US blockbusters doing better in China than at home
August 22, 2013 Leave a comment
US blockbusters doing better in China than at home
Xinhua
2013-08-21
A poster for Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim. (Internet photo)
US science fiction blockbuster Pacific Rim has remained top of China’s box office charts for a third consecutive week, having performed poorly in the US film market. According to box office figures by China Film News on Tuesday, the monsters-vs-robot film set in the near future, had taken 640 million yuan (US$104.5 million) by the week ending Aug. 18 since it debuted in late July. However, it only took US$52.3 million in its first week at the US box office and dropped by 57.2% in the second week.At douban.com, a popular Chinese social network for films, Pacific Rim received a score of 7.9 out of 10, with many praising its visual effects. Reviewers wrote on douban.com that people should see it in 3D or at the IMAX.
Similar to Pacific Rim, other US movies including Fast and Furious 6 and White House Down did well in China but performed poorly at home.
Cai Yuheng, a Tsinghua University student, admitted that the Chinese elements in Pacific Rim attracted him to watch the film.
Many Hollywood films have recently sought to cater to the Chinese audience. This is illustrated by the edited-for-China versions of Iron Man 3 and Looper that feature Shanghai.
Zhang Huijun, president of the Beijing Film Academy, said that the Chinese elements added into American films attract a younger audience.
Huang Qunfei, chief manager of the Beijing-based New Film Association, said due to a lack of competitive domestic films, US action movies are popular among Chinese moviegoers.
“The ongoing Tiny Times 2 and One Night Surprise about romance are confined to a limited group of people, which trigger Chinese moviegoers to see foreign blockbusters,” Huang said.
Tiny Times 2 took 106 million yuan (US$17.3 million) last week from Aug. 12 to 18, ranking second in the charts, and One Night Surprise took in 96.9 million yuan (US$15.8 million), placing it third.
About bambooinnovator
Bamboo Innovator 