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Although action star Jackie Chan is the most popular actor in China, his two recent films “Skiptrace” and “Railroad Tigers” got bad reviews although the movies did well in terms of domestic box office. However, not all movie stars could match Jackie Chan’s popularity which could, at times, negate the effect of bad reviews on the movie’s earnings.
To reverse the weakening box-office result in China which slowed down to just 3.6 percent in 2016, the country’s media watchdog, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, created on Jan. 11 a national online film critics committee. The purpose behind the creation of the committee is to counter bad reviews which Chinese officials are blaming for the decline in ticket sales.
China Film Critics Association
Quartz reported that the newly formed China Film Critics Association would be composed of 19 film scholars and critics as members. Its purpose is to “change the ‘chaotic’ film reviewing system in China.” The association would be guided by seven principles which include telling the truth, avoiding abusive language in attacking moviemakers and respecting the right of filmgoers to dislike or like a movie.
Similar to Jackie Chan’s “Railroad Tigers,” the Matt Damon-starrer, “The Great Wall,” also got bad reviews both on a local review body and in the U.S. It got a 5 out of 10 rating on Douban, while Chinese audience described the movie as “mindless” and “messy.” In Hollywood, the film’s plot was criticized for lacking logic and added it did not merit the description “epic.”
Only 3 Local Films Got High Rating at Douban
According to Huatai Securities, a brokerage in China, in 2016, only three Chinese movies got ratings higher than 7 on Douban, Forbes reported. Analysys International, a research company based in Beijing, blamed the poor box-office results in 2016 not on bad reviews but lack of innovation in movies made. “Audiences are growing tired of similar content pretty quickly,” Huang Guofent, analyst of Analysys, explained.
