China’s Film Execs Share Equation for Cracking the Chinese Market
“Chinese regulation is very simple,” China Film Co-Production Corporation President Miao Xiaotian says at the U.S. China Film & TV Industry Expo on Thursday
Matt Pressberg | November 3, 2016 @ 5:17 PM
Last Updated: November 3, 2016 @ 6:50 PM
Lionsgate
With its box office set to overtake the U.S. by the end of the decade, China is central to nearly every big-budget movie’s economic calculus. But part of that equation is cracking the code on “Chinese elements.”
China has a quota on imported films, which all need to be approved by the state censorship body — something major movies like “Ghostbusters” and “Suicide Squad” failed to accomplish. One way around that limit is partnering with a Chinese firm on an official co-production, which counts as a local movie.
Miao Xiaotian, the president of the state-run China Film Co-Production Corporation and moderator of a Thursday panel at the U.S. China Film & TV Industry Expo in Los Angeles, argued that the co-production qualifications aren’t hard to understand.
“Chinese regulation is very simple,” he said: “Co-investment, Chinese element and at least one [Chinese] main character.”
Yet he said Hollywood continues to fail the test, insisting there’s too much lazy plug-and-play adaptation and not a true integration of Chinese elements. He mentioned receiving one script that “looked very much like a Hollywood movie with some of things changed to China.” His agency rejected it and got a revised version in just two weeks — not enough time for meaningful changes.
“This kind of script will continue to show up,” he said. “I don’t want to repeat the same thing in Los Angeles.”
However, several veterans of the production process from both sides of the Pacific explained how to do it right — and why it’s so hard.
Brian Goldsmith, the chief operating officer of Lionsgate, cited his studio’s “Now You See Me 2” as an example of a successful integration of Chinese elements. The film made just $65.1 million in the U.S., but banked $97.1 million at the China box office.
“I think what’s really important is not to try to force elements,” he said. “Try to make it organic.”
He said Chinese actor Jay Chou, a member of the film’s ensemble cast, had an authentic interest in magic — central to his character — which made his appearance different from an obvious token cameo.
“We didn’t try to make the movie Chinese — we tried to incorporate certain elements in a movie that was going to be global,” he said. “The story has to resonate, and if you try to force something, it won’t work.”
Simon Sun, the executive vice president of Le Vision Pictures, which recently opened an L.A. office and is producing a slate of English-language films, said China’s younger audiences’ tastes are evolving quickly, and the basics of storytelling that work everywhere else apply there, too.
“For the young generation, their sensibilities are getting more in line with global sensibilities,” he said.
“People are kind of doing it the wrong way,” she told TheWrap after the panel. “To me, it always starts with the story itself. Does the story have any Chinese elements? [Instead, they think about] changing it from the very beginning.”
And sometimes that means not trying to make everything a crossover hit.
“Instead of using a Chinese element that would jump out of the story and be so obvious — if it has to be an American story, just let it be, make it American,” she said. “If it has to be a Chinese story, don’t make it American.”
Hollywood's 22 Biggest Box Office Champs in China (Photos)
Chinese moviegoers love to spend their hard-earned yuan on Hollywood blockbusters like "Captain America: Civil War," "Avatar" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Comedies and dramas? Not so much. Read on to see which American hits have raked in the most money (according to BoxOfficeMojo) in that nation across the Pacific.
Disney/Marvel/Lucasfilm/Fox
"Furious 7" (2015)
$390.9 million
The Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson revved-up action flick is easily the highest-grossing Hollywood movie ever in China. The late Paul Walker remains among China's most beloved American actors.
Universal
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014)
$320 million
Mark Wahlberg starred in the sci-fi movie based on the foldable toys, which was co-produced by two Chinese firms and was the first Hollywood movie to make more than $300 million in the Middle Kingdom.
Paramount
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
$240.1 million
The superhero mashup is China's highest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe film, a franchise that's been embraced by the country's young-leaning moviegoers.
Marvel
"Zootopia" (2016)
$235.6 million
The buddy-cop comedy is the highest-grossing imported animated film in the history of the Chinese box office, and it played especially well in China's second- and third-tier cities.
Disney
"Jurassic World" (2015)
$228.7 million
Like "Furious 7," the dinosaur sci-fi adventure was produced by Legendary Entertainment, which was acquired by China's Dalian Wanda Group in January.
Universal
"Warcraft" (2016)
$220.8 million
Another Legendary film, this one inspired by a video game series, flopped in the U.S. but dominated the Chinese market, which is home to about half of the video game's players worldwide.
Universal
"Avatar" (2009)
$204.1 million
The worldwide smash hit also captivated Chinese audiences, even back in 2009, when the country's box office was a fraction of the size that it is today.
The prequel to this film, 2009's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," made $65.8 million in China, setting the stage for "Dark of the Moon" to be the country's highest-grossing Hollywood film since "Avatar" at the time.
Paramount
"Kung Fu Panda 3" (2016)
$154.3 million
The Mandarin-language version of the movie starring Jack Black as a friendly fighting bear had the characters reanimated so their mouths moved naturally with the translated words.
DreamWorks
"The Jungle Book" (2016)
$150.1 million
The live-action/animation hybrid was a hit in several international markets, especially India, and it also played well throughout China.
Disney
"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015)
$135.7 million
China's Alibaba Pictures invested in "Rogue Nation," and star Tom Cruise visited several Chinese cities to promote the film, helping it open strong and stick around in theaters even though its China debut came more than a month after its U.S. premiere.
Paramount
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2016)
$124.2 million
Despite China being one of the few markets that didn't catch "Star Wars" fever -- the movie put some people there to sleep -- Disney's promotional efforts helped it clear $100 million.
Lucasfilm
"Interstellar" (2014)
$122 million
The epic space adventure starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain connected with Chinese audiences, even though it wasn't in the 3D format that crowds there have grown used to.
Paramount
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (2014)
$121.7 million
The third and final installment in Peter Jackson's "Hobbit" series was another movie that succeeded even though it was released in China well after its U.S. premiere.
Warner Bros.
"Iron Man 3" (2013)
$121.2 million
All three movies in the Robert Downey Jr. franchise have played in China, helping build brand awareness beyond just the bankable Marvel name.
Marvel
"X-Men: Apocalypse" (2016)
$12o.8 million
Disney bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009, but Fox acquired the film rights to Marvel's "X-Men" franchise before then. It doesn't seem to matter much in China, where anything Marvel often turns into a big hit.
Fox
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)
$115.6 million
The predecessor to this year's "Civil War," "Winter Soldier" was a hit despite its fairly political content, which is usually a negative in Chinese theaters.
Marvel
"Terminator Genisys" (2015)
$113.2 million
The fifth "Terminator" film was the franchise's lowest-grossing since the 1984 original, but it was the first in the series to get a Chinese theatrical release.
Paramount
"Pacific Rim" (2013)
$111.9 million
The futuristic sci-fi adventure, in which humans battle sea monsters, is yet another fantasy action movie that Chinese audiences loved.
Warner Bros.
"Ant-Man" (2015)
$105.4 million
Yet another Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, "Ant-Man" made just $180.2 million at the domestic box office but was a much bigger hit in China.
Marvel
"San Andreas" (2015)
$103.2 million
China knows Dwayne Johnson from the "Fast and Furious" franchise, and the earthquake disaster film he headlined last year reverberated at the Chinese box office.
Warner Bros.
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Chinese moviegoers can’t get enough of America’s big-budget action flicks
Chinese moviegoers love to spend their hard-earned yuan on Hollywood blockbusters like "Captain America: Civil War," "Avatar" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Comedies and dramas? Not so much. Read on to see which American hits have raked in the most money (according to BoxOfficeMojo) in that nation across the Pacific.