Film comedies strike gold over holidays but choice limited
Source: Xinhua |
February 22, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
DURING the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, Chinese people not only bought presents and delicacies, but also paid to laugh.
In movie theaters around the country, film fans were treated mainly to comedies, with most laughs for Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow's fantasy action comedy "Odyssey."
The film earned 510 million yuan (US$81.7 million) in the week ending February 15, accounting for 67.1 percent of all ticket sales during the seven-day period, according to China Film News.
Built on the popularity of Chow's "A Chinese Odyssey" series in 1994, the film is a retelling of the classic Chinese tale "Journey to the West."
Even before its release on February 10, it was poised to be a box-office hit, says Peking University professor Zhang Yiwu.
Moviegoers are looking for fun after a year of grinding work, Zhang says. "A movie that can generate laughs is definitely what they want."
The professor also attributes the movie's success to the growing Chinese film market. China's box office sales hit 17.07 billion yuan in 2012, surging 30.18 percent year on year and making China the world's second-largest film market, according to data from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
'Lost in Thailand'
The most watched film last year, "Lost in Thailand," which debuted December 12, raked in an unprecedented 1.2 billion yuan in less than a month, earning more than "Avatar" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" to become the highest-grossing movie ever shown in Chinese theaters.
But the two comedies are not the only standouts. The "101st Marriage Proposal," a low-budget domestic romcom, which debuted in Chinese theaters on February 12, raked in 95 million yuan during the seven-day holiday.
"The maturing market featuring successful comedies shown during the holiday also benefited from the expansion of China's theater coverage," says Rao Shuguang, deputy director of the China Film Art Research Center.
Last year saw an average of 10.5 screens added to Chinese theaters each day. The number of screens increased from 845 in 2002 to 13,118 in 2012, official data shows.
But observers have complained about the quality of Chinese films.
"They are still unable to rival Hollywood blockbusters in script and production," Rao says, adding that lack of diversity is a major problem.
Recent popular films are all comedies and people have little choice when it comes to quality domestic features, Zhang says. Most domestic films are box office failures due to poor quality and marketing, he adds.
In 2012, ticket sales for imported films accounted for 51.54 percent of gross ticket revenue, but only around 50 imported films, including 34 Hollywood blockbusters, were shown. Chinese domestic films totaled 893.
In movie theaters around the country, film fans were treated mainly to comedies, with most laughs for Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow's fantasy action comedy "Odyssey."
The film earned 510 million yuan (US$81.7 million) in the week ending February 15, accounting for 67.1 percent of all ticket sales during the seven-day period, according to China Film News.
Built on the popularity of Chow's "A Chinese Odyssey" series in 1994, the film is a retelling of the classic Chinese tale "Journey to the West."
Even before its release on February 10, it was poised to be a box-office hit, says Peking University professor Zhang Yiwu.
Moviegoers are looking for fun after a year of grinding work, Zhang says. "A movie that can generate laughs is definitely what they want."
The professor also attributes the movie's success to the growing Chinese film market. China's box office sales hit 17.07 billion yuan in 2012, surging 30.18 percent year on year and making China the world's second-largest film market, according to data from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
'Lost in Thailand'
The most watched film last year, "Lost in Thailand," which debuted December 12, raked in an unprecedented 1.2 billion yuan in less than a month, earning more than "Avatar" and "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" to become the highest-grossing movie ever shown in Chinese theaters.
But the two comedies are not the only standouts. The "101st Marriage Proposal," a low-budget domestic romcom, which debuted in Chinese theaters on February 12, raked in 95 million yuan during the seven-day holiday.
"The maturing market featuring successful comedies shown during the holiday also benefited from the expansion of China's theater coverage," says Rao Shuguang, deputy director of the China Film Art Research Center.
Last year saw an average of 10.5 screens added to Chinese theaters each day. The number of screens increased from 845 in 2002 to 13,118 in 2012, official data shows.
But observers have complained about the quality of Chinese films.
"They are still unable to rival Hollywood blockbusters in script and production," Rao says, adding that lack of diversity is a major problem.
Recent popular films are all comedies and people have little choice when it comes to quality domestic features, Zhang says. Most domestic films are box office failures due to poor quality and marketing, he adds.
In 2012, ticket sales for imported films accounted for 51.54 percent of gross ticket revenue, but only around 50 imported films, including 34 Hollywood blockbusters, were shown. Chinese domestic films totaled 893.
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