Leonardo DiCaprio attended Wanda's Oscar-like party. Xu Chongde / for China Daily

Picking (Apart) the bad apples

A knockout year for cinema

Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis launches in Qingdao

These newcomers are the fastest climbers on the pyramid of the movie business, followed by a mammoth army of youngsters who are honing the art and craft of filmmaking at the base. Many of them are making so-called micro films, short films that rely on digital technology for production and editing and on the Internet for distribution. Though widely uneven in quality, this is a perfect tool for practicing the new form of audio-video story-telling. In other words, the democratization of filmmaking as both a way of communication and a for-profit business is benefiting the young generation.

Another manifestation of the changing dynamics is Hollywood's new attitudes to the Chinese market.

Hollywood continues its practice of incorporating Chinese elements, especially stars in cameo roles, in its franchise movies. Iron Man 3 not only features Fan Bingbing and Wang Xueqi in flashing appearances, but customized a slightly different version for the China market. Many in China see that as a sign of Hollywood kowtowing to market forces, but some hold the opposing view, citing the fact that Fan does not make the US cut of the movie. When Gravity makes a Chinese space station and its module as vehicles that saved the protagonist on her return to Earth, local audiences again took notice.

But the event that sealed public perception was a cast of big Hollywood names, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, John Travolta, Ewan McGregor and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who descended on Qingdao for the launching of a 30 billion yuan complex that Wanda touted as China's answer to Hollywood. The Chinese press jokingly called it "a tuhao party", which is tantamount to the parties thrown by DiCaprio's character in The Great Gatsby.

Chinese cinema goes back more than a century, but as a big business it is exploding into a new era. Records are made and broken constantly. What appeared far-fetched two years ago could be within reach two years from now. But it's a gambler's game. Audience tastes change almost overnight and unpredictable factors, especially the scheduling of the opening vis-a-vis other contenders, may often determine whether a movie is a hit or a flop.

But what an exciting game!

 

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