My Life as a Zucchini (Photo : Cine maldito/YouTube)
The growth of China’s box-office earnings in 2016 slowed down during the second half of the year, resulting in a weak 3.8 percent growth which watered down the gains made by “The Mermaid.” The reason behind the slowdown in the second half is the local audience became more discerning and sought higher-quality movies.
High-Quality Films
Films nominated by prestigious award-giving bodies such as the Oscar and Golden Globes are considered of high quality generally. Some of the nominees for the Oscar Award have been shown, currently showing or would open soon in China. However, one Best Picture nominee and the Animated Feature Film nominees could only be viewed by streaming. These are “Hell or High Water” for the Best Picture, available on bilibili, “The Red Turtle” on AcFun and “ootopia” on Youku, according to The Beijinger.
Nominee But Boring
“Arrival” is currently showing in China, but reviews by local show that despite the movie’s being acclaimed in the U.S., Chinese moviegoers either felt asleep because of boredom or did not understand the movie at all. Another film still currently showing is “Hackshaw Ridge,” but it is expected to be pulled out soon.
“La La Land” is scheduled for showing on Feb. 14, but there are questions if western musicals would be a hit among Chinese moviegoers. The musical got 14 nominations in the Oscar and tied the record held by “Titanic” and “All About Eve.”
Among the Animated Feature Films, “Kubo and the Two Strings” is still showing, while “Moana” is no longer available. There is one more animated movie nominated, “My Life as a Zucchini,” but it is unsure if the movie would get a China release in 2017. Besides its Oscar nomination, the low-budget stop motion feature made by Swiss-French animators also was nominated at the Cesar Award, the national film award of France which is open only to French productions, Cartoon Brew reported.
