‘Fresh meat’ gets young fans rushing for the latest movies
An army of budding male stars has brought more young fans into China’s cinemas, rewriting box office records in the world’s second-biggest film market.
Films featuring xiaoxianrou, or “small fresh meat,” a phrase referring to handsome men under 25, have seen consistent commercial success, raking in big bucks while receiving little critical acclaim.
The “Tiny Times” trilogy, produced by author-turned-director Guo Jingming, grossed 1.3 billion yuan (US$213 million) in the past two years, outselling many Hollywood blockbusters.
The latest teen movie “The Left Ear” has raked in more than 470 million yuan since its release on April 24. It stars 23-year-old talent show idol Oho Ou.
The rom-com “Miss Granny: Back to 20,” led by heartthrob Lu Han, earned 360 million yuan in January. The initial investment for the film was about 20 million yuan.
“People love young, pretty faces, and film investors have commercialized such psychology,” said Zhang Huijun, president of the Beijing Film Academy.
For Rao Shuguang, secretary general of the China Film Association, fresh meat fever reflects a demographic change in Chinese moviegoers. With fast economic growth, more and more young people are willing to pay to go to the cinema, and filmmakers have been quick to meet their demands, Rao said.
A report on China’s film market by Entgroup showed that people aged between 15 to 35 contributed 92 percent of China’s 2014 box office takings of 29.6 billion yuan.
Teenagers, especially young girls, are devout admirers of the “small fresh meat” film idols and are willing to pay good money for films, songs and public appearances, Zhang said.
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