Chinese films struggling to gain profit overseas

[Cataphract]

Take for example, how many American made comedy-romances do you know succeeded overseas?

Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, American Pie, Bridget Jones, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Ground Hog Day, ...

[Jimbo]

When I lived in Taiwan in the mid-'80s and early '90s, many audiences there LOVED American-made romantic movies. Especially young couples. Although I was long gone from there by 1997/98, I understand that Titanic (for just one example) was a BIG hit there.

Romance movies (comedy or not) are not my type of genre. I saw TONS of Taiwanese romance films (comedies and dramas) in the early '80s, that were filmed in the late '70s/early '80s. Films starring Brigitte Lin, Ching Han, Chin Hsiang-Lin (Charles Chin), Lin Feng-Chiao (Jackie Chan's wife), Lu Hsiu-Ling, Adam Cheng, etc., etc. Because the local Vietnamese-owned theater showed weekly quadruple features of Kung Fu and other genres of HK/Taiwan films in no set order, you often had to sit through these types of films to get to the 'good stuff'. Maybe a couple of the Shaw Brothers romantic comedies were OK, IMO.

[mdo7]

Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, American Pie, Bridget Jones, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Ground Hog Day, ...

When I lived in Taiwan in the mid-'80s and early '90s, many audiences there LOVED American-made romantic movies. Especially young couples. Although I was long gone from there by 1997/98, I understand that Titanic (for just one example) was a BIG hit there.

Thank you, that's enough evidence for me. Also, as I stated many Korean (and Taiwanese) TV dramas that got popular in the US and around the world are romantic comedies and they are the most popular genre (beside Saeguks, and romantic melodrama) amongst international Hallyu fans. So if Chinese rom-coms films didn't get accepted outside of Asia, then how did Korean and Taiwanese rom-com TV dramas got a big audiences outside of Asia?

[Cataphract]

Well as I said, my problem is how is it that Chinese films are struggling to get overseas audiences yet Korean pop culture was able to get a big global audiences despite both Chinese and Korean stuff and culture are similar?

All things Japanese were the latest and greatest before Korea took over. Korean urban lifestyle (Gangnam style) is presented in the western media as a capitalist Nirvana. Brands like Samsung and Hyundai elicit a grudging respect even in Germany. I guess the Koreans are particularly good at self marketing. China on the other hand has severe image problems, some of them home made. It may be unfair, but all this plays a role on the subconscious level I think.

(My bet is on Singapore for the next big thing, btw.)

[Jimbo]

It may very well be true that many Korean industries (including their entertainment industry) are very good at promoting themselves. I might make a comparison to the 1970s and 80s, when Korean martial artists were aggressively marketing their systems/schools (TKD, TSD, Hapkido, Hwarangdo, Kuk Sool Won, etc.), sometimes to a shameless degree. Such marketing strategies, especially with TKD, have been wildly successful worldwide. It's also well-known that lots of Korean-owned businesses are not shy about moving into areas far outside of an 'Asian demographic'.

I point these out because it shows a greater history of willingness of many Korean industries or businesses, culturally, to open themselves to outsiders, as opposed to staying mostly within an insular market. A couple years ago, there was a commercial on American TV promoting 'K-food', featuring several effeminate-looking Korean male models. It surprised me a bit, because I wouldn't have thought such male images meant to represent a country or a culture would fly here, at least in a 'straight' sense. Obviously, somebody thought they would.

It may also be that many Western men with a fascination for Asian women like the (cosmetic surgery-enhanced) looks of the young female Korean idols/singers/dancers/starlets, and find them 'hotter-looking'. Therefore making them want to see and know more about them.

[mdo7]

All things Japanese were the latest and greatest before Korea took over. Korean urban lifestyle (Gangnam style) is presented in the western media as a capitalist Nirvana. Brands like Samsung and Hyundai elicit a grudging respect even in Germany. I guess the Koreans are particularly good at self marketing. China on the other hand has severe image problems, some of them home made. It may be unfair, but all this plays a role on the subconscious level I think.

Well regarding Japanese stuff, yeah I will agree beside anime's quality has been on the decline. Also it's been reported a few years ago how Japanese companies are not on par like they used to in the past:

A declining Japan loses its once-hopeful champions

BBC: What happened to Japan's electronic giants?

The mighty downfall of Japan's tech giants

The era of Japanese consumer electronics giants is dead

Passing the torch: The gadget world's balance of power has shifted from Japan to Korea

A Startup Scene That's Not So Hot: Japan's Entrepreneur Shortage

It doesn't help that a lot of other aspect of Japanese pop culture aren't accessible to international audiences outside of Japan and Asia. I mean beside China (as you stated), Japan is not really good with marketing themselves. I mean there was complaint about Japan not marketing their other aspect of pop culture like J-pop music and J-dramas. I do agree China has a image problem (ie: human rights, and censorship) that might be preventing films from becoming a big mainstream thing, but Korea had a similar image problem like dog meat consumption and yet after K-pop and K-drama became globally popular the dog meat eating stereotype and whatever negative images of South Korea it got long time ago has been "erased" out of the mainstream.

(My bet is on Singapore for the next big thing, btw.)

I highly doubt that, Singapore hasn't have a pop culture that can impressed the world like South Korea did. I don't see Singaporean dramas being exported or getting pick up on sites like Dramafever and Viki. I'm not sure about their pop music. If a next Asian country was to replicate, it would be Taiwan. Their TV dramas are catching up in popularity on Dramafever, and Viki. Taiwanese TV dramas are also catching popularity in Latin/South America. Also Taiwan seem to show similar ambition to re-invent their pop music industry and on purpose to rival K-pop on a global scale. So I think Taiwan maybe trying to revive their own cultural wave after seeing the global influence of the Korean Wave.

It may very well be true that many Korean industries (including their entertainment industry) are very good at promoting themselves. I might make a comparison to the 1970s and 80s, when Korean martial artists were aggressively marketing their systems/schools (TKD, TSD, Hapkido, Hwarangdo, Kuk Sool Won, etc.), sometimes to a shameless degree. Such marketing strategies, especially with TKD, have been wildly successful worldwide. It's also well-known that lots of Korean-owned businesses are not shy about moving into areas far outside of an 'Asian demographic'.

I point these out because it shows a greater history of willingness of many Korean industries or businesses, culturally, to open themselves to outsiders, as opposed to staying mostly within an insular market. A couple years ago, there was a commercial on American TV promoting 'K-food', featuring several effeminate-looking Korean male models. It surprised me a bit, because I wouldn't have thought such male images meant to represent a country or a culture would fly here, at least in a 'straight' sense. Obviously, somebody thought they would.

It's true that South Korea are better at marketing and also making their pop culture more accessible then China and Japan. Regarding what you said about "a commercial on American TV promoting 'K-food', featuring several effeminate-looking Korean male models." I think they were targeting female fans of K-dramas (which was on the rise at that time), so yeah that type of marketing kind of make sense and it somehow work. I don't know what they put in K-drama to just get people addicted to it.

It may also be that many Western men with a fascination for Asian women like the (cosmetic surgery-enhanced) looks of the young female Korean idols/singers/dancers/starlets, and find them 'hotter-looking'. Therefore making them want to see and know more about them.

Actually, majority of Hallyu fans are female as according to this 2013 article:

By age group, 49 percent of the respondents were in their twenties, followed by those in their thirties at 18 percent, teenagers at 17 percent and those in their forties at 8 percent.

By gender, 90 percent or 10,826 respondents were female.

Also there was the issue of K-pop boy group and girl group facing double standard regarding scandals or their appearance:

Double standard between male and female K-pop groups

Netizens discuss the double standards between male and female idol groups

Are male or female fans better for girl groups?

Fans Claim These Photos PROVE Double Standards Exist Between Male And Female K-Pop Idols

But we're getting a bit off topic, we still don't know why (beside a few of you) Kung fu film fans didn't branch out to other genre in Chinese cinema. Are foreign TV shows more accepted then foreign films meaning would Chinese TV dramas have been more accepted outside of Asia then Chinese films?

[Cataphract]

I've bought a copy of "Let the Bullets Fly" today for €1,-. That's why Chinese films can't gain profit. They're selling too cheap.

[mdo7]

I've bought a copy of "Let the Bullets Fly" today for €1,-. That's why Chinese films can't gain profit. They're selling too cheap.

It's probably cheap because the film retail price depreciate over time. Let the bullet fly came out in 2010 in China. So 6 years later the price would depreciate. It's the same for all movies regardless if it's domestic or foreign.

[Cataphract]

That was tongue in cheek of course. I've found it as usual in a variety store. But that rate of price decline is anything but normal.

[mdo7]

That was tongue in cheek of course. I've found it as usual in a variety store. But that rate of price decline is anything but normal.

Yeah well, can we get back on topic. Also we haven't found out why Chinese films struggle to get audiences overseas while Korean TV dramas and K-pop are doing way better at this.

[Cataphract]

I think that was rather on topic. You have a well executed movie with first class localization and the price instantly drops to an infinitesimal value. The bottom line is that the problem isn't the quality.

[mdo7]

I think that was rather on topic. You have a well executed movie with first class localization and the price instantly drops to an infinitesimal value. The bottom line is that the problem isn't the quality.

Well it still doesn't explain why international audiences can't accept Chinese films but was able to accept Korean pop culture. It still doesn't explain why Chinese films struggle overseas while Korean and Taiwanese TV dramas was able to get a bigger audiences.