China's Yearly Box Office Revenue Since 2003.

“China is now one of the world’s largest film markets as well as producers. But when it comes to Chinese films’ international influence, one may draw a general conclusion that it pails in comparison with that of Bollywood, let alone Hollywood.

“China’s latest big-budget blockbuster, the Flowers of War, portrayed in the settings of the 1937 Nanking Massacre and directed by Zhang Yimou, failed to secure nomination of the Oscar Awards even though the film receives high ratings among Chinese movie-goers.

“An Oscar trophy may not necessarily be a litmus test for Chinese film industry, but gaining a foothold in the international film industry will certainly be an injection in the Chinese cultural arm as it seeks to boost cultural competitiveness.

“So what does it take for Chinese films to win internationally? And what overseas experiences can China borrow to help the industry grow?

“Ni hao, you’re listening to  People In the Know, bringing you insights into the headline news in China and around the world, I’m Zheng Chenguang in Beijing. In this edition of the program, we are taking a look at the Chinese film industry.

“We talk to Sun Shaoyi, School of Film and TV Arts & Technology, Shanghai University and Richard Trombly, Independent Film Maker and Former Business Journalist.”

To listen to or download the interview, visit:
http://english.cri.cn/7146/2012/01/19/1942s677130.htm

Christian Bale and Ni Ni star in Zhang Yimou's Nanjing massacre drama "The Flowers of War" (China, 145 min.)

Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards®. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category. As the short list was announced in Beverly Hills on Jan. 18, Zhang Yimou’s Oscar dream is once again crushed.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Belgium, “Bullhead,” Michael R. Roskam, director;
Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar,” Philippe Falardeau, director;
Denmark, “Superclásico,” Ole Christian Madsen, director;
Germany, “Pina,” Wim Wenders, director;
Iran, “A Separation,” Asghar Farhadi, director;
Israel, “Footnote,” Joseph Cedar, director;
Morocco, “Omar Killed Me,” Roschdy Zem, director;
Poland, “In Darkness,” Agnieszka Holland, director;
Taiwan, “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” Wei Te-sheng, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2011 are determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films between mid-October and January 13. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 20, through Sunday, January 22, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Source: http://www.deadline.com

Small budget rom-com "Love is Not Blind" (d. Teng Huatao, 109 min.) was a box-office miracle in 2011.

China’s domestic box office hit all-time high once again in 2011. Chinese cinemas raked in more than 13 billion yuan (13.115 billion, more than 2 billion U.S. dollars) in box-office revenue in 2011, according to Tong Gang, director of the Film Bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT), a jump of 28.93% compared to the 2010 figure. China may have surpassed India and the UK in 2011 to become the third-largest film market in the world after the United States and Japan.

China made a record number of 791 films in total in 2011, which include 558 feature films, 26 documentaries, 76 educational films, 5 special films, and 102 Made-for-TV films, according to Tong Gang’s SARFT report. Domestic films account for more than half of China’s 2011 box office (53.6%), a deep sigh of relief for SARFT bureaucrats.

As more urban Chinese are accustomed to going to the cinema, 803 new theaters or 3,030 screens were constructed/added in 2011. Mainland China now has 2,800 professional theaters, with 9,200 professional screens in total.

The following is the list of the Top 10 Box Office Films of 2011 in China (in Chinese yuan); notice that 6 Hollywood blockbusters made the top 10 list:

1.    Transformers: Dark of the Moon (d. Michael Bay); domestic box office (dbo): 1.1 billion yuan;
2.    Kung Fu Panda II (d. Jennifer Yuh Nelson); dbo: 610 million yuan;
3.    Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (d. Rob Marshall); dbo: 470 million yuan;
4.    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (d. David Yates); dbo: 410 million yuan;
5.    The Beginning of a Great Revival (建党伟业；d. Han Sanping, Huang Jianxin); dbo: 410 million yuan;
6.    The Flowers of War (金陵十三钗；d. Zhang Yimou); dbo: 400 million yuan (still playing);
7.    The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (龙门飞甲；d. Tsui Hark); dbo: 400 million yuan (still playing);
8.    Love is Not Blind (失恋33天；d. Teng Huatao); dbo: 360 million yuan;
9.    Fast Five (d. Justin Lin); dbo: 260 million yuan;
10.    The Smurfs (d. Raja Gosnell); dbo: 260 million yuan.