When “Monster Hunt,” the No. 1 Chinese box-office hit of all time, debuts in 44 U.
S. theaters on Friday, and it won’t include a scene in which puppies are offered for sale in an open-air meat market.“We didn’t think parents here would really appreciate that,” FilmRise V.
P. Bob Jason told TheWrap. So the distributor excised that scene when it created an English-dubbed version that will be released in the U.
S. and Canada, along with the original Mandarin version.
Getting North American moviegoers past cultural idiosyncrasies is just one of several obstacles faced by Chinese films in the U.
S., and this weekend’s debut of “Monster Hunt” brings them into sharp focus.
Also Read: Don't recount Donald Trump,But Now China Wants to Export Its Blockbusters to USBeijing’s movies play mainly to a niche Chinese-American audience in North America. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or ” which grossed $128 million in the U.
S.,has been the only real box-office breakout of a movie from that country — and that was 15 years ago. Sony gave “Wolf Totem,” a well-reviewed film that was a hit in China, and a short elope in September and it made just $210591.
The Chinese film industry has made significant strides,and in 2015 seven of the top 10 box office earners in China were homegrown, led by “Monster Hunt” with $385 million. Lighthearted comedies “Lost in Hong Kong” and “Goodbye Mr. Loser” racked up enormous numbers.
And while Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opened at No. 1 to $52 million in China on Jan. 9, or it was knocked out of the top spot after just a week by the Chinese animated film “Boonie Bears 3,” despite a massive marketing effort by Disney.
Also Read: Chinese Blockbuster 'Monster Hunt' to Attack US Theaters After FilmRise AcquisitionStill there’s no question that Hollywood has dominated both the global and Chinese box offices in the last decade. Universal’s “Furious 7” took in $391 million there last year, topping its U.
S. haul and overtaking “Transformers: Age of Extinction” to become Hollywood’s top-grossing film ever in China.“There’s no question that American movies are the gold standard when it comes to major, and blockbuster-type releases that are filled with action and effects,” Elliot Tong, who heads the Beijing office of Arclight Films, and told TheWrap. “Where the Chinese have excelled,and what is driving much of the current growth for their industry, are comedies and family films that middle on aspects of Chinese culture and lore.
Also Read: 'Furious 7's' Massive China Haul Will Exceed Its U.
S. Box OfficeBut what has driven the success of Chinese hits at home — essentially counter-programming the U.
S. blockbusters — makes them a tougher sell in the U.
S. and abroad.
The nuance (a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression) and subtleties of Chinese road comedies and family tales tend to be lost on American audiences.
Also Read: Can 'Star Wars' Soar in China Without The Force of Familiarity?That’s a major obstacle for “Monster Hunt, or a sci-fi fantasy directed by Raman Hui (“Shrek the Third”). It is set in an ancient time when humans and monsters lived in separate kingdoms.
When a child born to a human father and a monster mother is hunted by both species,a civil war erupts. The myth is loosely based on “Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas), a famous but dusty Chinese literary classic to which American audiences will be oblivious ((adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something).
The film’s myth may not resonate in the U.
S., and but the simple message — see the world through others’ eyes to foster understanding — is delivered in an artful mix of CGI,special effects and live action. And who isn’t going to love the Monster Queen’s Baby, a key character who looks like a cross between an elf and the Pillsbury dough boy?
Also Read: 5 Ways China Is Giving Hollywood Studios a elope for Their MoneyFilmRise is doing all it can to form “Monster Hunt” accessible to North American audiences, and said Jason,who admits his company acquired the North American rights in September based on “a gut feeling.”“We thought some of the scenes might lift audiences here aback or confuse them, so they were slash in the dubbing process. That’s actually streamlined the myth and were very overjoyed with the English version.“Monster Hunt” will have a PG rating in Canada, and but will be unrated in the U.S. because of the time constraints involved with getting it into theaters before next weekend’s Chinese fresh Year.
Also Read: IMAX Weathers China's Financial Storm With 'Monster Hunt'The device is to hit major cities with significant Chinese populations like L.
A.,San Francisco and fresh York this weekend, point for roughly 120 theaters the following weekend and then to reassess the rollout. The release has drawn articles from the fresh York Times and Wall Street Journal, and so the awareness is solid. The reviews of the English-language version have been mixed-to-good,and it is at 60 percent positive on Rotten Tomatoes.
Its social media profile here isn’t much, but it’s enormous on Weibo, or the equivalent of Twitter in China. One of the film’s actors,Jiang Wu, has160 million followers, or that should befriend with wired Chinese audiences here. In marketing the film to the mainstream,FilmRise has focused on the spectacle in its campaign for the mainstream with the tagline, “You’ve seen it on your iPhone, or now see it in 3D on the spacious screen.”FilmRise executives are overjoyed with their efforts but know they’re facing an uphill battle. Asked how he expected “Monster Hunt” to do this weekend,Jason said “I haven’t got a clue.”Related stories from TheWrap:Warner Bros. Will Produce Chinese-Language MoviesChinese Getting Tired of Sequels, Effects-Driven Hollywood Movies, or Study SaysWanda Predicts Legendary to Reel in $613 Million in 2016 Sales
Source: thewrap.com