China helps drive global movie earnings to record
Updated: 2016-04-14 09:26
By AMY HE in New York(chinadaily.com.cn)
|
|||||||||
People pose in front of a poster of The Mermaid, directed by Stephen Chow, at a cinema in Beijing in February. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY |
Global movie earnings hit a record $38.3 billion in 2015, with China accounting for $6.8 billion, a nearly 50 percent increase over the previous year, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
The new record is a 5 percent increase over 2014, with box offices outside of China making up $27.2 billion of the total.
The Asia-Pacific region was the main driver of international growth at movie houses, up 13 percent, according to the annual report, and China accounted for nearly half of the entire Asia-Pacific total.
"These numbers clearly show that the international marketplace, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of global box office today, is only continuing to grow in importance," said Chris Dodd, chairman and CEO of the MPAA and a former US Senator of Connecticut, on Tuesday at the annual National Association of Theatre Owners convention in Las Vegas.
Trailing China in 2015 was the UK with $1.9 billion, , Japan, $1.8 billion, India, $1.6 billion, and South Korea, $1.5 billion.
The US box office, which includes totals from Canada, hit $11.1 billion, an 8 percent increase year-over-year, and was credited to several smash hits, including Jurassic World ($652 million domestically), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($459 million) and Inside Out ($356 million).
Several Hollywood blockbusters broke various same-day and opening weekend records at China’s box office last year, but ultimately ended the year on a weak note.
December was another blackout period for foreign movies in China, and Star Wars, which saw a wide release in late December, was unable to secure a China release until January. Its performance in China topped out at about $125 million, far below the $277 million that analysts had predicted.
Domestic films in China have had a far better overall performance. Monster Hunt and Lost in Hong Kong were the second- and fourth-largest box office performances in 2015, respectively. This year so far, Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid has made $526 million since its release in early February during Lunar New Year.
amyhe@chinadailyusa.com
Related Stories
Holiday upsurge leads to record-breaking box-office revenues 2016-04-04 02:17
Top celebrities produce Chinese movie 2016-04-05 09:17
Movie of US, China in WWII long overdue 2016-02-17 12:20
Beijing's movie fans in for new experience 2016-01-14 08:20
New posters of movie 'Run For Love' released 2016-01-03 15:13
Movie ‘Crosscurrent’ premiered at Berlinale film festival 2016-02-16 09:26
Today's Top News
Russia-China ties benefit both countries, peoples
China, UK showcase best books in London
Hello, China! Stephen Hawking debuts Weibo account
Manila set to restart revamp of airport in S China Sea
Forget cabs, now you can book plane through apps
Britain and China must join to solve steel crisis, ambassador says
Chinese soccer aims to be among world top teams by 2050
E-commerce tax not applicable on travelers,
says ministry
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Seeking stars from hollywood |
Riding on emotions |
When the Bard met his Chinese match |
Premier: Tax reform to boost vitality |
Digital trends: What we'll see in 2016 |
Vis-a-vis visas, Europe plays |