Hollywood is losing the battle for China(economist.com)
economist.com
Hollywood is losing the battle for China
https://www.economist.com/interactive/2023/04/29/hollywood-is-losing-the-battle-for-china
25 comments
I don't think it's so much Hollywood stopped making feel-good comedies, Hollywood stopped making good movies. Major studio movies have become overly profit driven to the point everything is derivative, formulaic and repetitive, mindlessly chasing every trend just hoping for a hit.
I don't think they were philanthropists before...
The problem is not wanting to be profit driven : I would argue they are not profit driven anymore. Their political obsessions and their probably poor recruiting process since years has led them to think their ideas and tastes are shared by the majority of people.
> mindlessly chasing every trend just hoping for a hit.
Again, I find they are pretty consistent with their "post-modernist" trend.
The problem is not wanting to be profit driven : I would argue they are not profit driven anymore. Their political obsessions and their probably poor recruiting process since years has led them to think their ideas and tastes are shared by the majority of people.
> mindlessly chasing every trend just hoping for a hit.
Again, I find they are pretty consistent with their "post-modernist" trend.
The problem is not wanting to be profit driven
Of course they're businesses but now it's gotten to the point the big studios have lost sight of why people enjoyed movies to begin with. Now major movies are developed in marketing departments. Everything is reduced to analytics and metrics. They've stopped being creative and innovative.
Their political obsessions
But that's only because politics is popular and profitable as of late. Again Hollywood is just chasing whatever trend they can. They're so myopically focused on profit and trying to make movies solely for mindless mass appeal we just end up with movies that don't appeal to anyone.
Of course they're businesses but now it's gotten to the point the big studios have lost sight of why people enjoyed movies to begin with. Now major movies are developed in marketing departments. Everything is reduced to analytics and metrics. They've stopped being creative and innovative.
Their political obsessions
But that's only because politics is popular and profitable as of late. Again Hollywood is just chasing whatever trend they can. They're so myopically focused on profit and trying to make movies solely for mindless mass appeal we just end up with movies that don't appeal to anyone.
Also Hollywood's fight for China damaged its reputation at home as well - i.e. removing/censoring black people from posters in China. Nobody likes hypocrites.
And yet Green Book made over $70 million in China and the NBA is extremely popular.
Looks like the Hollywood marketing decisions were made by out of touch employees.
Looks like the Hollywood marketing decisions were made by out of touch employees.
> Why did Hollywood stop making feel-good comedies?
Because heroic propaganda movies generate the best revenue.
Because heroic propaganda movies generate the best revenue.
What you're describing sounds very asinine.
I think it's probably because most consumers don't have such a very sweet tooth.
I think it's probably because most consumers don't have such a very sweet tooth.
I'm not sure that data points to Mr. Xi succeeding.
People watch more Chinese movies, but if we look at stars given to movies, we see that Chinese movies sucks.
It seems that CCP with make it hard to view foreign movies, but people prefer them nevertheless or even more than before. Forbidden fruit at work? Or some other factor, like attempts to scale up production of movies drags quality down.
My father was a big fan of The Beatles while living in USSR. He hunted records (as vinyl so copies of copies on magnetic tapes) and listened them all the time, I still remember them all. I think that problems with acquiring records made it even more interesting for him.
People watch more Chinese movies, but if we look at stars given to movies, we see that Chinese movies sucks.
It seems that CCP with make it hard to view foreign movies, but people prefer them nevertheless or even more than before. Forbidden fruit at work? Or some other factor, like attempts to scale up production of movies drags quality down.
My father was a big fan of The Beatles while living in USSR. He hunted records (as vinyl so copies of copies on magnetic tapes) and listened them all the time, I still remember them all. I think that problems with acquiring records made it even more interesting for him.
Chinese here. It is true that in some intervals every year, only locally made movies are played in cinema. I agree it is a bad move, too. But I believe the reason is to help local movie industry to grow better. In April, we are rerunning an old Conan movie, an old Slam Dunk, as well as Titanic.
We love good movies no matter who made, just like people in any countries. But western movie industry are really decreasing. The last new western movie I watched is Avatar 2, which sucks. On the other hand, local movies do improve in many aspects. The stories are good; there are some good jokes and there are always some (our) political views expressed explicitly or implicitly. Just like those good old Hollywood movies. I'm proud to see that.
We don't prefer local movies, but we also don't hate them. Most of us will choose whichever with better quality. And the most important thing is: yes, we do have the right to choose (at least most of the time). So in my opinion, stop making excuses and try hard to make better movies.
We love good movies no matter who made, just like people in any countries. But western movie industry are really decreasing. The last new western movie I watched is Avatar 2, which sucks. On the other hand, local movies do improve in many aspects. The stories are good; there are some good jokes and there are always some (our) political views expressed explicitly or implicitly. Just like those good old Hollywood movies. I'm proud to see that.
We don't prefer local movies, but we also don't hate them. Most of us will choose whichever with better quality. And the most important thing is: yes, we do have the right to choose (at least most of the time). So in my opinion, stop making excuses and try hard to make better movies.
Part of me hopes the total lack of IP protection makes this only an economic protection & an entirely useless cultural barrier.
Stop adjusting for closed societies! They never get better! Be your own good open society! Hope, help coax the barriers lower. But be brilliant & yourself. And stop trying to appease the unappeasable closed totalitarians.
Hollywood losing the profit incentive could be one of the best things for the world.
Stop adjusting for closed societies! They never get better! Be your own good open society! Hope, help coax the barriers lower. But be brilliant & yourself. And stop trying to appease the unappeasable closed totalitarians.
Hollywood losing the profit incentive could be one of the best things for the world.
I think I understand and agree with what you're saying, but I needed a moment to really make sure I understood it. These are the questions that came up for me:
>Stop adjusting for closed societies! They never get better!
Is the closed society Chinese society under the CCP, or American society under the DCMA?
>Be your own good open society! Hope, help coax the barriers lower.
Is the good open society the IP protection-less Chinese one under the CCP, or the American one? Which has more innovation?
>But be brilliant & yourself. And stop trying to appease the unappeasable closed totalitarians.
Is it the communists or the capitalists who are the totalitarians?
>Stop adjusting for closed societies! They never get better!
Is the closed society Chinese society under the CCP, or American society under the DCMA?
>Be your own good open society! Hope, help coax the barriers lower.
Is the good open society the IP protection-less Chinese one under the CCP, or the American one? Which has more innovation?
>But be brilliant & yourself. And stop trying to appease the unappeasable closed totalitarians.
Is it the communists or the capitalists who are the totalitarians?
Closed CCP government (not a fairly minor DMCA which also includes colossal opening factors like section 230).
Good open society where the government doesn't monitor all communication systems for wrong think & have reeducation camps.
The communists are the totalitarians, being a one party system & suppressing minority cultures & using vast force & subversion to illegally take control of Hong Hong against agreed terms & being a sore child about every little geopolitical issue they can.
Good open society where the government doesn't monitor all communication systems for wrong think & have reeducation camps.
The communists are the totalitarians, being a one party system & suppressing minority cultures & using vast force & subversion to illegally take control of Hong Hong against agreed terms & being a sore child about every little geopolitical issue they can.
> Is the closed society Chinese society under the CCP, or American society under the DCMA?
It's the one building large scale concentration camps in an effort to wipe out a minority part of their society.
It's the one building large scale concentration camps in an effort to wipe out a minority part of their society.
Yeah look we're all upset about what's happening on the southern border and that Biden didn't close the camps but calling them 'concentration camps' is a bit much, don't you think?
This is not only the utter failure of modern hollywood, but also by design.
As an authoritarian state, the CCP has an interest in filtering out movies with a message it seems „unfavorable“. Years ago, there were massive investments with chinese capital into hollywood. But the chinese thought movies were like any other business and consequently got no return (financially as well as messaging). This failed so horribly that a ban against foreign movie investments was made.
Now, the ccp has quintupled efforts to create „culturally favorable“ movies at home. And Hollywood is still chasing that sweet chinese money like a crack whore without supply. We for some time, we have seen token Chinese characters and movies as a pandering movie to get the Chinese audience. An audience were +80% of revenue remains in china.
So, not only are Hollywood studios culturally naive, they are financially ill advised to put so much effort into a market that provides minimal returns. Box office is all about prestige, only the bean counters in Hollywood actually care about profitability.
As an authoritarian state, the CCP has an interest in filtering out movies with a message it seems „unfavorable“. Years ago, there were massive investments with chinese capital into hollywood. But the chinese thought movies were like any other business and consequently got no return (financially as well as messaging). This failed so horribly that a ban against foreign movie investments was made.
Now, the ccp has quintupled efforts to create „culturally favorable“ movies at home. And Hollywood is still chasing that sweet chinese money like a crack whore without supply. We for some time, we have seen token Chinese characters and movies as a pandering movie to get the Chinese audience. An audience were +80% of revenue remains in china.
So, not only are Hollywood studios culturally naive, they are financially ill advised to put so much effort into a market that provides minimal returns. Box office is all about prestige, only the bean counters in Hollywood actually care about profitability.
This sound too much of a conspiracy.
As as South East Asia I think I can relate why Hollywood movies are less popular now.
Instead of feel entertained we feel tired bombarded by political messages that we can not connect to.
The Hollywood plot : a chosen one that always right is not appealing. There is no hard work to be better. Majority the viewer are hard working middle class that try to have a better life.
K-drama and Chinese Drama are hugely popular. Watch for fun crappy budget Chinese web movie are popular too.
> they are financially ill advised to put so much effort into a market that provides minimal returns
What effort ? Removing a character or shrinking it on the movie poster here and there... That is taking their audiences for morons.
Hollywood is losing its battle in many parts of the world and this is because of their mediocre production since a decade. Why korean and indian movies, or even thailand & indonesian ones are booming? Because they are made with the audience in mind and often appeal to higher values, shared by most humans.
People either watch movies to be entertained or to experience something. Not to be lectured or shoved some propaganda down their throats. Especially when this propaganda has nothing to do with their own cultures. Hollywood can chose to center on the US or to keep aiming for the world market. But not both, with its current mindset.
The recent hits of Top Gun Maverick and Mario Bros compared to the failures of all Disney movies, among others, fairly clearly proves my point.
What effort ? Removing a character or shrinking it on the movie poster here and there... That is taking their audiences for morons.
Hollywood is losing its battle in many parts of the world and this is because of their mediocre production since a decade. Why korean and indian movies, or even thailand & indonesian ones are booming? Because they are made with the audience in mind and often appeal to higher values, shared by most humans.
People either watch movies to be entertained or to experience something. Not to be lectured or shoved some propaganda down their throats. Especially when this propaganda has nothing to do with their own cultures. Hollywood can chose to center on the US or to keep aiming for the world market. But not both, with its current mindset.
The recent hits of Top Gun Maverick and Mario Bros compared to the failures of all Disney movies, among others, fairly clearly proves my point.
Chinese movies suck but so do US movies now, and the problem is when both sucks the one that you can watch without subtitles usually wins.
Not sure how many "chinese" movies you've watched...
They make many types of movies, from the "arty" types to blockbusters.
Hong Kong didn't wait 2023 to make movies that appealed to a world audience.
They make many types of movies, from the "arty" types to blockbusters.
Hong Kong didn't wait 2023 to make movies that appealed to a world audience.
Asian movies are being watched world wide because there movies are focusing on traditional values.
People hate hollywoods pandering to weirdos.
People hate hollywoods pandering to weirdos.
- felt genuinely cheerful/optimistic
- contained jokes that we clever and funny
- did not try to lecture me about politics
I can name a lot of Asian or Bollywood movies that fulfill these criteria. Why did Hollywood stop making feel-good comedies?