Several Hollywood movies such as "Falling moon", "New Batman", and "Uncharted Sea" have failed miserably in China, and American film practitioners have finally begun to reflect.
Earlier, the entertainment media "The Hollywood Reporter" quoted an industry source as saying that the Chinese people's viewing preferences are diverse, the preferences of audiences in first- and second-tier cities and third-, fourth- and fifth-tier cities are different, and it is too difficult for Hollywood to win two markets at the same time. Therefore, American cinema (can it succeed in China) should increasingly answer the question: Is the filmmaker ready to attract audiences in China's first- and second-tier cities, or in third-, fourth- and fifth-tier cities?
"Only 'Chosin Lake' can easily attract all Chinese audiences, and most American films have not done it."
In the article, titled "Should Hollywood Rethink Their Strategy in China," The Hollywood Reporter bluntly argues that Chinese audiences' enthusiasm for Hollywood films is waning, and that The domestic film market is booming, and they are making more mature films.
The loss of "The New Batman" is particularly disappointing to some Hollywood practitioners, as the "longest and darkest" in the "Batman" series, the film was released in North America and won the top spot in the North American weekend box office list with an absolute advantage. China's release time is slightly late, as the number one IP in the DC Universe, several movies related to "Batman" are relatively eye-catching at the box office, and after the epidemic, American superhero movies are rarely released directly in Chinese theaters, "New Batman" is regarded as a "secret weapon" to save the decline.
On March 18, this "New Batman" was released in China, it is indeed menacing, the first day of release of the film ratio of up to 42%, but now looking back, it is just the peak of the debut...
"MoonFall", "Fantastic Beasts 3: The Mystery of Dumbledore", "Elf Hostel 4" and other movies were also vigorously promoted before the release, but several movies were not as good as expected at the box office, "New Batman", "MoonFall", "Uncharted Sea" were released for more than a month, and the current box office barely broke 100 million, respectively, 143 million, 130 million, 114 million, and the others were even more dismal.
It is true that due to the impact of the epidemic, the box office has been sluggish since March, but the Hollywood blockbusters that have always been regarded as the "elixir of the box office" have fallen one by one, and I am afraid that it is not something that can be simply summarized by the words "not in time".
According to film consultancy Artisan Gateway, Hollywood films accounted for 48.2 percent of China's total box office revenue in 2012, fell to 36 percent in 2016, and fell further to just 12.3 percent in 2021.
The Hollywood Reporter quoted an American film industry source as saying that today, the film industry is facing many challenges, such as the new crown epidemic, streaming media, etc., and Hollywood movies have encountered new challenges in China - Chinese first- and second-tier city audiences and third-, fourth- and fifth-tier city audiences have different viewing preferences, and increasingly show a diversified trend, "If you want to win two markets at the same time, it is too difficult." ”
So, increasingly, American cinema (can it succeed in China) should answer the question of whether a film is intended to appeal to audiences in China's first- and second-tier cities, or in third-, fourth- and fifth-tier cities. "If you want to create a blockbuster in China, you need to attract more different moviegoers."
The industry insider bluntly said, "Only "Chosin Lake" can easily attract all audiences, and most American films have not done it." The report mentioned that in the past year, "Chosin Lake" and the sequel "Watergate Bridge" have performed well, with the former grossing more than 5.7 billion and the latter exceeding 4 billion.
The US media pointed out that for the decline in the influence of Hollywood films in China, practitioners have given a variety of explanations, and some even directly throw the pot to China.
For example, another film industry person interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter showed a "love and hate" attitude towards the Chinese market, acknowledging that the Chinese film market is huge, there are many opportunities, and it is tempting for Hollywood, but complaining that China's box office share is too small, saying that Hollywood entered China just to help Chinese companies learn how to make blockbusters, but according to an agreement signed in 2012, American film companies can only get 25% of the Chinese box office, but in other markets. Hollywood gets 40 to 50 percent.
It is worth noting that, in fact, as early as early March, the British Guardian pointed out in the article "Charm Is No More: Why Chinese Film Fans Are Moving Away from Hollywood" that in the past 20 years, with a series of film protection policies, China's domestic film industry has grown rapidly, in contrast to the box office of non-Chinese films, including Hollywood films, which have shown a downward trend at the box office, and in recent years, the preferences of Chinese audiences have also changed, which has had a great impact on Hollywood.
In his newly published book "Red Carpet: Hollywood, China and the Global Cultural Hegemony Struggle", American journalist Eric also pointed out that the appeal of Hollywood movies to Chinese audiences is declining sharply, "A long time ago, relying on the golden sign of Hollywood big productions in China can gain a lot of audiences, but now, you must have a good production and a story that is enough to attract Chinese audiences." ”
He also used "Chosin Lake" as an example: "China's ambition to develop and commercialize the domestic film industry is working, and Chinese audiences are gradually turning to domestic cultural products." ”
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