Imported movies staying longer in cinemas a sign of change for the Chinese mainland film market

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Imported movies staying longer in cinemas a sign of change for the Chinese mainland film market


Sony's Golden Globe-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has received a one-month extension to its miyao (code key) in Chinese mainland theaters. Not long before, another superhero flick, Aquaman, had also received an extension, meaning that both Hollywood films will still be in theaters during the Spring Festival holiday period, a time normally reserved for domestic films.

Miyao refers to a code that goes with a digital copy of a film to be shown in theaters in China. Theaters are only able to screen films whose codes have not expired, so when a code is extended this allows a film to continue a run past the one-month length set for films. 

According to Li Changhui, executive manager at TV and film promotion and distribution company Movie Motive Media, these codes are given out by two specific companies: China Film Group Cooperation and Huaxia Film Distribution. 

"Usually a film's miyao is valid for a single month, but there can be exceptions when it comes to specific films," Li told the Global Times.

New lease on life

Premiering in the mainland on December 21 2018, the first animated feature film in the Spider-Man franchise has collected over 420 million yuan ($62.05 million) as of Wednesday, which makes it the highest-grossing imported animated film of 2018.

The film has not only been a financial success, it has also reviewed well with audiences. On Chinese ticketing platform Mtime, Spider-Verse has an 8.3/10, while it has an 8.7/10 on Chinese media review site Douban, a higher rating that 91 percent of all animations reviewed on the site.

Just a few years ago, the term miyao was something barely ever heard of, but recent years have seen quite a number of films being extended, although most have been domestic films.

According to a report posted on the WeChat account of film channel China Central Television-6, from 2016 to 2018 more than five domestic films received extensions ranging from 12 days to three months each year. Extended films include 2016 box-office king The Mermaid, 2017 champion Wolf Warrior 2 and 2018 winner Operation Red Sea. 

"There is almost no barrier for domestic films when applying for an extension. For buy-out films [films whose rights have been purchased by a Chinese distributor, who keeps all revenue earned in China], this is usually impossible and for shared-revenue films [the revenue of which is split between the Chinese distributor and the original rights owner] it depends on approval from the China Film Group Corporation or Huaxia Film Distribution. Box-office performance, however, is another major factor," an industry insider who works closely with Chinese distributors told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Media reports show that prior to 2016, only a few imported films received extensions, the most notable being Avatar (2010) and the rerelease of Titanic (2012). Yet in 2017, US film Hacksaw Ridge, India's Dangal and Japanese animated film Your Name all stayed in theaters for more than one month.

More recently, in the past two months alone three imported films - Venom, Aquaman and Spider-Verse - have received extensions.

"Regulations are looser now. Earning more at the box office is the only goal," the industry insider noted.

No guarantees

Li noted that receiving an extension is no guarantee that it will be able to earn more money at the box office and that even getting an extension can be a complicated process. 

He noted that before a Chinese distributor can even apply for an extension it must first get the original rights holder's approval. 

He also noted that even if an extension is granted that still "does not ensure theaters will give the film screen share."

In an interview with WeChat blog Filmmore, another industry insider echoed Li's explanation. 

"It all depends on cinemas and the market. For a cinema… if there is still demand for a film, they will surely give it screen time, but a lot of films today only have a life expectancy of a week anyway."

Zhu Dawei, deputy general manager of Stellar Megamedia, sees the increase in frequency of extensions as a positive for the market.

"I personally think any film can be extended, as long as the cinema thinks the film is suitable for the local market. Some places prefer comedies while others favor art films. By extending more films, this gives cinemas in different areas more options to choose from," he told Filmmore. 

Wu Hehu, vice general manager of the Shanghai United Cinema Chain, pointed out that currently only box-office blockbusters are receiving extensions, adding that art films and socially important films should be brought into the mix.

Li agreed.

"Currently, profit is still the first concern of all parties. I hope the Chinese market can become more diversified, but there is still a long way to go," he said.

Source: Global Times by Wei Xi


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