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Indian films, which had stopped releasing in China on account of political tensions and then the pandemic, are now available in theatres in the country for their Chinese fans.
In the last four months, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s Chhichhore has been released followed more recently by Tamil film Kanaa. Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam is slated for release this weekend. These old films that are already widely available on streaming platforms are being sent to China to fill in the void created by its local film industry which has not produced content. The country’s film exhibition market has also suffered with many cinemas having shut down. Indian producers spotted an opportunity to make some additional revenue as the industry limps back to normalcy.
“It is clear that China, which has never been very generous with allowing foreign films to play in the country, is now facing huge shutdown of theatres and has to feed local cinemas with new content. Needless to say, India is a huge market for movies," Atul Mohan, editor of trade magazine Complete Cinema said. Mohan said releasing films in China at the moment may help Indian studios and producers in the long run, not only bolstering popularity in the neighbouring country but also making for a good opportunity to negotiate with Chinese distributors for better terms of revenue sharing. Until now, Chinese theatre owners and distributors would only part with 25% of the box office earned by an Indian film in the country.
The Chinese government controls the country’s entertainment industry and only allows around 34 international films to be screened annually and occasionally a few more. It also determines release dates, advertising it receives and the number of theatres in which it can screen. Trade experts said some of this may be re-negotiated as the country’s film exhibition sector recovers from the pandemic.
Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Fox Star Studios, producers of Drishyam and Chhichhore did not respond to Mint’s queries on their films releasing in China. However, a film producer said on condition of anonymity that unless that there is a specific ban, movie studios are unlikely to shun the China market. “It is additional revenue for anyone and it’s not like China has refused to screen Indian films. The ordinary Chinese citizen doesn’t have an issue watching them. It is India that has banned their apps," the person said. It is time India learnt to channel the soft power of cinema better, the person added.
To be sure, China releases are currently not bringing the kind of returns they used to before the pandemic. Chhichhore ended its run in cinemas with $3.01 million (Rs. 22.52 crore).
The Bollywood success story in China began more than a decade ago with Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots that had made Rs. 16 crore there. Khan emerged as a huge draw in the country soon, following up with PK (Rs. 123 crore), Dangal (Rs. 1,200 crore) and his production Secret Superstar (Rs. 700 crore). Other hits came with Irrfan Khan’s Hindi Medium (Rs. 300 crore) and Ayushmann Khurrana’s Andhadhun (Rs. 324 crore). Film trade experts said their large screen count helped Indian films manage such impressive theatrical returns in China. The country has almost quadrupled its screen count in the last few years, from around 10,000. India, on the other hand, was operating a little over 9,000 movie screens before the covid-19 pandemic.
Further, there is the difference in ticket rates--the average ticket price in China is $12 compared with India’s $1.5. Importantly, Indian stories with their strong emotional elements have resonated with Chinese audiences, who are used to either Hollywood spectacles or Chinese mythologies and fantasies. Dangal’s tale of female empowerment and Salman Khan taking a young child back home to Pakistan in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, found a huge draw.
“Indian producers have also suffered immensely and it is a matter of survival for them too. The market out there is cold so it’s a good time to cash in. Plus, these are all old films and their run in India is over," Yusuf Shaikh, business head, feature films at production and distribution company Percept Pictures said.