The American media can't figure it out, why do Chinese don't like to watch Hollywood movies anymore?
On January 23, the American media made a rare statement and found that in 2023, none of the blockbusters such as "Mission Impossible", "Fast and Furious" and "Spider-Man" squeezed into the top 10 at the Chinese box office. Even last year's Hollywood hottest "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" did not enter the top 30 at the Chinese box office.
You must know that China is the world's largest film market outside of the United States, and it is also a place where Hollywood companies rely on to make profits. Today, Chinese consumers don't like to watch American blockbusters, which undoubtedly makes Hollywood lose a lot.
Yesterday I exchanged this topic with a friend who often watches foreign movies, and he also thinks that Hollywood blockbusters are not good now, and sometimes they even give people the sense of watching "Indian dramas". Why don't you watch American movies anymore? My friend summed up three reasons, namely, content, technology, and culture, which are more objective and comprehensive.
The first is the aesthetic fatigue of content, the aesthetic and content needs of Chinese audiences have been rising, while Hollywood movies have been standing still and have no freshness. Especially the so-called blockbusters, aesthetic fatigue is so sick to the stomach, and there is actually "Batman v Superman", which is no less explosive in China than "Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong".
The second is the technical level, I used to watch Hollywood blockbusters, in fact, I was also surprised by the advanced technology of the West, all kinds of special effects are exquisite, the scene is magnificent, it may burn hundreds of thousands in 1 second, and then with 3D, surround sound and other technologies, it makes people immersive. But now domestic production can also do it, such as "The Wandering Earth", which is no worse than Western blockbusters.
Finally, at the level of culture and values, Hollywood always portrays individual heroism and spreads the emotional values of the West that represent justice and fairness, but the behavior of the West is diametrically opposed, and everyone sees the true face of the West. A sense of value recognition is gradually disappearing, and the appeal of American movies is becoming less and less.
In fact, this awakening of culture and values has also affected other consumer industries, where people no longer blindly worship the West, but become more and more confident, more willing to support domestic production, and believe in China's traditional culture and values.
For example, there are fewer young people who are pursuing the new iPhone, and more people who support Huawei and Xiaomi. Or in terms of clothing, everyone no longer pursues the so-called "trend" of Western unconventionality, but prefers the national trend, which has been particularly popular in recent years.
Recently, on e-commerce platforms such as Douyin Vipshop, there has been a good phenomenon, labels such as big red, dragon, and Guochao have become hot search words, and related clothing has sold out. For example, at Vipshop, the sales of clothing related to the Year of the Dragon have increased by 120% month-on-month, and the sales of a sweatshirt in the Year of the Dragon have increased by more than 3 times, reflecting that Chinese young people are becoming more and more confident and have a soft spot for China's excellent traditional culture.
In short, the film itself is a cultural industry, if the West continues to use the plot of "the poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology", and continue to export value sentiments that are not recognized by Chinese audiences under the guise of sci-fi blockbusters, it will only be completely abandoned by the Chinese market.
