Learning how to please Chinese audiences without alienating moviegoers in the US is becoming crucial for Hollywood as box office receipts stagnate in home market but explode in China. Quarterly ticket revenues in China surpassed those in North America for the first time ever in the first three months of 2018, with Chinese cinemas netting $3.15 billion compared to $2.85 billion in Canada and the US. Those figures were boosted by massive takings during the Lunar New Year holiday, always a peak time for Chinese cinemas, but China could become the world’s largest film market in whole-year terms in 2019.
A (Big) Fish Called Wanda: Wang Jianlin’s Business Empire
Wang Jianlin’s sprawling business conglomerate, the Dalian Wanda Group, has its fingers in many pies: from real estate and retail to sports and entertainment.
China Film Group and the Art of Playing Favorites in China’s Movie Market
How gatekeeping by the China Film Group is altering the dynamics of Hollywood blockbusters in China.
China and Hollywood Shake up the Box Office
The unlikely partnership of China and Hollywood is creating big blockbusters like Iron Man 3 and Furious 7. But why are such co-production arrangements necessary?
China Roundup: Shanghai Stock Exchange Boom Has a Zero too Many
This week, trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange exceeded RMB 1 trillion causing a major software glitch; China’s factory activity slowed (again); and Visa and MasterCard finally got a level playing field.
China Roundup: China GDP Growth Target Downscaled
This week, Premier Li Keqiang lowered the China GDP growth target to 7% from 7.5% last year; US President Barack Obama voiced concerns over China’s proposed anti-terrorism law because of its likely impact on US technology companies; and Xiaomi entered GoPro territory.
China Roundup: Transformers in China; Tencent’s stake in 58.com; and Hon Hai dumps Huawei
The week that was: Transformers raked in the riches in China; Chinese brands stole market share from global brands; Tencent picked up a stake in China’s Craigslist 58.com; and the exchange rate for the RMB was further liberalized. Transformers in China: Age of Prosperity Michael Bay’s latest movie doesn’t have the apocalyptic undertones in China […]
China Roundup: Metal-financing Scandal Deepens; FTZ Interest Rate Uncapped; And Fosun’s stake in US Film Studio
The week that was: metal-financing fraud puts small traders in risks; forex interest rate liberation expands in Shanghai; Xunlei files for IPO; and Fosun buys into US film studio. China’s metal-financing scandal: ramifications Missing stockpiles of metals used as collateral to secure bank loans at China’s third largest port has caused domestic and international lenders to […]
Box Office Sales: It’s all a Matter of Timing (Part 2)
Last time I discussed how important movie-release timing is to box office sales in the US and how studios play a game of “chicken” to obtain the choicest time slots. This time I talk about how differently things work in China. Last time I talked about how studios play a game of “chicken” when scheduling movie releases […]
Box Office Sales: It’s all a Matter of Timing (Part 1)
Box office sales are a function of movie release timings, but warding off competition is a different ball game altogether. If you have ever watched James Dean in the movie Rebel Without a Cause, you probably remember the famous scene in which Dean’s character Jim Stark plays a game of “chicken” against the […]
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