|
Media and Advertising
Missing Chinese moviesPosted by Joel Martinsen, April 22, 2006 6:43 PM
Figures from SARFT show that 260 films were produced in China in 2005, up from 212 in 2004 and 140 in 2003. These numbers might be surprising, because it certainly didn't seem like five movies opened every week last year - and in fact, only 60 domestic movies made it to the screen.
Beijing's Mirror evening paper calculates that between 1995 and 2003, an average of 100 films were produced annually. Only 20 were released to theaters each year, leaving somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 movies that fell into distribution limbo, including some that won prizes in overseas competitions. What happens to films that don't make it to the big screen in China? Here's a list of outlets from the Mirror report (some movies fall into multiple categories):
Liu Hao estimates that the domestic market can support the screening of 120 domestically-produced films each year. Though production in 2005 overshot that amount by 100, the movies that actually screened represented just half of that capacity. The Mirror quotes a few market observers who identify several obstacles to increasing that screening rate. A survey of audiences in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Hangzhou found that 46.6% of respondents thought that low quality was the primary reason for poor reception. Few distributors are willing to put smaller films up against blockbusters, both foreign and domestic, for fear that they'll play to empty theaters. But another school of thought says that the problem stems from a general shortage of theaters - if China had more than its current 2680 screens in 2000 theaters, then people would watch more movies. Links and Sources
There are currently 0 Comments for Missing Chinese movies.
|
Partner Links
Jobs in China
Recent Comments
affordabe on
Blogspot unblocked, but Blogger is blocked
Adam J. Sc on
Snow in Beijing
Peter Kauf on
Bound feet in China
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Danwei Model Workers
![]() Recommended blogs and new media
Books on China
Xujun Eberlein's Apologies Forthcoming: Hong Kong's Blacksmith Books has published a short story collection by Xujun Eberlein.
Princess Der Ling: Two Years in the Forbidden City: Two years in the Forbidden City is largely a reminiscence of the minutiae of life for one of history's most powerful women, by one of her court attendants, a Manchu noble's daughter by the name of Der Ling.
Carl Crow's The Long Road Back to China: In 1939 Carl Crow - an American journalist, advertising executive and author who had lived in Shanghai for 25 years until forced out by the Japanese - travelled up the Burma Road from Rangoon to Chongqing on assignment for Liberty magazine - 'the most interesting assignment I have ever been given'.
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ The 'national' in National Day (2006.10): Xiao Feng writes about China's national flavor, national curse, national bird, national car, and so forth, Dongfang Yu writes on the true meaning of China's National Day in the age of angry youth. + Don't ask so laowai don't have to tell (2008.07): An essay was written by Geremie Barmé, scholar, filmmaker and author of the new book The Forbidden City. + Religion and government in an uneasy mix (2008.03): Phoenix Weekly (凤凰周刊) article from October, 2007, on government influence on religious practice in Tibet.
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky
or Feedburner |





