American movies used to make big bucks in China. But not for the last few years.
For a while, Hollywood was very concerned with what they could make at the international box office, particularly in China. Well, recently, China has not been the cash cow everyone expected.
In fact, they’re not even taking American movies at the same rate as before. It’s no secret that tensions regarding world politics, copyrights, and exports have strained the China-America relationship. But Hollywood usually is able to circumvent all that for the almighty buck. That’s not the case these last few years.
Beijing regulators have cut back on Hollywood’s access to the Chinese market. In fact, the number of American studio films released in China dropped by a third last year.
In 2021, even Marvel tentpole movies, which used to make hundreds of millions in that country, were denied release dates for reasons that were never officially explained. Some of this has to do with an increasingly nationalistic policy stance under Chinese President Xi Jinping. But again, no official statements have come.
Author: Jason Hellerman
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
