CHINESE DOMINATION OF WORLD MOVIE INDUSTRY COMING?

 

Does China Have a Goal to Dominate the World Movie Industry?

By  Ben B. Boothe, Sr., Publisher, BootheGlobalPerspectives

 

In a recent interview with Jon Hendry, a union leader who is active in the American movie industry, he made a statement to Ben Boothe, publisher of Boothe Global Perspectives. “The Chinese are building the biggest movie production center in the world,” he said. American filmmakers and leaders in business and politics need to be aware of the dangers.

 Also we interviewed Liesette Paisner Baily, director of the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, and noted the fast growth of independent films in America. Our guess is that the “movie giants”  in the United States are becoming influenced by more and  more “big money” coming out of China.

SEE THE INTERVIEWS OF JON HENDRY AND LIESETTE PAISNER BAILY AT:  BootheGlobalPerspectives 

Perhaps our nation should be aware of what China is doing to the film industry.

 

CHINA WANTS TO INFLUENCE CULTURE WORLD WIDE THROUGH THEIR FILM INDUSTRY. THEY HAVE THE MONEY AND THE INCENTIVE TO DOMINATE THE WORLD’S FILM INDUSTRY UNLESS THE USA TAKES STRONG POLICY DECISIONS.

“The Chinese are building the largest movie production facilities in the world.” 

Americans in the film and movie industry should be aware of the aggressive and growing competition from China. The Chinese also seem to want to own American movie companies and are paying big prices. 

Patrick Frater, in Variety (Feb 3, 2015) wrote:

“Chinese companies are increasingly making inroads into the U.S … some setting up shop in Hollywood’s front yard.”  

He then ticked off a number of American movie production studios that China has been trying to purchase.

China is huge and has an interest in dominating the movie industry world wide. Thus it is not unusual to see that Chinese investors are more and more involved in production investments in films as wide ranging as: “Karate Kid”, “Cloud Atlas”, “The Expendables”, “Looper”, “Iron Man  3”, “Transformers 4,” and the list goes on and on. Dalien Wanda partnered with Sony Pictures and bought Legendary Entertainment, which produced “The Dark Knight” and “Jurassic World” and “Godzilla” for $3.5 billion. The Chinese tried to buy Paramount Pictures. Legendary Entertainment and Universal have sold big shares of ownership to Chinese investors, or are noted as "Co-Producers" and many big films.

 

“The Great Wall” was filmed entirely in China, with an understanding that China and the Chinese would be given "favorable" roles that support Chinese culture.  At this rate, you might find popcorn being replaced with egg rolls at your local theater. 

Look at the big productions of Tom Cruse and you will see Chinese companies in the “producers” list. Have you noticed that Chinese stars are becoming more and more prominent in American made movies?

 

Most Americans don’t know that China  is already the largest international market for U.S. films. But China is also the most aggressive "buyer" of American film production companies.

 

 

Chinese investments are growing rapidly.

 

China’s box office passed $5 billion two years ago, and they predict in 2017 that their gross will exceed those of the USA.  The Chinese continue to buy US Movie Companies. 

 

BIG MOVIE PRODUCTION CENTERS:

Dalien Wanda is now building a huge production center in the coastal city of Qingdao. The Quingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis originally was planned to include a 20-stage studio. But by 2017 they had expanded it to 30 sound stages. The architectural drawings are at the top of the page.

 Alibaba has spent $806 million to buy 60 percent pf China Vision, a production company with a Hong Kong address.

 Wanda has taken over AMC, and in the deal got a good deal of real estate.

 The $2 billion film studio and theme park complex in Chongqing is starting construction in 2017, under the Communist Party goal:

“To offset the influence of Western culture at home – President Xi Jinping has blamed ‘hostile foreign forces’ for a range of domestic problems.” Said Communist Leader President Xi Jinping (LA Times, 10/15/2017, and 11/29/2016)). Jonathan Kaiman and Jessica Meyers have written this from the LA Times office in Beijing.

 

FOREIGN FILMS IN CHINA ALREADY FACE STRICT LIMITATIONS

China has adopted a policy to allow only 34 foreign movies into China every year, and they are heavily censored.  American films sent to China must “Serve the people and socialism,” according to the New China News Agency.

 So in summary:

  1. Chinese investors have aggressively tried to buy American film productions companies.
  2. Chinese investors have become cash sources for American movie makers in return for greater influence in American films.
  3. Chinese investors are building huge film production centers in China to directly compete with American filmmakers.
  4. The Chinese Communist party is restricting the number of American films they allow into China.
  5. American films that are allowed in China are heavily censored and must support “the people and socialism of China.”

 

Be prepared, American film goers.

And get prepared, American film makers.  

The largest nation on earth will be flooding our screens with Chinese movies, Chinese actors, Chinese culture.  If President Trump is so devoted to the idea of protecting the United States, perhaps he might consider instead of building a wall of concrete and steel between the USA and Mexico, he might want to bar Chinese films in America …. say, to set a limit of not more than 34 Chinese films per year, provided that they “support the people of American and democracy of the United States."  Now that would be something we could cheer for.