Chinese audience watching a 3D movie (Photo : Reuters)
The third installment of the large blockbuster film series "Lost" is preparing to hit cinemas and its investors are largely optimistic concerning box-office returns.
With a projected income of 3 billion yuan (roughly $480 million), producers of the upcoming comedy "Lost in Hong Kong" grow skeptical of the enthusiasm.
"We earned 3.16 billion yuan with the last installment. It's quite possible one blockbuster will bring in so much (revenue)," said Wang Changtian, president of Chinese entertainment giant Enlight Media, at a media event promoting the third installment of the "Lost" series on March 30.
The series, described as a Chinese version of John Hughes's 1987 film "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," narrates the adventures of an unusual pair during their travels.
The first film, "Lost on Journey," raked in an unexpected 50 million yuan in 2010's summer season. "Lost in Thailand," with a record revenue of 1.26 billion yuan, was listed as one of the highest-grossing movies in the history of Chinese cinema.
Box-office statistics reveal that three of the five highest-grossing films from 2012 to 2014 are comedy blockbusters. Recent investigations suggest that the popularity of comedy films is a result mainly of viewer demographics. Moviegoers are mostly in their 20's and 30's who are “stressed and are struggling for a better life in big cities.”
Niu Song, ethnic film exhibition chairman with the Beijing International Film Festival, said, “most of them don't want to pay money to see something too serious. (They) want to laugh in the theaters and to relax on the weekend."
