Domestic movie market booms

01-04-2011 08:20 BJT Special Report:Preview of 2011 Movie Season |

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The domestic movie box office thrived in 2010. A variety of flicks combined to gain a total box office return of more than 10-billion Yuan. But critics ponder over the prosperity, questioning whether robust box office returns means equal success for China's entire film industry...

Movie buffs appear to have been thoroughly satisfied with a wide variety of films in 2010. From James Cameron's blockbuster "Avatar" being shown on the giant 3D IMax screens, to Feng Xiaogang's visually compelling "Aftershock" based on the Tangshan earthquake. All have contributed to China's booming movie market.

Along with box office success comes other issues to consider. 3D has been all the rage since Avatar swept cinemas across the country, which triggered a nationwide craze for the cutting-edge technology. Soon nearly all domestic movies went 3-D. But eventually the frosty response from the market said it all--- 3D is not the panacea.

Although the 2010 domestic box office return reached over 10-billion Yuan, however the triumph, seems to be the result of just a few movies and their directors. Nearly all the box office winners came from established directors like Feng Xiaogang, Jiang Wen and Chen Kaige. The remaining films produced in 2010 were confronted with the harsh reality of barely breaking even.

Movie buffs appear to have been thoroughly satisfied with a wide variety of films in 2010.

Two of Feng Xiaogang's big screen productions "Aftershock" and "If You Are the One 2" combined to gain one billion Yuan last year. When asked about his box office secret, Feng had this to say.