India-China border tension: Can Indian films let go of China release?

Amid the anti-China and “Boycott Chinese Products” sentiments, should India also think of not releasing movies in the China market?

For now, that could be the case as for producers China is not the focus considering the limited number of films that can release in the neighbouring nation.

China permits four Indian releases in a year. The quota for release of Indian films increased from two to four in 2017. Experts say that China is more of an add-on market.

The first Indian film that could see a China release whenever theatres reopen in the country is Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30.

But, the problem is that for China, movie theatres are not the priority.

In March, President Xi Jinping said that they were in no rush to reopen cinemas and those who wanted to watch movies could do so online.

Key overseas markets for Indian films

Unlike China, the US, the UK, the Middle-East and Australia are keenly looking at restarting cinemas, and these are key markets for Indians films.

According to the EY 2019 report on media and entertainment, the highest number of films were exported to the Gulf region in 2018.

During 2018, 50 Indian films were released in the Gulf region followed by 48 in Australia, 46 in the US/Canada and 44 in the UK.

The US and Canada, in 2018, accounted for 44 percent of overseas box office collections followed by the Gulf region which contributed 35 percent.

China still an emerging market for Indian films

There is no denying that India's box office business has benefited from China releases. But, China is an emerging market for Indian films. Hence, it will not be the first concern for Indian producers.

Talking about earnings from the Chinese market, the top-10 highest grossing Indian films have earned around Rs 3,773 crore.

But, all did not go to Indian filmmakers.

To release a film in China, Indian producers have to sell the films to local Chinese distributors. Plus, Indian filmmakers receive around 10-15 percent of a film's profits despite the film minting strong revenues.

While China may not be the focus, many international markets are, and Indian producers are closely looking at the resumption of theatre business there.