China’s financial success in cinema is not a pandemic story

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As Janus Studios looks back on the passing year and seeks lessons for the next 12 months, that imaginary institution may see both of its heads spinning. What has 2021 told us about the future of cinema? What must you do to thrive in this changed environment?

Here is lesson number one. All other lessons are declining in importance. You must be Chinese. Obviously it would be nice if you could appeal to the rest of the world, but that’s not strictly necessary. What are the two highest grossing films of 2021? You’re whispering about Marvel and James Bond, aren’t you? No, topping the chart this year is The Battle and Lake Changjin at number one and Hi, Mom (not the ancient Brian De Palma flick) at number two. Both productions of the People’s Republic.

The US bias towards box-office journalism (perhaps the most annoying of all journalism) has somewhat hampered the success of No Time to Die

You might believe the theory that the theatrical exhibition is dead, remember that The Battle at Lake Changjin, the story of China’s victory over the Americans in the Korean War, was the highest grossing film ever that was not in English. The stubborn proliferation of Covid elsewhere in the world has contributed to Lake Changjin’s success on the annual chart, but it has been riding a wave that has been swollen for a decade. The top six highest -grossing non -Anglophone films in the history of the medium are all Mandarin features released since 2017. No one has accumulated more than a few bronze outside the home country. This is not a pandemic story. For the first time since the pioneers set up tripods in the Hollywood Hills, the United States ’financial dominance in cinema has been properly challenged. Chinese films may not translate across borders as well as James Bond, but who cares if your biggest film could cost $ 130 million more than the total of 007 in Chinese taking alone.

There is another lesson about the international nature of business in the Bond story. The US bias towards box-office journalism (perhaps the most annoying of all journalism) has somewhat hampered the success of No Time to Die. That film was only sixth in the highest gross in North America – which may have “not performed well” there – but it lost to F9 to become the largest English -language film in 2021 worldwide. The message here is not really about the reputable secret agent. The moral is that, more than ever, this is an international business. If you can’t really be Chinese (and only 1.4 billion people can) then you should try to make films that appeal to markets outside the 50 states.

There are some conveniences at the bottom of the chart for our California moguls. Other Chinese titles are making sporadic appearances, but the top 50 is largely an American work. Hollywood may not be making the most profitable films but it still gives the poor bloody infantry its cinematic rations. Those films don’t do what they used to do but studios can beg for “special events”.

Flops rather than hits will cause most of the industry’s frowning. No one seems sure if Dune Part One actually made money, but, like all Warner Bros. movies, which were released simultaneously to stream in the US, it only took nearly enough to qualify as a hit that “Covid era” and justify the final part that is, really, going on. King Richard, starring Will Smith as the father of the Williams siblings, will certainly not perform, but, another Warner release, it will be available to stream in the US on HBO Max.

Almost no prognosticator within the Anglophone mainstream media can accurately predict the highest grossing film of 2022. We will need the help of our Chinese colleagues about that

The first sluggish performance of West Side Story, which is only available in theaters, is probably the most interesting case here. By the time you read this, Steven Spielberg’s ecstatically received musical may – as happened in the recent The Greatest Showman – have gradually accumulated some sort of tug, but, even as it proves, the tenderness is undeniable. of its opening. end of the week. Variety described its $ 10.5 million domestic debut as “a sad result”.

The trade paper went on to assess a major cause of the collapse. “The biggest obstacle facing West Side Story is – and will continue to – convince older audiences to go to theaters,” Rebecca Rubin wrote. The good (ish) news is that those audiences are more likely to arrive after the opening weekend than younger punters. The bad news is there is still hindering them. “This is the main demographic that hasn’t come back in full force since the pandemic,” Rubin continued.

So, another inevitable lesson of the year in cinema is that we are still in pandemic. It will be gone forever. But the industry has no idea when. Next Christmas may have passed when, as he shouldn’t be underestimated, James Cameron could deliver another smash in Avatar 2. It may come at just the right time for Top Gun: Maverick in the summer.

One thing we can say with certainty. Almost no prognosticator within the Anglophone mainstream media can accurately predict the highest grossing film of 2022. We will need the help of our Chinese colleagues about that.

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