a still from “Detective Chinatown 2”
‘Buddy Love’ The Key To Winning Box Office In China
“Buddy Love,” a screenwriting technique first mentioned in screenwriter Blake Snyder’s book Save The Cat, has been seen employed in many top-grossing Chinese films, most recently, Detective Chinatown 2 and Operation Red Sea. “Buddy Love” stories center around partnerships that encompasses certain elements, for instance, one of the two central characters has a problem that needs to be fixed immediately, or that there is a superhero out of the pair. Chinese films that embody such partnerships are known to be the most successful commercially, especially when combined with comedy; over 30 of the 100 highest-grossing films in China have incorporated “Buddy Love” elements. Read more on yulechanye
‘Duckweed’ Director Han Han To Shoot Third Feature Film
After Duckweed and Continent, author and director Han Han is back with another film. Titled Fei Chi Ren Sheng, which roughly translates to “speeding through life,” the film revolves around a race-car driver and the challenges he faces throughout his career. This overlaps with Han’s own experience of being a race-car driver. Han’s first two films, Duckweed and Continent, both written and directed by Han, have done well at the box office. Read more on Mtime
Too Much Movie Merchandising For Chinese Films?
With more domestic IP hits being released in China, a wide range of film-related merchandise has also been competing for attention. With the box office success of Monster Hunt 2, 200,000 copies of toy Huba have been sold to date, and a Monster Hunt theme park is also in the works. However, industry professionals say that domestic IP hits are not as influential as Disney ones, and therefore the success of their merchandise is also short-lived. Further, the fact that films are competing for speed when it comes to merchandising makes it harder to ensure high-quality products. Currently, movie merchandising only accounts for 10% of a film’s total revenue, but with more domestic IPs being developed, the movie merchandise market is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan ($15.8 billion) by 2020. Read more on yuemudianyingguancha
Russian Film ‘Ice’ To Release In China March 30
Sports drama film Ice, based on a true story of former figure skating champion, is set to release in China March 30, 2018. The inspirational film, which tracks the journey of two elite level figure skaters, opened in Russia on February 14 and has been leading the box office ever since. Currently, it is rated 7.3/10 on IMDb. Set in contemporary Russia, Ice follows Nadya who gives up her dream of becoming a figure skating champion after an injury, until she meets Sasha, a hockey player, who helps her believe in her dreams again. Read more on Mtime
