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Mainland Chinese-made movies fall short of international acceptance
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DESPITE the booming domestic film industry, few Chinese movies have turned out to be internationally successful.
Stephen Chow’s fantasy film “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” topped last year’s box office list on China’s mainland with 1.25 billion yuan and beat “Iron Man 3” — the highest-grossing film of 2013 at the US box office. However, it took only US$7,456 in theaters in the United States on opening weekend in March.
The popular comedy film “Lost in Thailand” and the nostalgic college-themed romantic film “So Young” also failed in North America last year, taking less than US$10,000 after a few days’ showing.
Last year, only Wong Kar-wai’s martial arts epic “The Grandmaster” starring Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung, met success in the international market. The film inspired by the life and times of the legendary kung fu master Ip Man reaped more than US$6.5 million at the American box office.
The film’s success in the United States was attributed to the rich distribution reach of the Weinstein Company and the film’s well-known cast, plus the attraction of Chinese kung fu.
Director Wong and the actors promoted the film at international film festivals and popular American TV variety shows with visually impressive posts and trailers that combine Chinese martial arts with hip-hop.
They also cut some complex scenes and lines and presented clear and simple subtitles for American audiences unaccustomed to reading subtitles.
The highest-grossing Chinese mainland movie in US theaters was Zhang Yimou’s martial arts epic “Hero,” which made US$53.7 million in 2004.
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