Wants to protect own film industry, and is reportedly angry with the US over arm sales to Taiwan, Congress’s honoring of the Dalai Lama, and over disputes in the WTO regarding piracy and trade barriers.
China has banned Hollywood films, at least until February and possibly until May, over a trade row with the United States and because American movies are proving too successful and hitting box office for local films. Chinese authorities are also said to be miffed over the US’s continued arms sales to Taiwan.
At a time when overseas box office sales is crucial to movie studio coffers, it’s being reported that beginning last Saturday China has stopped the release of Hollywood films in that country until at least February and possibly May of next year. U.S. and UK newspapers are reporting the lockout, but Chinese film officials are denying the news stories.
China’s all-powerful State Administration of Radio Film & Television, its main film bureau, said it had not heard of any ban. “There’s no such thing. We’ve never heard anything about this,” a spokesman said, but industry sources say the order to stop Hollywood movies, which are very popular in China, came from high up, possibly from the propaganda ministry.
The Asian and Chinese divisions of the major studios have not been given any release slots in the first two months of 2008.
According to the UK’s “The Independent,” the reasons for the ban are fourfold: a trade row with the United States over pirated copies of music, movies and other issues, Hollywood films are proving too successful against Chinese-produced films, Chinese authorities are said to be miffed over America’s continued arms sales to Taiwan, and for Congress’s decision to honor the Dalai Lama.
Among the films affected are three Paramount releases: Beowulf, Bee Movie (from DreamWorks Animation) and Stardust. But that may be because the biggest movie in China this year, DreamWorks / Paramount’s Transformers, swamped local Chinese films at the theaters. There have been other China bans on U.S. movies: from June 20-July 11 and from July 21-August 12 and supposedly this month as well.
To help boost local movies, the screening of foreign films is tightly controlled in China and there is a quota system which permits just 20 foreign films per year to be released, on a revenue-sharing basis between the cinemas and the studios.
With pirated movies such a big concern for Hollywood in China, getting their movies shown in theaters there is the crucial to generating profit in that country.
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Beowulf was instantly forgettable Bee Movie is for 8 year olds and I never heard of Stardust. So if I wouldnt exactly be crying in my wonton if I was a Chinese cinema-goer.
Geez it seems the only thing more shortsighted than a US Capitalist is a Chinese Communist.
…yeah like people will suddenly jump for Chinese made movies just because they won’t let the Hollywood stuff in theaters. People will just stay home and pirate the movies and now they have an ethical excuse to do it too. Can’t pay for a movie they won’t sell you. Oh well most people there would do better to save their money anyway maybe invest it in a business or revolution.
This is just silly. I truly hope the Chinese wouldn’t do such a thing because it would hurt their economy as well. But then again it might boost internet providers and P2P traffic.
Hahahaha and here we were b*tching about thr RIA* and the chinese just well make us stare in awe!!! the truth is the chinese movie makers have got to offer somthing better for what they be attempting to do to make sense…cause as we know the moment something is said to be banned its demand sky rockets!!..so maybe its a reverse psychology trick the are trynna pull off