Chinese films explore ways to compete with Hollywood
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Xinhua, August 30, 2011
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Poster of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" [File photo] |
Chinese-made films were first launched in North America in the 1980s.
However, successes had been rare until December 2000, when "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," a kungfu drama directed by Ang Lee, hit the screen.
As the most profitable Chinese film, the movie, released by Sony Pictures Classics, grossed a total of 128 million dollars in roughly 2,000 theaters in the United States.
Almost four years later, "Hero," a smash directed by Zhang Yimou and distributed by Miramax, made another wave by garnering 53.7 million dollars in ticket sales, making it the second most profitable Chinese film in the U.S. market and a No. 1 movie at the U.S. box office for two weeks in a row.
But still, many Chinese films have met with failures in terms of box office record after brief showings in a small number of U.S. theaters.
"Aftershock," which grossed over 100 million dollars in China, earned only 60,954 dollars in 25 U.S. theaters. John Woo's 80-million-dollar "Red Cliff" netted merely 627,047 dollars in 42 U.S. theaters in 2009.
China Lion Film Distribution, a Los Angels-based company that distributes Chinese-language films via an exclusive deal with AMC, North America's No. 2 theater chain, for the U.S. and Toronto markets, has distributed several Chinese-language films in the United States over the last year, including "Aftershock," "The Warring States," "A Beautiful Life" and "If You Are the One II."
"If You Are the One II," a romantic comedy directed by Feng Xiaogang, earned 427,000 dollars, with more than 90 percent of the viewers being Chinese or Chinese Americans.
Such earnings, humble even by Chinese standards, are already much better than other Chinese films released in the United States. Most of the Chinese-language films were just screened in around 20 U.S. theaters. Over the decade, although Chinese films have increased their presence in U.S. theaters, most U.S. moviegoers still tend to patronize Chinese martial arts films rather than straight dramas or comedies.
Those Chinese films that are not kungfu movies are usually screened in "art house" cinemas in major cities -- the main location for foreign-language films from around the world.
"Chinese films in the United States are subject to market forces," said Richard L. Anderson, an Oscar winner in sound effect. "The U.S. distribution companies are audience-driven. They buy what they think they can sell here."
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