Beijing and Hollywood drift apart as Chinese audiences prefer local productions – Global News (Trending Perfect)

Hollywood blockbusters have dominated the global box office for decades, but in recent years they have lost their luster in the largest film market outside the United States — China.

Walt Disney's latest film, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, It has taken the world by storm. Since its release on July 22, it has become the highest-grossing film in R-rated cinema history. But it has failed to replicate that success among Chinese moviegoers.

While the Marvel superhero sequel made $57 million in its first year, First 20 days In China, the local comedy-drama “The Caliph” grossed six times more than it did in the same time period., According to data from maoyan.com.

“The Caliph” was released on July 16, and continues flourish In Chinese theaters. As of Monday, it was It grossed over $439 million. to establish itself as China Third most viewed Movie of the Year. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is #15.

Any successful Hollywood franchise released in China, especially under Marvel, is almost certain to rank higher at the box office before 2020. For example, Avengers: End Game was the best-selling film in China. Third most popular Movie in 2019.

But things have changed dramatically since then. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” is the only Hollywood film this year to rank in the top 10 grossing films in China, coming in at No. 8.

Last year, no Hollywood film made the top 10 list — the first time since at least 2011, according to Maui Records.

While signs of Hollywood’s waning influence on China’s box office were evident even before 2020, the global pandemic has helped cement the trend, according to film experts. For nearly three years, Chinese cinemas have remained closed, fewer films have been made, and moviegoers have turned to streaming for entertainment.

By the time Hollywood movies returned to screens in China, they were met with a more insular and sophisticated domestic market, according to Stanley Rosen, a political science professor at the University of Southern California.

“China has learned everything it can from Hollywood,” Rosen, a specialist on Chinese politics, society and film, told CNBC. “Now it makes its own big-budget movies with good special effects, even good animated movies… It doesn’t need Hollywood anymore.”

Meanwhile, Chinese films like “Caliph” have a huge advantage in domestic production.

“Chinese audiences, especially young people, want stories they can relate to… movies that relate to things that are happening in China in some way,” Rosen said.

That description applies to “Caliph,” which deals with themes of child-rearing, education and social activism and is tailored to the local market, according to Emily Yeh, dean of arts at Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, previous attempts by American studios to appeal directly to Chinese audiences have not always been successful.

In 2020, Disney had high hopes that its new movie, Mulan, set in China, would do well in the market. However, the movie has yet to be officially released. The film failed, with many Chinese moviegoers He is said to be making fun of him. Because of historical errors and Western stereotypes about China.

Apart from culturally relevant films that can be associated with the Chinese market, nationalistic and patriotic films are also becoming increasingly popular.

The highest-grossing Chinese film of all time is 2021’s “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which depicts a battle between the Chinese Volunteer Army allied with North Korea and U.S. forces during the Korean War. It is followed by “Wolf Warrior 2,” a 2017 film about a patriotic Chinese action hero battling corrupt forces abroad.

This nationalist trend has gone hand in hand with growing tensions between China and the United States. “Decoupling” between the world's two largest economies.

The Chinese Communist Party takes a stand Active role In developing and supervising the local film market, as well as determining the number of foreign films shown in cinemas in the country.

In 2012, then-Vice President Xi Jinping and Joe Biden met. signed an agreement To increase Hollywood's reach into China. This eventually led to Share 34 Title American films were supposed to be distributed by a Chinese state-owned enterprise under a revenue-sharing model. Approved films also had to comply with China's strict censorship policies.

When Xi became president, he put the CPC Central Propaganda Department in charge of Organization and supervision films.

As is Local media reportsChina Film Co. had a role in producing the film “Caliph”. The company was Started by China Film Group Corporation – Linked to Beijing's propaganda department – and other entities.

According to Li from Lingnan University, “The Caliph” is a great movie with a good script., It still benefits greatly from distribution, promotion and “blessings” from the state.

She noted that the film may face some difficulties outside China, even in Chinese-speaking regions such as Hong Kong or Singapore.

Since China is no longer as good a source of Western films as it once was, Hollywood has changed its calculations, Rosen said, adding that blockbusters can't reliably factor the market into their budgets.

However, this could be a welcome change for many fans in the US and the rest of the international market.

Over the years, films have received bad publicity for pandering to Chinese audiences or making changes to appease them and gain approval from the authorities.

For example, Disney has come under fire for filming “Mulan” in China's Xinjiang region and thanking local government entities in the film's credits. The United States asserts that Muslim minorities have Confront human rights violations And the atrocities in Xinjiang.

“Movies don't put Chinese elements in them like they used to, because you can't rely on the market even if you get approval,” Rosen said, adding that the rest of the international market has become more important.

“You make your film for the international market, and if it makes it to the Chinese market and makes some money, that's great. But don't count on that at all.”