What if China no longer needs Hollywood? That’s bad news for the film industry -IPTVForTv

America has always been the box office king, well, always. no more.
© Getty Images Wuhan, China-January 23: (CHIHA OUT) On January 23, 2021, moviegoers wear masks while watching the movie « Days and Nights in Wuhan » at a movie theater in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Covid19 broke out in Wuhan, which has a population of 10 million. Subsequently, Wuhan implemented a 76-day lockdown from January 23 to April 8, 2020. Wuhan has no records of community transmission cases since May 2020, and residents’ lives are gradually returning to normal. (Photo by Getty Images) 4,444 In 2020, China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest film market. According to data from Comscore, the country has always been the second-largest film market, with box office revenues of $ 3.1 billion in 2020, nearly $ 1 billion more than the United States last year.
Now, it is obvious that there is an obvious asterisk: Coronavirus. After the initial outbreak in China, China recovered much faster than the United States. This has caused theaters to open faster than theaters in the United States, and many theaters in the United States are still closed. Except for warning
, some major Hollywood movies in 2020 have not attracted Chinese audiences. Warner Bros. « Wonder Woman 1984 » did not do well there, and Disney’s « Mulan, » a film aimed at Chinese audiences, was a huge disappointment. Over the years, Hollywood has globalized its blockbusters, in the hope that they can make connections with American and international audiences (such as Chinese audiences).
So what if China no longer needs Hollywood?
Hollywood without China?
« If China doesn’t need American movies, Hollywood studios will have to drastically cut spending on big-budget blockbusters, » Aynne Kokas, author of « Hollywood Made in China, » told CNN Business. « If it cannot enter the Chinese market, the current budget is unsustainable. This can fundamentally change the model of the American film industry.
Kokas, associate professor of media studies at the University of Virginia, explained that to sell films to Chinese audiences, American film companies « selected Chinese stars and adjusted their content to serve the mainland Chinese market. » The most recent example of
is the upcoming « High Ambition: » Maverick « and » Retelling « Doctor Strange », the Taiwanese flag was removed from Tom Cruise’s jacket, so the protagonist is Celtic rather than Tibetan, « he said. China regards autonomous Taiwan as a separate province and maintain strict control over Tibet. The US government claims that the religious freedom of Tibetans is severely restricted.
Kokas said: « Unless the United States controls the new virus From the crown and open cinemas, Hollywood will increasingly depend on China.
« Whatever happens with Covid, at least we have entered a world where China and the US box office are equally important, » he added.
Although Hollywood movies have stumbled in China recently, some are produced by Chinese studios and production companies … The movie is booming.
China released its own blockbuster « Eight Hundred » in August. a produced by CMC Films of China earned more than $ 100 million at the Chinese box office during the opening weekend and more than $ 400 million worldwide. . Boxoffice.com chief
analyst Shawn Robbins told CNN Business that China’s box office rally in 2020 is primarily due to its handling of the impact of the pandemic and the « strong and in-demand amount of local content. » .  »
 » The Chinese market has obvious strength, allowing them not to rely entirely on Hollywood products, « he said. » This is the internal advantage of your industry.
Hollywood’s problems in China may also be related to increased geopolitical tensions with the United States itself. The coronavirus has sparked a rift between the United States and China, leading to a high level of nationalism and xenophobia in the country, which is often incited by Chinese state media. The emotions.
The Two Pillars of the Global Box Office
2020 is a year to change the global box office rankings, but Hollywood shouldn’t sound the alarm now. Robbins noted that the appeal of many American brands to Chinese audiences « may not be significant undermine. »
« Although we have seen mixed results for Hollywood movies released there during the pandemic, remember that the sample size is very small and does not necessarily reflect what happened before the pandemic, or what might happen after the pandemic. » added.
Robbins said that « Wonder Woman 1984 » failed in China for many reasons, including « its predecessor itself was not as sensational in the country as in other parts of the world. »
He also added that he said the controversy surrounding the release of « Mulan » may not help its success in the country. It can be said that the Chinese public is not a loyal admirer of the original 1998 animated film due to the adaptation and westernization of the original work by the United States and Disney.
But franchises like Marvel, Fast and Furious and other Disney games have always been « one of the reliable imported products that the Chinese market depends on, » he said.
« Once the world begins to recover from the pandemic later in 2021, it will be difficult to see dramatic changes in the short term, especially considering that nearly half of the highest-grossing films in China in 2019 were made by Hollywood. »
So where are Hollywood and China going? Like many other questions in the film industry today, there is no easy answer to this question. However, regardless of the future of the film industry, Hollywood and China are likely to remain the two pillars supporting the global box office.
« However, in the end, the global box office pattern is highly dependent on what these two giants can achieve in the next few years, » Robbins said.