4 domestic films battle for top spot
Source: Xinhua |
December 20, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FOUR homegrown films, each directed by one of China's most bankable directors, are competing with one another to become the biggest box office hit this month.
Two of the four movies, "Sacrifice" and "Just Call Me Nobody," have recorded box-office revenue of more than 100 million yuan (US$15 million) each in just a week after their debuts.
The other two, "Let the Bullets Fly," released last Thursday, and "If You Are the One 2," which is slated to hit cinemas on Wednesday, are also expected to do well at the box office.
December is usually a popular movie-going season but this year is proving to be especially lively.
The final 2010 box-office take is expected to top 10 billion yuan compared to 6 billion yuan the previous year. By the end of 2012, the box office is likely to hit 20 billion yuan, according to a report by EntGroup Inc, a domestic film industry consulting company.
"I am forecasting the day when China will catch up with the US in box-office revenues. It may happen in my lifetime, faster than we expect because of the appreciation of the yuan against the US dollar," said Raymond Zhou, a well-known film critic.
The 2002 film "Hero," directed by Zhang Yimou, earned US$177 million worldwide. Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock," released in July, grossed 660 million yuan, setting a new box-office record in the country.
In addition to blockbusters, low-budget movies have also fared well. A black comedy film, "Crazy Stone," directed by Ning Hao, was immensely popular in 2006, earning 6 million yuan in its first week after its release and more than 23 million yuan total despite its low budget of 2.72 million yuan and a cast of unknowns.
A rise in low-cost films in recent years shows the country's film industry is beginning to mature, said Tong Gang, an official of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Government support and assistance is deemed indispensable for the continuing development of the film industry.
"The film industry, as part of the broader cultural sector, will become more important to the national economy in the next five years," Tong said.
Two of the four movies, "Sacrifice" and "Just Call Me Nobody," have recorded box-office revenue of more than 100 million yuan (US$15 million) each in just a week after their debuts.
The other two, "Let the Bullets Fly," released last Thursday, and "If You Are the One 2," which is slated to hit cinemas on Wednesday, are also expected to do well at the box office.
December is usually a popular movie-going season but this year is proving to be especially lively.
The final 2010 box-office take is expected to top 10 billion yuan compared to 6 billion yuan the previous year. By the end of 2012, the box office is likely to hit 20 billion yuan, according to a report by EntGroup Inc, a domestic film industry consulting company.
"I am forecasting the day when China will catch up with the US in box-office revenues. It may happen in my lifetime, faster than we expect because of the appreciation of the yuan against the US dollar," said Raymond Zhou, a well-known film critic.
The 2002 film "Hero," directed by Zhang Yimou, earned US$177 million worldwide. Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock," released in July, grossed 660 million yuan, setting a new box-office record in the country.
In addition to blockbusters, low-budget movies have also fared well. A black comedy film, "Crazy Stone," directed by Ning Hao, was immensely popular in 2006, earning 6 million yuan in its first week after its release and more than 23 million yuan total despite its low budget of 2.72 million yuan and a cast of unknowns.
A rise in low-cost films in recent years shows the country's film industry is beginning to mature, said Tong Gang, an official of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Government support and assistance is deemed indispensable for the continuing development of the film industry.
"The film industry, as part of the broader cultural sector, will become more important to the national economy in the next five years," Tong said.
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