Does this audience prefer to watch "hand torn scumbags"?, Compared to Hollywood special effects blockbusters | box office | special effects

"The movies I went to the cinema this year were all domestic films, and I didn't watch any imported blockbusters. I feel tired of watching them," said movie enthusiast Ms. Su, who used to be a fan of Hollywood blockbusters but has been watching them less and less in recent years.

Since the beginning of this year, domestic blockbusters such as "The Wandering Earth 2" and "The Disappearing She" have gathered, and the market's enthusiasm for watching movies has rapidly rebounded. However, there have not been any Hollywood films that have grossed over 1 billion yuan at the box office this year. Have Hollywood blockbusters fallen out of favor in China? What is the reason behind it?

"I used to start arranging films at 30%, but now I dare not."

"In the past, we gave Hollywood blockbusters 30% of the total number of films, but now we don't dare to do so." Liu Anxing, head of Youdu Studios in Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, Sichuan, told Zhongxin Jingwei that because the box office of this year's imported blockbusters such as Speed and Passion 10, Transformers: The Rise of Super Warriors was not ideal, cinemas became more cautious about Hollywood blockbusters. "We will make a judgment based on the specific film, schedule some sessions to explore first, and then make follow-up arrangements."

Yu Wen, born in the 1990s, is a movie enthusiast who spends almost all of his free time in the cinema. He said that not only has his interest weakened this year, but his friends around him have also rarely talked about Hollywood blockbusters. "The recent movie 'Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning' was taken by me to watch with my friends. They haven't had much knowledge about this movie before and won't consider watching it voluntarily."

In the impression of the article, the last Hollywood blockbuster that was very popular in China was the 2019 Avengers 4: The End. The film has a cumulative box office of 4.25 billion yuan and currently ranks 8th on the Chinese box office chart, making it the only Hollywood film in the top 20.

According to the professional version of Cat's Eye, the cumulative box office for this summer has exceeded 11.7 billion yuan. Among the top 10 highest grossing films, 3 are imported, and the top four are all domestic Chinese films. The fifth ranked "Transformers: The Rise of the Superhero" currently grossed 652 million yuan, while the first ranked "The Disappearing She" grossed nearly 3.5 billion yuan, which is more than four times higher than the former.

The sequel to this year's Hollywood blockbuster series has seen a significant difference in Chinese box office revenue compared to its predecessor. According to the Lighthouse Professional Edition, the box office of "Black Panther 2" released in February 2023 was 106 million yuan, while the box office of "Black Panther" in 2018 was 662 million yuan, a difference of more than six times; The box office of "Ant Man and Hornet Woman: Quantum Rush", which was released in February, was 272 million yuan. Its two previous films, released in 2015 and 2018, respectively, grossed 671 million yuan and 831 million yuan. The box office of "Speed and Passion 10" released in May was 983 million yuan. The previous installment of the series in 2021 and 2019 both grossed over 1.3 billion yuan. In 2017, "Speed and Passion 8" grossed 2.771 billion yuan.

According to American media "Hollywood Reporter" citing data from film consulting firm Artisan Gateway, Hollywood movies accounted for 48.2% of China's total box office revenue in 2012, and by 2021, they accounted for only 12.3%.

Take the "speed and passion" series as an example. According to the data of cat's eye professional edition, this year's "speed and passion 10" China box office accounts for about 20% of the global box office, while that of "speed and passion 9" in 2021 accounts for about 26%, and that of "speed and passion 8" accounts for about 30% of the Chinese box office.

Hollywood blockbusters, losing in promotion?

Has Hollywood blockbusters become less attractive? According to Yu Wen, for ordinary consumers, in the fragmented time occupied by social media, topic and practical significance are the key to movie promotion.

"If I don't go to the cinema so frequently and think of the recently popular movies, I'm likely to think of movies like" The Disappearing She "and" The First Legend of the Goddess "that I often see and hear about. As for the expression, camera language, and production techniques of movies, it's difficult for them to be a topic of discussion for the public."

"Many of the Hollywood blockbusters introduced to the current Chinese market are series IPized works, such as" Speed and Passion 10 "and" Mission Impossible 7 ". In the long run, these series IPs face homogenization in terms of storyline, character setting, and style. Film producer Guan Er told China News Service that the coldness of Hollywood blockbusters in China is related to the lack of novelty and uniqueness in the series movies, which can easily cause aesthetic fatigue for audiences."; Today's audiences are no longer blindly pursuing Hollywood blockbusters more than a decade ago, but are more willing to pay for high-quality and topical movies.

Guan Er further mentioned that the domestically produced films that have been very popular this summer are generally of good quality, have higher relative topic relevance, and have been more successful in marketing on social media. "For example," The Disappearance of Her "has sparked heated discussions on social media about intimate relationships, with topics like" helping her best friend tear up scumbags "fermenting;" Chang'an 30000 Miles "also has selling points for promoting traditional culture to children. In contrast, many Hollywood blockbuster themes lack innovation, although visually impactful, there are few topics for discussion, and the dissemination efficiency on social media is relatively low."

Jingwei Zhongxin found that the on-going Mission Impossible 7 did not set up a dedicated account on the Tiktok platform, but released relevant information by its production company's account "Paramount Films". The account has recently released multiple trailer clips and behind the scenes footage of Mission Impossible 7, with likes ranging from hundreds to 20000 to 30000, and a total of 247000 followers. The Tiktok account "In the Octagonal Cage", which was also released in July and directed and acted by Wang Baoqiang, has 1.642 million fans, and its top videos have more than 5.9 million reviews.

Cat's Eye Professional Edition shows that there are 110 marketing events for Mission Impossible 7, including 26 previews and 30 Weibo topic events; There were 332 marketing events for "In the Octagonal Cage"; There were 413 marketing events more than "Mission Impossible 7", which was released six days at night, including 195 micro blog and 83 Tiktok topic events.

Guan Er said that previously, Hollywood films in China often focused on materials such as premieres and trailers for promotion. "Hollywood blockbusters with a certain volume often set up a Chinese station at their premiere, not only with grand scenes, but also inviting creators to attend and participate in some activities with Chinese characteristics. In addition, the film will also release materials with localized characteristics such as trailers and posters. However, in recent years, the promotional expenses for Hollywood blockbusters in this area have also been relatively insufficient, which is one of the reasons why Hollywood blockbusters' box office performance is not satisfactory."

Excellent content is still highly regarded by the industry

Liu Anxing stated that the recently released "Barbie" has performed beyond expectations. "As a small-scale film, 'Barbie' was not initially expected by the public, and the number of screenings was not high. However, as the topics in the movie ferment, the reputation gradually improves, and marketing activities are also increasing, the number of screenings for 'Barbie' is now increasing almost every day. He said that the number of screenings for the movie keeps up with the market, and as long as the content is excellent and the market response is good, the number of screenings will naturally increase.".

Guan Er said that the biggest advantage of Hollywood blockbusters currently lies in the production of special effects. "It should be acknowledged that there is still a gap in the level of special effects production between China and Hollywood at present. In addition to financial reasons, the lack of professional personnel and inadequate cooperation in various aspects have an impact on the film level. Hollywood, known for using the 'industrial model', has a high level of maturity in production and is worth learning from in domestic films. Domestic films such as' The First Goddess' and 'Wandering Earth 2' also prove that the gap is narrowing."

"Hollywood blockbusters such as" Mission Impossible 7 "still have excellent quality, but due to the lack of novel themes and high topic content, they do not have good dissemination, but they can still win the love of a large number of fans." Guan Er said that the film's core is content, and with the support of excellent content, the box office competitiveness of Hollywood blockbusters cannot be underestimated.