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On Screen China: The ‘Star Wars’ Force Is Strong for the Future

Jan 7, 2016 / Box Office /

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will finally invade Chinese theaters this Saturday, January 9 and the hype is at a fever pitch — in Hollywood. However, the tone in mainland China has been more muted, especially in interior cities where the franchise comes nowhere near being the cultural phenomenon it is in other countries. Read More

On Screen China: 2016 Opens With a Record Weekend

Jan 4, 2016 / Box Office /

After China’s roaring box office posted nearly 50% growth in 2015 over the previous year, moviegoers in the world’s second largest film market rang in 2016 with more record-shattering numbers. Read More

On Screen China: Booming Box Office Ends 2015 Up 48.7%

Dec 31, 2015 / Box Office /

In 2015, China’s booming box office grew an incredible 48.7% to reach a record $6.8 billion (RMB 44.07 billion) according to a statement released late Thursday by SARFT (State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television). The yearly growth was the second highest since China’s modern film industry began to develop in 2004, second Read More

That’s a Wrap: 2015’s Top China Film Stories and Trends

Dec 31, 2015 / News /

The China Film Insider team wishes you a happy 2016. Thank you for reading and for sharing our work with your friends and colleagues as we continue to grow in the new year. — Jonathan Landreth, Sky Canaves, Pang-chieh Ho, and Jonathan Papish. The box-office booms. Again. China’s box office revenues grew at a blistering Read More

China Merchandising Rights: Legal Victory for Dreamworks on “Kung Fu Panda” Trademark

Dec 29, 2015 / Legal /

Not long ago, the Beijing Higher People’s Court ruled against a trademark squatter, Hu Xiaozhong (胡晓中), who had attempted to register the phrase “Kung Fu Panda” for a variety of automotive-related products such as children's carseats, seat headrests, and steering wheel covers. Read More

On Screen China: Appealing to the Lowest Common Denominator

Dec 28, 2015 / Box Office /

Actor-director Deng Chao was accused of pushing Chinese comedy “to a new low in terms of racist and homophobic humor” after Deng himself donned blackface in last year’s The Breakup Guru, yet that film still managed to haul in $103 million from Chinese moviegoers. Read More

In ‘Mr. Six,’ China’s Changing and Staying the Same

Dec 28, 2015 / Reviews /

Playing an aging gangster railing against the “little punks” who kidnapped his son in Beijing, Feng Xiaogang gives a solid performance as the title character of Mr. Six Read More

On Screen China: Christmas Eve Date Night at the Movies

Dec 24, 2015 / Box Office /

After a quiet start to the annual Chinese box office “New Year’s period” (贺岁档)—just $212 million grossed during the first 17 days of December—ticket sales exploded last weekend as homegrown blockbuster Mojin—The Lost Legend (寻龙诀) debuted with a record $93 million. Mojin will continue its trek this weekend as it attempts to topple Monster Hunt as the highest-grossing film of all-time in China. But the distributors of two new releases will try to take advantage of the considerable space left over in the market by an underwhelming run from Surprise (万万没想到). Read More

A Supporting Role for Culture at China’s World Internet Conference

Dec 22, 2015 / News /

The World Internet Conference in the east coast city of Wuzhen last week sparked a good deal of debate about the China’s influence on global web governance. In its second year, the conference received a major boost in its significance when President Xi Jinping appeared in person to give a speech on the subject (Last year, he only sent a congratulatory message to mark the event’s opening)

On Screen China: ‘Mojin’ Racks Up the Box Office Records

Dec 21, 2015 / Box Office /

While the rest of the world flocked to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Chinese moviegoers instead rushed to catch a homegrown blockbuster, Mojin—The Lost Legend (寻龙诀), buying tickets worth $91.9 million in just three days and helping the film from Wanda Pictures, Enlight Pictures, and Huayi Brothers to set several box office records for Chinese-language films. As predicted, Mojin and runner-up Surprise (万万没想到)—which grossed a modest $22.9 million over the three-day weekend—completely dominated China’s box office, accounting for a weekend market share of over 96%. Read More

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