With a shrinking home market Hollywood is looking at foreign markets such as China to produce and sell their movies. China has great potential, but there are some problems too.
Film producers that want to show their movie in China should take into account the demands of the Chinese governement about the content. Bruce Wallace of the LA Times wrote about this:
“No sex. No religion. Nothing to do with the occult. Nothing that jeopardizes public morality or portrays criminal behavior. But perhaps the most crippling obstacle remains China’s rampant piracy. The frenetic trade in pirated DVDs operates openly on Shanghai street corners, where Hollywood’s blockbusters and prime-time TV shows are sold from rickety stalls and suitcases, all for less than a dollar. It leaves China with a market — or at least a legitimate market — about the size of Peru. What studio executive is going to spend time and energy banging his head against the Chinese politicians and bureaucrats for a market the size of Peru?
Read more here.
