from Berlin's European Film Market as broad swaths of the world's second-biggest economy remained in a state of total shutdown. Business in the U.S. and European industries, meanwhile, was blithely humming along as usual.
During China's recent week-long Lunar New Year holiday cinemas generated a record $1.2 billion in sales. Since then, a collection of blockbusters have continued pulling in enormous earnings. Leading the way is comedy dramaA Writer's OdysseyTom & JerryNaturally, many international industry players in Berlin might be looking to China's revived market for a lift this week — or for an opportunity to sell a title or two for a premium sum in at least one territory.
"It's a K-shaped recovery," says Cindy Mi Lin, CEO of distributor Infotainment China Media, which last year released FilmNation's, starring Eddie Redmayne."A few of the biggest companies have become stronger, and everyone else is much weaker." Worse still for Berlin business prospects, the pain is particularly acute for Chinese companies involved in importing international indie films.
Most worrying for everyone, however, insiders say, is the noticeable shift in the Chinese audience's tastes away from all forms of foreign storytelling and towards nationalistic Chinese filmmaking. Even prior to the pandemic, the films that were connecting and resonating at China's box office had become increasingly patriotic — projects like— with less attention paid to diverse international voices, even in niche segments of the market.
Local Chinese films that don't travel have been key to their success over the last 6 months but with all US films underperforming will probably need to have to wait until F9 in May for the Chinese to get back in the US movie habit
Sad that the place where the Coronavirus ORIGINATED is now back to normal and the U.S. is lagging because of negligent leadership in 2019-20.