Will This Newly Launched Smart Cinema App Give China Box Office A Big Push?
Today, a new app called Smart Cinema is released in China. Using 2K technologies, the app allows users to purchase tickets to watch films that are currently in theater on their phone. The ticket sales will be counted as theatrical box office. The project was initiated by China Research Institute of Film Science and Technology in 2015, and then carried out by tech firm Yuntu Shidai (云途时代). Jack Gao, former Senior Vice President of Dalian Wanda Group, is the current head of the project. Jack Gao says that the purpose of the app is not to compete with traditional movie theaters. Instead, they hope to make theatrical films available to audiences who have limited access to traditional cinemas, and also support smaller films that are overshadowed by blockbusters in theater. Read more on Entertainment Capital
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Presales in China Exceeds $42.5 M
Avengers: Infinity War will open in Chinese theaters on Friday, and its presale box office has exceeded $42.5 million as of now. On Chinese film review site Douban, the film’s current score is 8.4/10, higher than Marvel superhero movies’ average score, which is 7.5/10. Currently, the highest-grossing Marvel film in China is Avengers: Age of Ultron, which was released in 2015 and raked in $230 million. Avengers: Infinity War is expected to make at least 2 billion yuan ($314 million) in China. This year, in addition to Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel will release Ant-Man and The Wasp in July, then Captain Marvel and Avengers 4 in 2019. All of them should be able to score China releases. Read more on entgroup.cn
The Geographic Distribution of Chinese Film and TV Companies
As the Chinese film market continues to grow, the current number of film and TV companies in China is enormous. Data shows that there were about 12,000 film and TV companies as of 2017, and 4,000 of them were established in 2016. WeChat media account yiqipaidianying took a look at the geographic distribution of these companies. Beijing is undoubtedly the center of China’s film industry due to its rich cultural, political, and financial resources. Zhejiang attracts the second largest number of film companies thanks to the Hengdian World Studio as well as the province’s friendly tax policy. Among the top 100 Chinese entertainment companies, 39 registered in Beijing, 12 in Zhejiang, 12 in Shanghai, 9 in Tianjing, and several in Jiangsu and Guangdong. Read more on yiqipaidianying
