China has made impressive progress in the entertainment segment (including filmmaking) over the years and China’s film market is likely to overtake Hollywood in the ext few years.
Most Bollywood stars have always wanted to work for Hollywood films, and just when our Bollywood stars have started making inroads in Hollywood, China’s film market is all set to become the world’s biggest film market.
The Chinese film industry, driven by China’s increasingly wealthy population, looks set to overtake the US in the next couple of years, as per most industry reports.
China is a major force in most parts of the world economy, is home to the world’s largest population of cinemas and cinema-goers, so obviously there’s going to be comparisons between China’s film business and that of Hollywood.
Here are few things that works in favor of China.
- China has more cinema screens now compared to that in the US.
- China is home to the world’s largest population of cinemas and cinema-goers
- Chinese entertainment groups have been investing heavily in the US film industry in recent times.
- Chinese entertainment conglomerates like Jianlin and Dalian Wanda are working towards becoming a significant force in the film industry worldwide (Wang’s aim is to control 40 to 50 per cent of the global movie-going market by 2026.)
However, despite these positives, China does not look like a threat to Hollywood yet.
- Nine of the top 10 box office earners of all time have been made in Hollywood (Dr Zhivago is the only exception),
- Lucas Films’ Star Wars franchise still has an awesome globe-dominating appeal, going by the collection of its latest release.
- Americans watch at least four times as many films every year (compared to Chinese).
- Despite its box office leadership inside China, The Mermaid would still fail to get into the world’s top 50 box office earners worldwide
- Despite the reputation of producers like Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Wong Karwai or Feng Xiaogang inside China, few are known outside Asia (Taiwan-born Ang Lee is much more famous)
India puts both US and China in the shade, selling more than 9 billion tickets last year.
India produces close to 2,000 films, way more than US and China.
So Hollywood is still the world’s dominant film maker. I guess, we will have to wait for some more time before we can we see the next George Lucas or Stephen Speilberg from China.
Source: Studiopsis.com
Perhaps Bollywood stars may have to look to the east in future, instead of the west, for international recognition.
Working in China also has its drawbacks: Men in Black III, starring Will Smith, had a scene removed from the local cut of the movie after censors objected to the fact that the villains were Chinese.
However, that’s true of most film markets where local sensibilities have to be factored in.
Growth in China will also be given a boost by the government’s recent decision to increase the number of foreign movies allowed to screen each year from 20 to 34.
Kangana Ranaut Says Asia is the Future
Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone have already worked in a Hollywood films, so it was just a matter of time before people started asking Kangana Ranaut about her Hollywood projects. However, it seems, Kangana is not so keen to pursue Hollywood (though she has done a screen writing course in America).
Here’s what the Queen had to say.
“To be honest as far as the theatre business is concerned in the world, after Queen I went for this screen writing course in America where we were taught the business of cinema and how people talk that Asia is on the number one place and how China is almost there. I am not talking about digital platform but where theatre business is concerned we are where Hollywood was ten years ago so before theatre business comes to an end we’re going to have a blast in India. Asia is the future so you see a lot more Asian actors in American television or American theatre because everyone knows we are the future. It is always good to make films that cater to world audience but my priority will always be future,” says Kangana.
It seems the Queen seems to be right in her assessment!
Bollywood has been growing at a phenomenal pace and international studios, businesses, tourism boards are keen to collaborate with the Indian film industry. Also, it’s a known fact that China’s film market will be bigger than that of the US in the near future.
So Kangana seems to be right about ‘Asia’ being the future.
But there’s no harm in doing a Hollywood film and adding it to your resume? Or is it that the Queen is confident that Hollywood filmmakers will find their way to her? What do you think?
