's "Avatar" in third.

It seems that the time for a new generation of directors is upon us, with
young, new talent emerging, tackling narratives that reasonate with the
their target audiences. And they do it Hollywood style, on a big budget
with a star-studded cast.

Raymond Zhou said, "These young filmmakers have more solid techniques in
film narrative. That is very new, because in the old times, film makers
tend to look down upon those techniques and say that this is something
that belongs to Hollywood. But in the new and young directors they don't
see it that way, they see a technique as a technique and you can use it
for your own good."

3D: Double-edged sword

3D is another clear-cut issue when it comes to the Chinese movie
<http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/china-film-industry.htm> market.
China has the most 3D screens in the world. The usual practice in most
countries is to screen both the 2D and 3D versions, but in China, only the
3D version is released. Disgruntled customers are left with no choice but
to pay more to have a 3D experience. What's more, despite the 3D
propaganda, very few are actually shot in 3D resulting in lower quality
films.

Raymond Zhou said, "I feel that 3D technology is a double-edged sword. To
convert those films from 2D to 3D is actually a lazy and cheap way to make
a quick buck."

Dilemma of protection

In June, the release of Jurassic Park 3D and Fast and Furious 6 were
postponed while domestic blockbuster "Switch" did hit screens. The popular
Dreamworks animation "Croods" was also suddenly called off due to
"contractual reasons" while domestic animations "Kuiba" and "The
Adventures of Sinbad" WERE released. It's an open secret that the month
for domestic film protection is here.

Raymond Zhou said, "The government agency that is doing that is playing
the role of God that can not actually give you the rationale or the reason
why it’s feasible and necessary. So it's quite random. I think that a more
healthy and sound system of protection should be ironed out and all
domestic movies should in a way be benefited from that."

Long way to go

A statistic that will frustrate those who sing the praises of Chinese
domestic film is that in 2012, 75 films were sold overseas taking a
disappointing 1 billion yuan at the box office. So although China makes
more than 700 feature films each year, it doesn't currently have a
lucrative overseas market. So while figures at home seem positive, it
seems that Chinese film still has some renegotiations to make overseas to
raise its profile at an international level.