View Poll Results: Why do you think Chinese films are struggling overseas

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  • lack of global appeal/overseas audiences find Chinese films too "complicated"

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  • lack of marketing outside of China/Asia

    0 0%
  • subtitling issues

    0 0%
  • not using streaming sites specialized in Asian entertainment like Dramafever and Viki

    0 0%
  • Korean pop culture popularity overshadowing Chinese films

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Thread: Chinese films struggling to gain profit overseas

  1. #1

    Exclamation Chinese films struggling to gain profit overseas

    We've brought up about how Kung fu genre is dead or dying or losing it's global relevence. But it goes beyond that. I found out that Chinese films overall regardless of what genre is struggling overseas when it come to profit. Despite Mainland Chinese cinema market being #2 on the global market, their domestic films are not winning international fanbases compared to the global popularity of Korean TV dramas (and K-pop).

    I saw these 2 articles about how Chinese films are struggling overseas:

    2015 article from Hollywood Reporter: Chinese Movies Still Struggle Overseas Despite Kung Fu's Global Appeal, Survey Shows

    Chinese Films Struggling To Find An Audience Abroad

    This isn't nothing new, it has been acknowledged since 2011 that Chinese films are struggling overseas despite the appeal of Kung fu film, and the popularity of Korean pop culture.

    2011 article


    2013 article

    2013 Washington Times article

    2015 article from South China Morning Post

    Some reasons has been cited why Chinese films are struggling overseas:

    "What we've found is that people tend to watch Chinese films through free channels instead of going to theaters," said Huang Huilin, director of the AICCC.

    "Most of the participants watch Chinese films online. The Internet offers fertile and challenging ground for Chinese filmmakers to exploit. And also kung-fu and comedy are still the most popular types of Chinese films among overseas viewers."

    According to a survey conducted by the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture (AICCC), 30 percent of respondents considered “the thoughts and logic of Chinese films difficult to understand”, while less than 40 percent identified with the “values” expressed in the films. A third of respondents simply said they weren’t interested in Chinese films.

    The survey included 1,800 respondents from 46 different countries across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

    One argument as to why Chinese films are struggling abroad is a lack of marketing. Less than eight percent of surveyed respondents noticed Chinese film advertisements in their home countries, while 36 percent claim they’ve never seen any marketing for Chinese films at all.

    According to Sha Dan, with the China Film Archive, one solution to the marketing issue is more Chinese films that are co-produced with foreign production companies: “Commercial packaging is necessary for Chinese films if they want to be better accepted, no matter what genre it is,” said Sha.

    Another issue is subtitles. 70 percent of respondents said they were unsatisfied with subtitles, which often amount to nothing more than literal translations without reflecting the scene’s context. “To have quality subtitles, one will need to understand both Chinese culture and the culture of the foreign country,” said Luo Jun, deputy head of the AICCC. “We need Chinese who know foreign cultures well and expats who have an abundant knowledge of Chinese culture.”

    Feng Xiaogang, a director and actor who starred in the recent box office hit Mr Six, offers another explanation. Feng believes that Chinese films fail abroad because they are poorly made and hindered by domestic censorship regulations. Feng also questions the industry’s hiring practices: “Most of the people working in the lighting department are from Henan province,” said Feng at the recent Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). “They are not trained professionally – they got the job simply because they happen to know someone who works on the film crew.”
    I do somewhat agree about what is said above, but I could add one more reason: the global popularity of Hallyu/Korean Wave could be overshadowing Chinese films from gaining popularity and overseas profit. It might explain why Korean films are gaining more international attention outside of Asia then any big-name Chinese films. I don't see any similar article above for Korean films, so I have to assume they're doing very well.

    What do you think is causing Chinese films not to gain audiences overseas when Korean pop culture like K-pop and K-dramas are winning more global audiences?
    Last edited by mdo7; 05-13-2016 at 05:03 PM. Reason: forgot to add the question.

  2. #2
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    Not mentioned is the often-nationalistic tone of many of the mainland Chinese films. Of course, propaganda-type movies are made in virtually any country where movies are made, including the U.S. and South Korea. But so many of the mainland Chinese movies have been like that.

    Certainly, South Korean pop culture is the "it" thing in Asia. It's seen as more "hip" than Chinese pop culture. I would also imagine that China's restrictive film censoring of subject/content isn't helping their movies' international popularity.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 05-13-2016 at 05:11 PM.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    Not mentioned is the often-nationalistic tone of many of the mainland Chinese films. Of course, propaganda-type movies are made in virtually any country where movies are made, including the U.S. and South Korea. But so many of the mainland Chinese movies have been like that.
    I don't watch enough non Kung Fu/non-period and non-action cinema from China to give my thought on this. But if what you said about Chinese films contain nationalistic tone is true. That maybe another problem why Chinese films are losing overseas international audiences.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    Certainly, South Korean pop culture is the "it" thing in Asia. It's seen as more "hip" than Chinese pop culture. I would also imagine that China's restrictive film censoring of subject/content isn't helping their movies' international popularity.
    I do agree censorship can be another turn off for Chinese films not gaining overseas audiences. But regarding what I said about Korean pop culture is overshadowing Chinese film overseas audiences it does look more evident from my observation, so it's not only subtitle issues. Yeah I read this article and this seem to confirm my observation: Poor subtitles mar prospects of Chinese cinema abroad

    I'm going to quote this from the article:

    Different regions along the ancient Silk Road vary greatly in terms of the understanding of Chinese films, Huang says of the survey.

    While Southeast Asian countries showed easier understanding of Chinese films despite language barriers due to cultural proximity, those in the Middle and Eastern Europe showed lower acceptance of the films.
    Right there, at the bold/underline sentence. I emphasized that one because Korean pop culture is more well known in those area then Chinese films:



    Iranians hooked on Korean TV drama

    Korean drama: Cultural envoy for Iran

    Korean drama boom in Iran to create business opportunities

    First KCON in Middle East draws thousands

    2006-Korean Broadcasts to Be Exported to Eastern Europe

    and look what happened a few years later in Eastern Europe:

    2010: Queen Seon Deok to air in Hungary

    2011: Korean drama conquering Eastern Europe

    Hallyu wave hits Romania

    9 Korean Dramas airing in Romania

    It's unbelievable, Korean TV dramas including period/saeguks can win more audiences then Chinese films. Some may say it maybe a subtitle or translation issues, but from my assessment it looks like Chinese films will have hard time gaining overseas audiences because Korean stuff as you said is more "hip and trendy" then Chinese films.

    There something else I noticed on the same article:

    Kung fu films remained the most popular genre, but its advantage over other genres wasn't obvious, according to the report.

    Chinese films can no longer purely rely on martial arts to win foreign markets, Huang says.
    So this seem to implied international fans of Kung fu films and HK action cinema never branch out to other genre in Chinese cinema. Is that the reason why Chinese cinema other then action and Kung fu never got a big audiences in US and Europe?
    Last edited by mdo7; 05-15-2016 at 05:12 AM. Reason: adding and fixing one question and sentence

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdo7 View Post
    I don't watch enough non Kung Fu/non-period and non-action cinema from China to give my thought on this. But if what you said about Chinese films contain nationalistic tone is true. That maybe another problem why Chinese films are losing audiences.



    I do agree censorship can be another turn off for Chinese films not gaining overseas audiences. But regarding what I said about Korean pop culture is overshadowing Chinese film overseas audiences it does look more evident from my observation, so it's not only subtitle issues. Yeah I read this article and this seem to confirm my observation: Poor subtitles mar prospects of Chinese cinema abroad

    I'm going to quote this from the article:



    Right there, at the bold/underline sentence. I emphasized that one because Korean pop culture is more well known in those area then Chinese films:



    Iranians hooked on Korean TV drama

    Korean drama: Cultural envoy for Iran

    Korean drama boom in Iran to create business opportunities

    First KCON in Middle East draws thousands

    2006-Korean Broadcasts to Be Exported to Eastern Europe

    and look what happened a few years later in Eastern Europe:

    2010: Queen Seon Deok to air in Hungary

    2011: Korean drama conquering Eastern Europe

    Hallyu wave hits Romania

    9 Korean Dramas airing in Romania

    It's unbelievable, Korean TV dramas including period/saeguks can win more audiences then Chinese films. Some may say it maybe a subtitle or translation issues, but from my assessment it looks like Chinese films will have hard time gaining overseas audiences because Korean stuff as you said is more "hip and trendy" then Chinese films.

    There something else I noticed on the same article:



    So this seem to implied international fans of Kung fu films and HK action cinema never branch out to other genre in Chinese cinema. Is that the reason why Chinese cinema other then action and Kung fu never got a big audiences in US and Europe?
    To be honest, I've only watched a few non-Kung Fu specific movies from mainland China, such as 1911 and Let the Bullets Fly. I would NOT consider Let the Bullets Fly to necessarily be nationalistic (though it might be; I only watched it once), but I didn't like it, nonetheless. I didn't think it was funny at all; I didn't get the storyline, and didn't care about the characters, either. I also thought the 'funny rape scene' to be in extremely poor taste. But surprisingly (to me), Let the Bullets Fly seems very popular among many Westerners who have seen it. And I didn't like 1911, either, but for different reasons.

    IMO, the older Hong Kong KF and action movies had a very different spirit and feel to them than most of the mainland Chinese KF/action movies. Kind of hard to explain in a few words. IMO, some of the older HK comedies could be quite funny, as well. They were "edgier" in spirit than mainland flicks, IMO.

    For myself, I like a number of the recent Korean action/suspense/gangster films (haven't watched many of their comedies yet). I think the characters are more relatable (in a Western sense, and apparently in some Middle Eastern areas as well) than many mainland movie characters.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 05-14-2016 at 06:41 PM.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    To be honest, I've only watched a few non-Kung Fu specific movies from mainland China, such as 1911 and Let the Bullets Fly. I would NOT consider Let the Bullets Fly to necessarily be nationalistic (though it might be; I only watched it once), but I didn't like it, nonetheless. I didn't think it was funny at all; I didn't get the storyline, and didn't care about the characters, either. I also thought the 'funny rape scene' to be in extremely poor taste. But surprisingly (to me), Let the Bullets Fly seems very popular among many Westerners who have seen it. And I didn't like 1911, either, but for different reasons.
    Hm, I see. So whatever you said about why you don't like non-Kung fu cinema from Mainland China would that be the same reason why many Kung fu and HK action cinema fans never branch out to other genre in Chinese films. Regarding Let the bullet fly, despite having Chow Yun Fat and you said many westerners like that film, it didn't do well in the US and I'll quote:

    Action-comedy “Let the Bullets Fly,” starring Chow Yun-fat, grossed $111 million at home but $63,000 in the United States, while action-fantasy “Painted Skin: The Resurrection,” starring Donnie Yen, earned $113 million domestically but $50,400 in the U.S., according to Hollywood.com.
    So yeah, so much for popularity. As I said, I'm not 100% sure why that film didn't do well despite having Chow Yun-Fat in that film.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    IMO, the older Hong Kong KF and action movies had a very different spirit and feel to them than most of the mainland Chinese KF/action movies. Kind of hard to explain in a few words. IMO, some of the older HK comedies could be quite funny, as well. They were "edgier" in spirit than mainland flicks, IMO.
    I guess the censorship and restriction must be not making their Martial art genre "edgier". Also could you try your best to explain what you mean by HK and Mainland Chinese having "a very different spirit and feel"?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    For myself, I like a number of the recent Korean action/suspense/gangster films (haven't watched many of their comedies yet). I think the characters are more relatable (in a Western sense, and apparently in some Middle Eastern areas as well) than many mainland movie characters.
    I take it you haven't watch romance like for example Love Forecast (you can watch it on Dramafever, but you'll need a subscription to watch the film) or slice of life or high school one like for example, Hot Young Bloods (you can watch that film on Dramafever, again you need a subscription though). I don't know which other good Korean films out there you may like but they are diverse and they're very interesting.

    Regarding the Middle East, I'm not 100% sure how many K-films has been shown, but I do know K-dramas are very popular in those area. The one that are popular in the Middle East are either idol dramas, period/saeguks, rom-coms, or serious romance genre are the one that appeal to Middle Eastern and Iranian audiences, same can be said for Eastern Europe. I'm not sure why Mainland China hasn't thought about marketing Nirvana in Fire to those area if they want K-drama fans to branch out to Chinese dramas and films. It simple, market and show Chinese TV dramas (both period and rom-com) like Nirvana in Fire and if it become popular, they'll branch out into Chinese cinema. I mean it work for Korean films, K-dramas with well-known idol actors or famous Korean actors/actresses and those fan of the drama and/or Korean celebrities ending up branching out to Korean films.
    Last edited by mdo7; 05-15-2016 at 04:59 AM. Reason: adding a question

  6. #6
    I find most recent Chinese productions "hollow". Grand gestures but a lacking story. Take the Yip Man movie for example. Perfect visuals but characters are totally flat. Yip Man is Mr. Perfect, the bad guys are perfectly evil. The problem is in the screenwriting.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Cataphract View Post
    I find most recent Chinese productions "hollow". Grand gestures but a lacking story. Take the Yip Man movie for example. Perfect visuals but characters are totally flat. Yip Man is Mr. Perfect, the bad guys are perfectly evil. The problem is in the screenwriting.
    Well, thank you for your input. Other then being "hollow", are there any other reasons or problems you had with Chinese cinema that might explain why they're struggling to get overseas/international audiences?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by mdo7 View Post
    I guess the censorship and restriction must be not making their Martial art genre "edgier". Also could you try your best to explain what you mean by HK and Mainland Chinese having "a very different spirit and feel"?
    Actually, the older HK *movies* having a different spirit and feel. There seemed to be more variations of characters in the older HK films. Like I said, it's difficult to explain in a few words. Like in many mainland KF movies (as in Ip Man, for example), as Cataphract mentioned, the heroes are super-virtuous (to the point of being boring). I could say that Zhang Jin's character in Ip Man 3 was a bit different, as his being truly a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy' was indeterminate. More of a 'moral middle ground depending on his circumstances' character.

    In some older HK KF movies, especially many of the KF comedies, the protagonists were not heroic at all; many were lazy good-for-nothings or even obnoxious con men who end up running afoul of villains whose crimes go further than their own. If done right, this mixture created some very entertaining and exciting movies. I can't think off-hand of any mainland KF films with such colorful characters.

    Even one of my very favorite mainland KF films of the '80s, South Shaolin Master, features very dry, cardboard cutout heroes and villains, IMO. The heroes and their friends are virtuous 'G-rated' characters.
    Last edited by Jimbo; 05-15-2016 at 11:23 AM.

  9. #9
    Well, no. I usually buy discounted Asian cinema DVDs at variety stores, all well produced, even some fancy special editions in metal boxes, all of them dubbed. This is going on for years now.
    Once I found a dirt cheap copy of House of the Flying Daggers, for example. It simply didn't resonate with me, which is often the case these days. And I really love the old stuff.
    Last edited by Cataphract; 05-15-2016 at 11:31 AM.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Jimbo View Post
    Actually, the older HK *movies* having a different spirit and feel. There seemed to be more variations of characters in the older HK films. Like I said, it's difficult to explain in a few words. Like in many mainland KF movies (as in Ip Man, for example), as Cataphract mentioned, the heroes are super-virtuous (to the point of being boring). I could say that Zhang Jin's character in Ip Man 3 was a bit different, as his being truly a 'good guy' or a 'bad guy' was indeterminate. More of a 'moral middle ground depending on his circumstances' character.

    In some older HK KF movies, especially many of the KF comedies, the protagonists were not heroic at all; many were lazy good-for-nothings or even obnoxious con men who end up running afoul of villains whose crimes go further than their own. If done right, this mixture created some very entertaining and exciting movies. I can't think off-hand of any mainland KF films with such colorful characters.

    Even one of my very favorite mainland KF films of the '80s, South Shaolin Master, features very dry, cardboard cutout heroes and villains, IMO. The heroes and their friends are virtuous 'G-rated' characters.
    Ah I see where you're getting at. I think I understand where you're getting at. Thank you for clarifying that for me.

    Quote Originally Posted by Cataphract View Post
    Well, no. I usually buy discounted Asian cinema DVDs at variety stores, all well produced, even some fancy special editions in metal boxes, all of them dubbed. This is going on for years now.
    Once I found a dirt cheep copy of House of the Flying Daggers, for example. It simply didn't resonate with me, which is often the case these days. And I really love the old stuff.
    So I take it you never watch some new release stuff coming out of China (or Hong Kong) like for example, Don't go breaking my heart, or it's sequel. What about Sweet Alibis, a film from Taiwan? What about Girls, a 2014 Chinese romantic comedy from Mainland China? You never bother watching these films?

    I have one question: You don't watch film online like via streaming sites (ie: Netflix, Hulu, Dramafever, Asian Crush)

    Those films I mention above, you can watch them on Asian Crush. BTW, I watched some of them and I can't find any reason why these don't get accepted outside of China/Asia when Korean TV dramas and films get more accepted.

  11. #11
    I try to avoid the genre of romantic comedies at all cost. Sometimes I fail. A Taxing Woman (from Japan) could be labeled as such and is quite good.
    And no, maybe that's old fashioned, but I don't watch streamed movies at all

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Cataphract View Post
    I try to avoid the genre of romantic comedies at all cost. Sometimes I fail. A Taxing Woman (from Japan) could be labeled as such and is quite good.
    And no, maybe that's old fashioned, but I don't watch streamed movies at all
    I see so you never branch out to other genre in Chinese film and never bother watching any new or recent release coming out China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.

  13. #13

    There something else that doesn't add up

    I've been reading up more information about Chinese films not gaining acceptance amongst US mainstream, When I read this something doesn't make sense to me, I'm going to quote this:

    Yet despite its Hollywood-style violence and an actor with international name recognition, "Let the Bullets Fly" hasn't even managed to find a distributor in the United States. When it played the Tribeca Film Festival in April, there were walkouts. "It's not going to be for everyone," director and costar Jiang Wen said in an interview afterward. "I just make movies and hope people appreciate them."
    So let me get this straight, Korean TV dramas and to some extent, Korean films were able to get accepted amongst some spectrum of US mainstream. Yet Chinese films couldn't get the same type of audiences in the US that K-dramas got. So does this mean that if Let the Bullets fly (even with it's own issues) had been a Korean film, with a well-known Korean director (like let say this guy), and had a well-known Korean actors/actresses like Jun Ji-Hyun, Won Bin, Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, and maybe a cast of well-known K-pop idols actors/actresses in it, then would that have done better in the US? I better hope this is not the case of "if it's not Korean, or if it doesn't have my oppas in there, I will not watch it!!!"

    Many of the current Chinese hits use historical reference points that elude Western audiences. "Let the Bullets Fly" is rife with allegorical meaning about standing up to corrupt leaders, while "Red Cliff" assumes a knowledge of Han dynasty politics. "It does present a little bit of a problem when a 3rd century potentate is presented casually in the way an American filmmaker would present George Washington," Magnolia Pictures President Eamonn Bowles said.
    OK, so historical meaning was an issue. Yet Korean TV dramas like Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace, Queen Seondeok, Jumong, Empress Ki, Gyebaek, Gunman in Joseon, and The Moon embraces the Sun all got accepted and a big audiences in the US despite Korean history not being as well-known or "mainstream" compared to ancient Japanese and Chinese history. So if historical issues was an issue for Chinese films to get accepted in the US, then how did period/saeguk dramas from South Korea got accepted despite Korean history not being well-known.

    There's one more thing, despite Chinese films struggling to get US audiences yet period TV dramas from Mainland China are somehow more accepted then films. I mean for example on Dramafever, several period dramas from China got a lot of positive reviews (not as high as their Korean counterparts, but still): Prince of Lan Ling, The Virtuous Queen of Han, Perfect Couple, and Sound of the Desert all got a lot of positive reviews from US fans who are not even Asian-Americans.

    So here's the question: Are Chinese TV dramas more accepted in the US, then Chinese films? I think that might be the case, I'll use UK as an example

    In the UK, non-English foreign films (except French, and Bollywood) are not doing very well over there:

    BBC article: How foreign language films struggle for UK success

    Do we Brits no longer have an appetite for foreign-language films?

    Yet foreign TV dramas are accepted and are becoming more popular in the UK:

    The growing popularity of subtitled television in the UK

    The Returned: how British TV viewers came to lose their fear of subtitles

    How foreign TV drama became de rigueur with UK viewers

    Surprisingly, many of the people in the UK that watch these foreign TV shows/dramas don't branch out to foreign language films unlike how fans of K-dramas and K-pop do branch out to Korean films. So is it that foreign TV dramas become more accepted in the UK then foreign films? Or is there other factors that we don't know about?
    Last edited by mdo7; 05-15-2016 at 06:23 PM. Reason: adding clarification

  14. #14
    Despite most Chinese films will never explore anti-government themes, at the same time, I don't think most Chinese films convey a nationalist tone.
    I think the problem is that most Chinese films are just terrible in general. Especially in their writing. Most people think China spews out Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shaolin Soccer type films left and right. The reality is that most Chinese films are shallow chick flicks and cheap comedy-romances. You have to dig through hundreds of crap Chinese films to find the real gems from directors like Ann Hui (许鞍华), Wong Karwai (王家卫), and Zhang Yimou (张艺谋).

    When I lived in China in 2011, many Chinese people told me that the current generation do not enjoy watching kung fu movies. They said it was the genre of the older generation. The only Chinese people still going to the movie theater in China (tickets are expensive there) are young dating couples with money, so obviously the Chinese film industry is going to cater to them. Unfortunately, most chick flicks or comedy-romance in general, regardless of where the film was made, hardly ever appeal to the international market. Take for example, how many American made comedy-romances do you know succeeded overseas? It's not just a problem made specific toward China's film industry. It's an internationally unmarketable genre.

    Furthermore, most of the Chinese actors and actresses cast in these types of films couldn't act their way out of a paper bag. Many of them are even often times referred to as 花瓶 (Hua Ping) or "Flower Vase" because they are cast solely on their looks and not on their talent. With that said, it's because of this that it is very difficult for the Chinese film industry to develop actors with international star power which is ultimately what drives international film sales.
    Last edited by Wuxia007; 05-17-2016 at 10:40 AM.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Wuxia007 View Post
    Despite most Chinese films will never explore anti-government themes, at the same time, I don't think most Chinese films convey a nationalist tone.
    I think the problem is that most Chinese films are just terrible in general. Especially in their writing. Most people think China spews out Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Shaolin Soccer type films left and right. The reality is that most Chinese films are shallow chick flicks and cheap comedy-romances. You have to dig through hundreds of crap Chinese films to find the real gems from directors like Ann Hui (许鞍华), Wong Karwai (王家卫), and Zhang Yimou (张艺谋).
    As I said, I haven't watch enough non-Kung fu/non action cinema from China to give enough assessment. Also I notice a lot of Chinese films that don't get US or international release outside of China/Asia region. Heck, I can find more Korean films online then Chinese films on legal streaming sites.

    Quote Originally Posted by Wuxia007
    When I lived in China in 2011, many Chinese people told me that the current generation do not enjoy watching kung fu movies. They said it was the genre of the older generation. The only Chinese people still going to the movie theater in China (tickets are expensive there) are young dating couples with money, so obviously the Chinese film industry is going to cater to them.
    Well, that seem to be changing because the Chinese market is becoming more lucrative. I saw this on CBS News a few weeks ago. There is talk that the Chinese market may surpass the US market, but I still remain a skeptic.

    Quote Originally Posted by Wuxia007
    Unfortunately, most chick flicks or comedy-romance in general, regardless of where the film was made, hardly ever appeal to the international market. Take for example, how many American made comedy-romances do you know succeeded overseas? It's not just a problem made specific toward China's film industry. It's an internationally unmarketable genre.
    I don't know about rom-coms, but I know several romantic melodramas that did very well on the international market:

    Titanic

    A Walk to Remember (that film was a sleeper hit in Asia)

    The Notebook (I mean a lot of people around the world know this film, look how much it made at the foreign box office)

    Dear John (that was another hit outside of the US)

    Safe Haven (despite not being as good as people said, it did well outside of the US)

    The Longest Ride (despite negative reviews, it's foreign box office help made up for the cost)

    So American romantic melodrama can do well outside of the US.

    Also many of the popular Korean dramas in the US and around the world are rom-coms like for example, My lovely Sam-Soon, Secret Garden, My love from the star, and She was Pretty were all romantic comedy TV dramas from South Korea that became hits and become well-known to international audiences that watch Korean TV dramas. God, even Taiwanese dramas (which are all rom-coms) got a big audiences in USA and Latin/South America. So if Mainland Chinese rom-coms wasn't accepted, then how did Korean and Taiwanese rom-com TV dramas got a big audiences outside of Asia? As I said, it doesn't make sense that Chinese stuff doesn't get international acceptance yet Korean pop culture that have similar genre got accepted by international audiences outside of Asia.

    Quote Originally Posted by Wuxia007
    Furthermore, most of the Chinese actors and actresses cast in these types of films couldn't act their way out of a paper bag. Many of them are even often times referred to as 花瓶 (Hua Ping) or "Flower Vase" because they are cast solely on their looks and not on their talent.
    Same can be said about Korean entertainment industry except their stars and celebrities take their acting seriously, and somehow they won an audiences in and outside of Asia. My question is: Can Chinese TV dramas win a international audiences better then foreign films?

    Quote Originally Posted by Wuxia007
    With that said, it's because of this that it is very difficult for the Chinese film industry to develop actors with international star power which is ultimately what drives international film sales.
    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? You're right about Chinese celebrities not having international star power compared to their Korean counterpart. I mean several Korean celebrities are getting international fans outside of Asia like Lee-Min Ho for example. I know many other Korean celebrities that have big fanbases outside of Asia (ie: Park Shin Hye, Kwon Sang Woo, Jang Dong Geum, Lee Young Ae). Kim Soo-Hyun who is not even a household name in the US got interviewed by People Magazine. Also Song Joong Ki, star of A Werewolf Boy and the latest hit TV drama, Descendant of the Sun got interviewed on a Korean news, and KBS World was nice and kind enough to upload the video and subtitle the interview for international fans outside of Korea and Asia:


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