China Focus: Records broken as film industry law turns one

BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- There was no better way to end the first year of China's first film industry law, than a record-breaking month in the country's film market.

According to statistics released Thursday by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), China's box office sales hit a record high of 10.14 billion yuan (about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars) in February.

The figure surpassed the previous world record for the highest monthly box office sales in a single market of 1.39 billion U.S. dollars, set by the North American market in July 2011.

Catalyzed by the traditional Spring Festival holiday, more than 1.27 billion yuan in ticket sales was recorded on Feb. 16, the lunar New Year's Day, with 32.17 million tickets sold, both new world records for the highest sales on a single day in a single market.

The weekend box office from Feb. 16 to 18 also set a new world record with 3.23 billion yuan, according to the SAPPRFT data.

Domestic filmmakers were some of the biggest beneficiaries, with eight domestic films in the ten most popular in February.

It was believed to be a lasting impact of the favorable film industry law that came into effect on March 1, 2017.

According to the law, the central government should increase investment in the film industry and reduce taxation, and government approvals are no longer needed to shoot films.

Instead, a stipulation was added that film authorities should issue certification or permits for prospective films at the script or abstract stage, while domestic films should make up at least two-thirds of total movie run time.

The law immediately paid off, as domestic films accounted for 53.84 percent of the 55.91-billion-yuan yearly box office sales last year at 30.1 billion yuan.

"China's film industry has long been on the track of reform and opening up," said Ren Zhonglun, president of Shanghai Film Group. "In such a booming market, however, domestic films do need support."

China's all-time box office leader "Wolf Warrior 2" proves the point. According to its production company, the overseas release of the film benefited from the law, taking advantage of a global release platform to promote the film via posters and merchandise that integrated the local and Chinese culture.

Telling the fictional story of a former Chinese Special Forces' operative in Africa's war-torn regions, the film was seen on more than 300 screens in more than 50 overseas cities last year.

Moreover, the law imposed stricter regulation on the film market, which further cleaned the environment and boosted the industry.

The law stipulates that film distributors and theaters falsifying ticket sales data will be liable for administrative punishment, including business suspension, outright bans, and fines up to five times their illegal earnings if such exceed 500,000 yuan, and that those infringing intellectual property rights of films will be punished.

On March 21 last year, just three weeks after the law went into effect, 326 cinemas nationwide were punished for box office fraud following investigations into violations of the law.

"Legislating on the national level to regulate the development of the film industry and its practitioners is necessary," said Qin Yi, a 96-year-old actress.

She believes that the modern era requires a set of rules, as in the past most filmmakers worked for state-owned film groups and followed the companies' rules, while nowadays independent filmmakers are taking over.

As for the future, with the law safeguarding the environment and the quality of motion pictures rising, insiders are looking for a more mature market and more comprehensive industry chains.

"As the capacity of the market keeps growing, we need to discover a development mode that covers writing, production, manufacture, release, and merchandise sales," said Wang Liping, a scriptwriter.

Cao Kefan, from Shanghai Media Group, agreed.

"The backend of our industrial chain lacks exploitation," he said. "The quality of all-round service throughout the filmmaking business needs to be improved."

Furthermore, some referred to the huge momentum behind the Chinese anti-terrorism action film "Operation Red Sea," which has been enjoying a quick rise and favorable reviews since hitting the screens on Feb. 16.

"Whether a domestic film can make a global impact depends on whether it manifests the core of the country's culture," said director Yin Li. "We should direct our cameras towards the grand territory of China, where over 1.3 billion people are putting on their spectacular plays every day." Enditem