Territory Focus: China

Subscribers can click on the headlines below for more…

Overview: A digital domain

Distribution: Battle for independents

Sales: Journey to the East

Buzz Titles

When the crown jewels of Hollywood, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman, turned up at Wanda Group’s recent launch event in Qingdao, the message was clear. China is a territory that, due to its size, growth and ambition, has the potential to change the dynamics of the global film business for good.

Even if Wanda chairman Wang Jianlin’s designs to build a new Hollywood on China’s shores have more to do with real estate than movies — as some commentators suggest — the fact remains any film company thinking beyond its own borders needs to factor this territory into its plans.

Over the following pages we examine how Hollywood and the independent film business are getting to grips with this new reality. Despite the expansion of import quotas, US studios have found the local film industry, with its rising production values and focus on social media, a force to be reckoned with over the past year.

With even less quota to play with, independents are exploring various methods of working with China. We look at those hardy pioneers who have established beachheads in China — and could help the local industry with its ambitions to increase exports of its movies overseas.

Finally, we highlight the films that will be in the vanguard of this international push: Chinese-language titles such as John Woo’s The Crossing, Zhang Yimou’s Home Coming and Wong Fei-hung biopic Rise Of The Legend are sure to keep buyers buzzing over the next year.

Liz Shackleton, Asia Editor