Official still from ‘The Mermaid.’
What Data Says about the Market of Sci-fi Movies in China
Science fiction is a widely liked genre that generates numerous international blockbusters. While Hollywood produced most of those blockbusters, an increasing number of Chinese sci-fi projects have been emerging in recent years. Recently, Ent Group conducted data analysis to help readers understand the market of sci-fi movies in China. Here are some of their key findings: Between 2012-2017, about five percent of the theatrically released films in China are sci-fi movies, and the average box office revenue per film is over 400 million yuan ($60.7 million). About 5 domestic sci-fi movies are released each year, but domestic sci-fi can’t attract a large number of audiences yet. ‘The Mermaid‘ was an exception. One to two sci-fi movies are co-produced each year and most of them didn’t achieve box office success, except ‘Iron Man 3’ or ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction.’ The budgets of top 5 domestic sci-fi movies between 2012-2017 are all under 300 million yuan ($45.5 million), while the budgets of top 5 imported sci-fi movies between 2012-2017 range from 1 billion yuan ($151.8 million) to 2 billion yuan ($303.5 million). Read more on Ent Group
Bi Gan’s ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ Wraps Filming
‘Long Day’s Journey into Night,’ a sci-fi movie directed by Bi Gan, has wrapped filming. Starring Tang Wei (‘Lust, Caution’), Sylvia Chang (‘Mountains May Depart’), and Huang Jue (‘The Final Master’), the film is director Bi Gan’s second feature film. His first arthouse feature ‘Kaili Blues‘ was well received critically worldwide. ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ marks Tang Wei’s return to the big screen after giving birth to a daughter last year. According to Mtime, the role Tang Wei plays in this film is very different than her previous roles. Read more on Mtime
Chinese American Singer-Songwriter Leehom Wang’s Autobiographical Film to Open in China on October 20
‘Leehom Wang’s Open Fire,’ an autobiographical movie featuring Chinese American signer-songwriter Leehom Wang, has been scheduled to open in China on October 20. Recently, Wang released a trailer of the film, in which Jackie Chan and Tang Wei expressed their support for the film. In addition to valuable clips from his previous concerts, the film also reveals his personal life as well as his story of growing up as a minority in America. According to Sina, the film is imported by China Film Group and distributed by Huaxia Film Co. Read more on Sina
How Did Bilibili Survive After Taking Foreign Content Offline?
If you think Bilibili is a streaming site for lovers of foreign films and TV shows, the data recently released by Jiguang Data may change your opinion. In July 2017, Bilibili took a large number of foreign TV shows and movies offline, as China tightened control over online content. This made people wonder, how the site would survive or even pursue IPO after losing the type of content that helped the company built audiences at its early stage. The answer is UGC (User-Generated Content). According to Jiguang Data, the site has been gaining new users at an even faster pace after July. Data also shows that most of Bilibili’s current users are under 24 years old and prefer to watch original content created by other users. While traditional streaming sites in China mainly attract users who were born in the 70s and 80s, Bilibili has successfully differentiated itself as a site serving the younger generations. Read more on TMT Post
Hengdian Cinemas’ Market Capitalization Exceeds 10 Billion Yuan on First Trading Day
On October 12 (Beijing Time), Hengdian Cinemas officially started trading at Shanghai Stock Exchange after receiving IPO approval in August. The company issued 53 million stock shares, and its market capitalization has exceeded 10 billion yuan （$1.52 billion) on its first trading day. Looking back, Hengdian Cinemas had a bumpy IPO journey, receiving IPO approval only on its third attempt. Currently, the company mainly focuses on building new cinemas in third-tier Chinese cities, as the market in first and second-tier cities in has been nearly saturated. Read more on Sina
