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Spiderman's dominance in China raises fears for local films
2007-05-17
Spiderman 3 is saturating cinemas in China and raising the fear that Hollywood blockbusters are keeping Chinese films out of theatres in their own country, state media said Wednesday. The latest installment in the Spiderman franchise is already the highest-grossing film in China this year, earning 104 million yuan (13.4 million dollars) since debuting here in March, Xinhua news agency said. Many in the industry attribute this to profit-hungry cinema operators showing the film on all their screens, raising a debate over the state of China's film industry and the efficacy of measures to shield it from foreign imports, it said. "If Chinese cinemas are occupied by foreign big-budget films, no one will dare to invest in Chinese films," the agency quoted said Vivian Wu, a Chinese-born actress, as saying. Wu co-produced the domestically made film Shanghai Red, now struggling for screen space in China. "We feel sad and wonder why Chinese don't watch their own movies. It's unreasonable that almost all screens in all cinemas show Spiderman 3," she said. The agency said some cinemas showed the film on all their screens during the week-long May Day holiday at the beginning of the month, citing market demand. Chinese director Jia Zhangke said the country should copy a South Korean system that requires cinemas to devote a set proportion of days for showing domestic films to nurture audience interest in local offerings, the agency said. China officially restricts the number of imported movies to 20 each year but the real numbers have been far higher, Xinhua said, quoting government figures showing that more than 4,000 foreign films were imported between in 2001-2004.
Protest awaits French actress Fanny Ardant in Venice (2007-09-06)Hong Kong's Johnnie To springs 'surprise' on Venice film fest (2007-09-06)Spiderman's dominance in China raises fears for local films (2007-05-17)Korean monster movie tops first Asian film awards (2007-03-20)Asian cinema conquers Berlin as fest wraps up (2007-02-18)
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