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Even if the growth of the number of cinemas in China was an impressive 26 per day in 2016, one day, the theaters may play to half-empty moviehouses as more Chinese prefer to watch films online. Besides costing less, work eats up a lot of time for locals that online movies has become a better option.
That would partly explain why China’s box-office logged the smallest growth rate in the last 10 years at 3.7 percent in 2016 to only 45.7 billion yuan or $6.6 billion. In contrast, in 2015, the growth rate was a phenomenal 47 percent.
Online Movie Streaming
Besides the lower cost, the other attraction of watching movies streamed online was less regulation that movies with risqué themes, such as a terminal testicular cancer, could be shown online. However, when a new movie regulation becomes effective in March, the country’s regulator would be stricter when it comes to online movies exhibition that movies like “30 Days to Cultivate Love,” could be heavily censored.
Liu Yongqi, producer of the film which is a comedy about a man who thought he has terminal testicular cancer and attempts to have a child before he dies, said that when online movies were first introduced in China, producers could do whatever they wanted due to lack of regulation, Reuters reported. Under the new law, scripts would need the approval by the regulator, while distribution, screening or transmittal of movies through the internet, radio, TV or telecommunications network would need a license.
New Regulation
On Dec. 12, China’s Ministry of Culture published the “Administrative Measures for Business Activities of Online Performances” which include live performances, broadcast or streamed content that provide profit to the producers of the films or productions. Besides mainland China, the rules cover Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, according to Mondaq.
However, some producers who craft quality movies are not afraid of the new regulation because they could still make films with what they have, Liu Zhaohui, co-founder of Beijing Qishouyouyu Culture Media said. Some even favor the weeding out of films with excessive gory or lewd content.
