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☆ China’s box office plummeted in an economic slump, in sharp contrast to a long-held theory
▼ + stars: | 2025-01-02 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The top box office draw last year was “Yolo,” a feminist film starring and directed by Jia Ling, who plays a 30-something woman who loses weight and gains confidence by taking up boxing. Costfoto/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesBut, of course, the overall box office was soft. The trend is believed to have contributed to America’s box office declining by 3% last year, compared to 2023, to $8.72 billion, according to calculations by Deadline. The takings were 38 million yuan ($5.2 million), less than a quarter of last year’s and the lowest since Maoyan began keeping records in 2011. Last month, the China Film Administration introduced a subsidy program to help the ailing box office.

Persons: Jia Ling, Jia, ” Liu Zhenfei, Maoyan, Xi Jinping, ” Goldman Sachs, haven’t Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Film, China Film Administration, Lighthouse Research, Information, China isn’t, Reuters, Visual China, Xinhua Locations: China, Hong Kong, Yolo, ”, YOLO, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen

☆ ‘Her Story’: China’s answer to ‘Barbie’ becomes latest smash hit - but some men are not amused
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-22 | by ( Joyce Jiang | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Men at oddsWhile “Her Story” has been overwhelmingly celebrated by Chinese women, not all men are fans. Similar anecdotes of men railing at the screenings or walking out of theaters have circulated on Chinese social media – mirroring the conservative backlash seen during screenings of “Barbie” in the United States last year. “Many plots in this movie have already glorified most men in life … It looks objective and gentle enough to me,” Xu wrote on Xiaohongshu, China’s Instagram-like platform. “Certain groups of men tend to put themselves in opposite of women and oppose whatever women like.” Wang, the two-time watcher, told CNN. “Feminist movement in China today is only visible on the cultural front,” said Lü Pin, a prominent Chinese feminist based in New York.

Persons: Chizuko Ueno, “, “ Barbie, China’s, Communist Party –, Zeng Mumei, Elaine Zhong Chuxi, Shao Yihui, ”, Xu, rehashing women’s, snitching, Wang Rui, –, “ Barbie ”, ” Xu, Hupu, Wang, Chen Xiaohe, ” Wang, Chen, it’s, Yang Li, Yang, Lü, ” Lü, Shao, liberates Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party, VCG, CNN, “, China’s Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Weibo, United States, New York

☆ China's economy is on shaky ground - but its movie industry is hitting historic box office records
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China's economy hasn't seen the post-pandemic rebound as many expected, but its film industry is running strong. From June to September, Chinese consumers spent $3.2 billion at the box office, a record high for that stretch. Meanwhile, China's economy faces weak growth, a shaky property sector, and declining trade. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementChina's economy has yet to enjoy the post-pandemic rebound many had anticipated, but its movie industry has thrived nonetheless.

Persons: hasn't, —, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Lehman, Alfredo Montufar Organizations: Service, CNN, China Center, Conference Board Locations: Dengta, China, Beijing

Box office receipts totaled 23.44 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) between June and September, the highest amount for that period in history, according to data from Dengta and Maoyan, China’s two major box office tracking apps. Ticket sales for the traditional high season between June and August soared to a record 20.6 yuan ($2.8 billion), smashing the previous summer peak of 17.8 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) recorded in 2019. “I’ve been a big fan of American and European movies,” Peng said. Powered by womenThat China’s recent box office boom has been driven by women is surprising given the gender imbalance in the country. So far this year, American films accounted for only about 14% of China’s box office, the second largest in the world, according to CNN calculations based on Dengta data.

Persons: Alibaba, ”, Stanley Rosen, Rosen, “, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer, ” Perry Peng, she’s, “ We’ve, “ Barbie, “ I’ve, ” Peng, ” Pency Peng, Perry’s, Xuguang Chen, Chen, Kevin Tran, Tran Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, USC’s, China Institute, Warner Bros, CNN, School of Arts, Peking University, “, Morning, Hollywood Locations: China, Hong Kong, Dengta, United States, Shanghai, WarnerBros .

☆ China's Golden Week: expected consumption boom disappoints
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has concluded its Golden Week holiday on a muted note, with key travel and spending data showing weaker-than-expected recovery in consumption amid a wider economic slump. Before the holiday, the ministry had expected domestic travel to hit 896 million trips, and tourism spending to reach 782.5 billion yuan ($107 billion). According to the National Immigration Administration, on average 1.48 million people crossed the border every day during the Golden Week holiday. Weakness at the box officeChina’s box office hit multi-year lows during the holiday week. A recovery in domestic consumption not related to the Golden Week also fell short of expectations.

Persons: ” Goldman Sachs, Tesla, BYD Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ministry of Culture, Tourism, National Immigration Administration, Shenyang North Railway, Stringer, Getty, Citi, Entertainment, Tencent, China Passenger Car Association Sunday, CNN, EV Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, China's, Liaoning, AFP, Tourism

On Douban, a popular Chinese movie review site, the movie is currently scored 8.6 out of 10, with nearly half of all viewers giving it full marks. Another top comment compared “Barbie” to another recent Chinese release, “Lost in the Stars,” which had previously received criticism for its portrayal of gender stereotypes. “There isn’t any new thinking about feminism, the movie is just an expression of old thoughts,” one person wrote on Douban. By Monday, cinemas had increased the number of screenings allocated to “Barbie” to make up 8.7% of all movie screenings, according to Maoyan. The film’s success is all the more notable given mounting challenges for US films to break into the Chinese movie market – the world’s second biggest, briefly holding the top spot during the Covid pandemic.

Persons: Barbie ”, “ Barbie ”, Greta Gerwig, Bird, don’t, ”, “ Barbie, China’s, Greg Baker Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Twitter, Weibo, Publishing, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Getty, Hollywood Locations: Hong Kong, China, United States, Shanghai, Beijing, AFP

Hong Kong/Seoul CNN —“The Little Mermaid” has bombed with moviegoers in China and South Korea amid racist critiques in some quarters over the casting of Black actress Halle Bailey as main character Ariel. Disney’s live-action remake has made only $3.6 million in mainland China since opening there on May 26, according to Box Office Mojo. In South Korea, “The Little Mermaid” has grossed $4.4 million since May 24. Halle Bailey in 'The Little Mermaid.' Ariel and Prince Eric in a scene from 'The Little Mermaid.'

Persons: Halle Bailey, Ariel, Disney’s, Bailey, “, ”, Rob Marshall, ‘ Let’s, ’, Fans, Prince Eric, Maleficent ’, Paul Dergarabedian Organizations: Seoul CNN —, Office, Korean Film Council, Global Times, Disney, Hollywood, Halle, United, Comscore Locations: Hong Kong, Seoul, China, South Korea, United States, Comscore, ”, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Singapore, Finland, United Arab Emirates

HONG KONG, Jan 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - China’s first big vacation of 2023 offers shallow relief to investors. Passenger car sales dropped 21% from the same festive period last year, per Nomura analysts, and real estate keeps plunging. Central bankers terrified that China’s reopening will fuel more global inflation will be relieved. Chinese consumers enjoyed their holiday but there was little sign of dramatic “revenge consumption.” Scarred consumers have too many reasons to avoid splurging for the foreseeable future. The opinions expressed are her own)Follow @ywchen1 on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSMainland China’s Lunar New Year holiday runs from Jan. 21 to Jan. 27 in 2023.

[1/2] Chinese travellers wear face masks outside the border checkpoint with the neighbouring city of Zhuhai, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Macau, China, December 29, 2022. Over the three-day New Year's Day holiday, businesses and consumers caught their first glimpse of a return to post-pandemic life -- holiday-makers flocked to beaches, flight numbers ticked up, and hotels turned some guests away because they were fully booked. Flight numbers on the last working day ahead of the holiday only recovered 70% compared with pre-pandemic levels, however. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsBOON FOR RESTAURANTSMany businesses have been forced to adapt how they reach customers over the course of the pandemic. As the Lunar New Year rolls in, Chinese officials also expect a significant uptick in activity.

Hong Kong CNN —James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” has premiered in China, 13 years after the original film took the country by storm. A poster of film 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is seen at a cinema on December 11, 2022 in Beijing, China. I immersed myself in the plot and enjoyed an unprecedented audio-visual feast.”Shot in the armThe “Way of Water” is expected to buoy China’s pandemic-depressed box office. By mid-December, China’s box office reached only 28.8 billion yuan ($4.1 billion), down nearly 40% from last year. The “Way of Water” accounted for 80% of screenings scheduled for Friday, the Maoyan data showed.

☆ A strong China open for 'Avatar' lays the ground for a film stock rally, Morgan Stanley says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese audiences appear eager to see Disney's "Avatar: The Way of Water," according to initial ticket sales ahead of the film's Dec. 16 opening. In 2009, China accounted for only $910 million in ticket sales, but 10 years later its box office receipts swelled to $8 billion. Stage set for box office recovery Morgan Stanley's Xu expects China's box office to rebound 50% in 2023, to Rmb51 billion, with the assumption that China's reopening gains momentum in the spring. In China, there is a "rich slate of blockbuster films" ready to come to theaters, Xu said. With this in mind, Xu raised her price targets for IMAX China, Ali Pictures, Wanda Film , Enlight and China Film.

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