While we’ve finally seen a substantial number of films manage to secure a Chinese release date this year, that doesn’t mean everything is back to the old normal. While a Chinese Box Office release was once something of a cheat code for international success, the market’s tastes have shifted a lot in the wake of the pandemic. Brandon Blake, our entertainment lawyer from Blake & Wang P.A., looks closer.
Cool Start for Key Films
One thing is for sure- China will not be the salvation of Disney’s ill-fated The Marvels. The movie has slipped to sixth place in only its second week after release, and even the best projections for the movie are a mere $15M- an all-time low for the MCU in this market.
Nor is it the only Hollywood franchise release struggling to win back Chinese audiences. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opened at third place this last weekend, beneath two local (and holdover) films- and earned just $4.6M. Nor is this likely to improve by much, with the film earning low rating scores from local audiences. It’s currently projected to close at only $7M earned there.
Changed Tastes
With both the MCU and the Hunger Games franchises having had pre-pandemic Chinese releases, it’s hard not to draw comparisons. Earlier Hunger Games installments took between $21M and $36.5M in the market. While superhero-style pictures have been the most notorious underperformers in recent years, we’re seeing a general shift away from Hollywood franchise releases overall.
Some of this can, of course, be laid at the door of the shift in Chinese sentiment to more nationalist fare in the COVID era. However, some of it comes from a market that’s now far richer in attention-grabbing local movies, often with more complex plots and greater local relevance.
All in all, it is unlikely we will see this market return to its previous prominence in the international release schedules, though the fact any movie at all is at least getting some release prominence there is still to be celebrated.
Film and Television 