2010 Jul 21 Chinese half-year Box Office Record Shattered
The war for China's box office may very well have been fought in late 2009 on a planet called Pandora, and won by a bunch of very large blue people.
The State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (aka SARFT) announced today that total box office take for the first half of 2010 was US$714 million, not too far off the 2009 total of $909 million. With three weeks of the summer haul of blockbusters like Toy Story 3 not counted, and with Feng Xiaogang's earthquake epic Aftershock opening tomorrow, it's possible China's box office haul this year could reach US$1.5 billion.
So far, this year's top film crop has been almost all from Hollywood, including Avatar, which was released in December 2009 but didn't complete its run until this spring. Chinese-language Ip Man 2 placed second, but the top five was rounded out by Hollywood product: Alice in Wonderland; Iron Man 2; and Clash of the Titans.
Aside from the popularity of Avatar, the big box office factors were the emergence of 3-D technology and the attendant higher ticket prices, and the growing number of film screens in China. Although the number of screens is increasing daily, it’s worth noting the whole country still has fewer than 5,000 screens, about the same number currently serving southern California.
Feng's Aftershock could be a game-changer. Although unlikely to top Avatar, it could be the top Chinese-language release of the year. Better known for his Spring Festival comedies than more serious fare, Feng's look at the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands cost $20 million to make and should bring in many times that in returns.
Hollywood product has succeeded in China despite a quota of only 20 foreign films per year that can be imported on a revenue-sharing basis. Of those 20, Hollywood usually only gets 14, with the others reserved for movies from France, Korea and a couple of other lucky countries. Last year, two films were imported in December on a flat-fee basis: District 9 and The Twilight Saga: New Moon, both to test Chinese audiences' interest in science fiction and vampires, respectively.
Aftershock opens tomorrow (Thursday, July 21) in cinemas throughout Beijing. For the full impact, see it in IMAX at Wanda Shijingshan (3rd floor, No. B18, Shijingshan Lu, Shijingshan District, 石景山区石景山路乙18号万达广场3层) or UME International Cineplex (Renmin University).
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Aftershock: Tangshan as a Family Affair
Warning – this post contains spoilers
Recent history is not a realm China's commercial filmmakers are generally too keen to touch for reasons we don’t need to spell out here. As far as I'm aware, Feng Xiaogang's new blockbuster Aftershock (Tangshan dadizhen) is the first Chinese feature to look at one of the 20th century's worst natural disasters, the 7.8 magnitude quake in 1976 that flattened the northern city of Tangshan and officially killed 242,000 people (although some claim the real death toll was much higher). I was curious to see how Feng handled what remains a highly contentious period in Chinese history in such a mainstream production. The answer, predictably, is that he doesn’t really handle it – he simply ignores it.
Art Attack: 10,000 Kuai for Your Photo, On Han Han, and China’s Oscar Fail
We’re still waiting for things to get back into full swing around here, but that means you have some time to: 1) take some photos to try and win a month or two’s rent money, 2) catch up on web news like the accusations of Han Han not being a real writer and China getting snubbed at the Oscars, and 3) sleep. If you don’t like those ideas, you can get your fill of more movie screenings, and aspiring thespians: don’t miss a workshop teaching you how to audition for the stage.
From Country Bumpkin to Airline Captain
Most farmers tend to their fields, but this one takes to the skies.
In Qiao Liang’s Flying, the eccentric land laborer Liu Baigang abandons his roots in favor of the heavens after teaching himself how to build an airplane. The film soars atop this ridiculous premise and eventually lands on rural China’s quirky yearnings.
See the film at Culture Yard on Jan 13, where the director – a longtime local TV auteur and Beijing Film Academy (BFA) alumnus – will also be present for a Q+A. But for now, please keep your seatbelt fastened and your tray in the upright position. This is your captain speaking, and Qiao Liang will now take our questions.
dGenerate: Taking Chinese Indie Films to the US
China offers few opportunities for cinephiles wanting to watch something on the big screen other than Hollywood blockbusters and the historical epics churned out by local studios. But if independent Chinese films are hard to see in Beijing, they’re even more difficult to track down in the US. American filmmaker Kevin Lee, along with producer Karin Chien, are working hard to remedy this with the New York-based dGenerate Films (dgeneratefilms.com), a new company specializing in bringing the best in independent Chinese cinema to US audiences through public screenings, online rentals and DVD sales to schools and universities.
Screen Time: Inception Opens & Chinese Features at UCCA
After a slow couple of weeks as the local cinema scene recovered from Aftershock, things are picking up with the arrival of Hollywood’s latest hit Inception. Unlike most of what comes out of the Californian Hills, this looks like a movie that might tickle your brain as well as your senses. 798’s UCCA also has a couple of great screenings coming up of new, rarely seen Chinese features.
