Editorial | China’s film industry has the potential for international success
- The mainland’s film industry has long held an ambition of catching up with Hollywood
- Greater overseas collaboration and a freer environment for writers and filmmakers will enable it to move to the next level
The success of Endgame should not be a surprise; it has been a record-breaker internationally and each Marvel instalment since Iron Man in 2008 has packed mainland cinemas. Timing has helped, the launch of the series coinciding with the rise in spending power of Chinese and proliferation of multiplexes. High-quality production, dazzling special effects and careful marketing – Iron Man 3 gave roles to actors Fan Bingbing and Wang Xueqi – have also contributed to the roaring box office take. All are important lessons for the local film industry.
But there is more to attracting an audience. American TV shows popular among Chinese like Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory are a hit because of good scriptwriting and that is where mainland titles often falter. Writers face too many restrictions or try to second-guess censors. Having an international outlook obviously also helps in crossing borders and cultures.
The Wandering Earth has the right elements. Based on a novella of the same name by award-winning science fiction author Liu Cixin, it is about the migration of Earth’s people to another solar system to escape annihilation. But also setting it apart from mainland counterparts is being a massive venture, having a US$50 million budget and foreign companies being involved in special effects and post-production work. It has been a major hit on the mainland and released internationally, although of the US$700 million it has so far grossed, just US$7 million has been made outside China.
Chinese audiences want the same as those elsewhere – entertainment and escapism. When it comes to foreign films, though, a quota system means that only 34 can be seen on mainland cinema screens each year. That could well change if trade talks with the US reach an amicable conclusion. Movies and television shows are an integral part of soft power and can boost understanding.
China’s film industry has long held an ambition of catching up with Hollywood. In terms of box office take, it is well on the way, having already attained second place behind the US. The Wandering Earth shows the potential; greater overseas collaboration and a freer environment for writers and filmmakers will enable the industry to move to the next level.
