Hollywood films account for half of China's imported movies

The less-than-three week screening of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the last Hollywood film that China imported this year has conjured up more than 80 million yuan in China. It has become a box office leader in China for this year's imported films.

Among the 20 imported films this year, 16 are from the United States, accounting for 80 per cent of the total imports, said Mao Yu, director of the publicity and distribution management department with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

As a matter of fact, US-made films have had more impact on the life of Chinese people since China imported the first US movie "The Fugitive" in 1994 by the way of profit sharing account.

Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng offered such groups of figures: China imported 4,332 movies from various channels during the period from 2000 to 2004.

Among them, films imported from the United States made up for 40 to 50 per cent. Of the 211 imported films that screened by cinemas, 53 per cent were US-made movies.

During the five-year period, 88 films were imported by the way of profit-sharing account, among which, 70 were imported from the United States, occupying 80 per cent.

With the increase of the imported films, dubbed film award is also listed in the China film Golden Rooster awards and China Film Huabiao Awards. "Saving Private Ryan", "Forrest Gump" and "Pearl Harbor" won the dubbed films awards.

The Chinese government will not impose quotas on imported films and allow the import of unlimited number of films from the United States in line with the bilateral agreement reached between China and the United States on the World Trade Organization in 1999.

In terms of attracting foreign investment, China has allowed foreign firms to finance less than 49 per cent stake in transforming cinemas or forming film&video-making joint ventures. In October 2004, US-based Warner Brothers Film and Television Company, China Film Group Corporation and Hengdian Group sponsored China's first Sino-foreign film joint venture ¨C China Film Warner Hengdian Movie Co Ltd.

Later, Sony's Columbia co and the Hualong Film and Digital Company under the China Film Group Corporation jointly launched the Huasuo Film and Digital Studio Ltd

By People's Daily Online