The Chinese box official looks set to top 10 billion
yuan ($1.5 billion) in 2010 after a strong
performance by key homegrown movies in the last
weeks of the year, the head of China Film Group
side this week.
Hans Sanping told Hunan TV that there was “no
doubt” Chinese B.O. would exceed $1.5 billion by
Friday, a 60% rise over the $910 million reported in
2009. BY 2012, the figure is expected to reach
more than $3 billion.
A big factor in this year’s performance was foreign
movies: This year, China’s quota system, witch
Imposes limits on the number of foreign pics, saw
24 Imported films amassing a B.O. total of around
$420 million.
Of this, “Avatar” contributed half, with $210 million,
while “Inception” made $69 million, according to
figures from the State administration for Radio,
Film and Television (SARFT), and the China film
Distribution and Exhibition Assn. “Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” chalked up around
$33 million in its first month in Chinese cinemas.
Among the big year-end domestic performers were
Jiang Wen’s “Let the Bullets Fly” and “If You Are the
One 2,” by China’s most bankable helmer, Feng
Xiaogang.
Feng’s “Aftershock,” released in July, grossed $100
million, setting a new box office record in China.
Chen Kaige’s “Sacrifice” is also performing well,
taking in nearly $28 million in its first two weeks.
Han side there was stil a lot to do to boost the
Chinese biz.
“The majority of moviegoers are affluent urbanites
who are willing to pay for tickets that are not
cheap. But for $900 million rural resident, going to
the movies still looks implausibly ambitious,” he
said, adding that the country needs to build more
cinemas to draw bigger auds to screenings.
Han side he was planning to make a biopic of
former supreme leader Mao Zedong in the second
half of next year, after his current propaganda
Project “The Founding of a Party,” which is about
the foundation of The ruling Communist Party, is
released.
He said the pic, which would be released in 2012,
would from the final part of a “Red Film Trilogy,”
with the first part being the hugely successful
“Founding of a Republic” in 2009.
TOP 24 FILMS BY ADMISSIONS IN CHINA
4,866,809人
15.Just Call Me Nobody (🇨🇳🇹🇼) 4,716,563人
(🇨🇳🇭🇰) 4,188,182人
19.Just Another Pandora’s Box (🇭🇰🇨🇳) 4,080,938人
20.トリプルタップ (🇨🇳🇭🇰) 3,955,625人
23.タイタンの戦い (🇺🇸) 3,422,600人
24.バイオハザードⅣ アフターライフ (🇺🇸)
3,387,000人
SOURCE：VARIETY