Art house films still suffer in China
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, May 9, 2015
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A poster of "Murmur of the Hearts" [Photo/Mtime.com] |
Wang's statement soon received support on social networking platforms from fellow directors and actors including Jia Zhangke, Lou Ye, Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan. Although this made little difference, more and more people, including movie critics and theater managers, joined the debate to explore the future of art house films.
Hong Shui, a movie critic, said Wang's target audience is people who were born from the 1950s to the 1970s. "But the majority of moviegoers now are young people in their twenties," he said. "Directors need to respect audiences and the market."
Yu Deshu, a media veteran, and other theater managers echoed Hong's opinion, arguing that theaters have to pay high rents and high operational fees. "The Chinese film market is not fair at all. Only about 300 films get a chance at a theater release -- others don't even get this chance," Yu said.
"Wang is trying to kidnap the theater's lifeline," one theater executive said. "We of course will arrange more showings for films that can bring in money. We can't just let a theater run with a majority of empty seats during prime time."
"Red Amnesia" is not the sole victim of China's tough market. Sylvia Chang's romantic art house film "Murmur of the Hearts" also failed at box offices, only grossing 11.2 million yuan (US$1.8 million) so far. Chang also released a statement saying, "I think in the dictionary success is defined as 'doing what you do well,' and the reason why we exist in the world is to continue doing things well and respect the job. I accept the box office results, but I don't think the film is a failure."
Wang, who called his film not just an arthouse film but also a "serious film," saw another serious film of his, "Shanghai Dreams," gross only 4 million yuan (US$644,400) in 2006. But at that time, there were just 3,000 screens in China. Even though China now has 27,000 screens, "Red Amnesia" still didn't meet with commercial success.
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