In an exclusive interview with China.org.cn, a Sony Pictures executive said that Hollywood must challenge itself to present resonating films for Chinese audiences.

Liao Hsu-Ling, managing director of Sony Pictures in China, suggested that some Hollywood blockbusters imported to the Chinese market have formulaic stories and these big movies could no longer impress Chinese audiences despite their visual effects. "For the mature Chinese audiences who have viewed so many blockbusters, it's not enough anymore, and they will feel fatigued and not satisfied if there are no innovations."

Since "Avengers: Endgame" became the top-performing foreign film in China, grossing a staggering 4.25 billion yuan ($656.85 million) in 2019, the share of foreign films sharply has declined in the Chinese market, largely due to COVID-19 but also because domestic audiences are less and less interested in similar concepts and stories.

At the same time, films produced domestically have soared in the market. "We'd love to see more good films in cinemas and we have witnessed Chinese films are improving in recent years. No matter whether it's a domestic film or a foreign film, the fundamental thing is to attract audiences to theaters with good word of mouth," Liao said.

Liao believes that good storytelling and high-quality production is what truly matters, and that good productions will always be met with a good reception from the market, though sometimes the tastes, interests and culture gap can affect a film's performance.

"Of course, in addition to visual spectacles, we will try our best to bring more new and relatable stories to the audience. Nowadays everyone pays attention to word of mouth," he added.

Liao attended the Arthouse Film Forum on Sept. 27, part of the 11th Beijing International Film Festival, to discuss the future development of Chinese arthouse cinema. He later told China.org.cn that he hopes to identify more films that can balance artistic and commercial value.

He praised the National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas (NAAC), a group formed in 2016 and operated by the China Film Archive along with a consortium of theater chains supporting arthouse films, calling it very targeted and effective.

Besides Sony blockbusters such as the "Spider-Man" franchise, he mentioned that Sony Pictures also has a very established label called "Sony Pictures Classics," that has been dedicated to quality arthouse movies and award-winning titles.

"The arthouse film is inside our DNA as we have a dedicated label for this type of films," he said, noting that the studio has released "The Leisure Seeker" (2018), "Little Women" (2020) and "The Father" (2021) in China. And vice versa, Sony Pictures Classics released acclaimed Chinese films overseas, such as Zhang Yimou's "Coming Home" (2014).

Sony also invests in Chinese-American co-productions, the latest of which was an animated feature, "Wish Dragon," directed by Chris Appelhans with voice acting from Jackie Chan. Executives are currently considering whether or not to greenlight a sequel, as it was quite successful at the Chinese box office and a triumph when released to overseas audiences via Netflix.

He affirmed that Sony Pictures remains dedicated to theatrical releases, as opposed to establishing its own streaming platforms like other major Hollywood studios. "It's a very strategic direction from our senior management, and our financial results also support this path. We will continue to make audiences feel it is worth their time and money to get an immersive theatrical experience rather than online or on TV screens."

Liao said that the Chinese and American film industries should learn from each other. He pointed out that the marketing methods of Chinese films are seen as one of the "most innovative methods," that make it more efficient to target the right audience and make it possible to explore marketing stunt such as selling tickets via livestreams. Conversely, TV is still the prevailing method of marketing in other parts of the world.

On the other hand, China's film industry needs to create super franchises that can extend beyond the content itself, he noted, while Chinese film studios should also develop more data-driven research.

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