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| Saturday, February 10, 2007 |
| Chinese movie industry news: China film industry record growth in 2006 |
China achieved a quantum jump in the field of cinema in 2006, making it the country's most successful year ever.
Cinema showed signs of great health, with 330 feature films made in the country in 2006 -- a rise of 70 from the previous year.
The cinema industry has never before made so much money -- in 2006, box office revenues rose by nearly a third to hit $336 million. And, five of the top 10 films shown in 2006 were Chinese, not Hollywood.
The Chinese are going to the movies in numbers never seen before, and there have been some landmark rulings against pirate DVD makers.
The Chinese government is making strong efforts to encourage the movie industry, such as easing state funding for production and making sure that Chinese movies get a clear run in the cinema free of competition from foreign movies.
With stock markets looking up and with overall wealth increasing, many are keen on investing in film.
The standard of cinemas -- which were once dull, vermin-infested places -- is improving quickly as Chinese flock to the new cineplexes.
Reform in China is a process of give-and-take, and advances often can appear to be rolled back a bit before further change is implemented.
China claims to have opened up its film market to foreign involvement, but there is confusion about whether China wants foreigners in the entertainment business or not.
Recently, Zhu Hong, a senior official in the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, China's film and TV watchdog, said Beijing was not planning to halt new foreign investment in film and TV production companies and remained committed to opening up the business.
But critics say Beijing wants foreign input, but only on its own terms, and they make comparisons with more traditional industries, such as engineering or technology, where foreign firms are invited to form joint ventures with Chinese firms to allow the local partner access to the knowhow of the foreign partner.
Censorship and the quota system remain major hurdles to greater investment in China. Just 20 foreign movies are allowed in China every year, though this restriction does not apply to co-productions, but it is still an obstacle to the growth of the market.
Foreign filmmakers have already begun the tortuous process of seeking approval from the censors for their movies this year. The procedure is too hard for the majors who are not used to political bans or editing.
The previous 20 foreign quota films -- including The Da Vinci Code, King Kong and Miami Vice -- brought in $102 million at the Chinese box office. The Da Vinci Code was removed from theatres early after apparently angering religious groups in China, despite its popularity with the audience.
Mission: Impossible III was slated for a day-and-date release in 2006, but entered Chinese theatres months after its US release. The movie was banned because it was determined that laundry on a Shanghai washing line painted a poor image of the city.
Filmmakers in China believe that if the strict censoring is replaced with a reliable ratings system, producers could take more risks with content and story, which would ultimately attract bigger audiences.Labels: movies |
| posted by a correspondent @ 11:30 PM |
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