From Hong Kong films to “Nezha”, the ups and downs of the global influence of Chinese films

author| Xiaguangshe Li Xiaotian

“Nezha: The Devil Boy in the Sea”, the highest-grossing film in China’s film history, has continued to set records in overseas markets since it officially landed in North American theaters on February 14.

As of February 26, 2025, the global box office of the movie “Nezha: The Devil Boy in the Sea” has exceeded 13.9 billion yuan, successfully reaching the top spot in the global animated film box office list, and is away from “Spider-Man: Heroes No Return”, which ranks seventh in the global box office list.(Box office 14.16 billion yuan) is only 260 million yuan short.

In North America,”Nezha 2″ earned US$9.49 million in the first weekend and increased to US$4.38 million in the next week. The cumulative total in two weeks exceeded US$14.86 million, and 945 theaters were opened, creating the largest distribution scale of Chinese films. In Australia, the size of the film schedule has set a record for Chinese films, and it is difficult to get a ticket for golden events in cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.

However, it is not difficult to find out through social media feedback that in the United States, the people who actually watch “Nezha 2” in cinemas are still mainly Chinese. When they watch “Nezha 2” in cinemas in Chinese areas, they are surrounded by all China people. It feels like returning to China in one second.

Obviously, the more than 60 million Chinese distributed in 198 countries and regions around the world are the cornerstone and kindling of China’s films going abroad. How can China films travel through the Chinese cultural circle and gain broader emotional resonance and value recognition in cross-cultural communication in different markets around the world?

“The biggest obstacle for China films to go abroad is still the insufficient influence of China culture as a whole in the world. When foreign audiences appreciate Chinese-language films, they often face cultural gaps and barriers. rdquo; Xie Yi, partner of Mianbai Yinghua, a Chinese film distribution company established in Tokyo, Japan in 2019, said frankly.

Looking back at history, there is no Chinese-language film that has had cultural influence around the world than Hong Kong films. Thanks to the maturity, high yield, and direct and strong mass entertainment of Hong Kong film industry, Hong Kong films have become a cultural wave sweeping the world. Today, Hong Kong stars such as Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, and Stephen Chow still have unparalleled cultural appeal in the Asian market. As film research scholar David Bodwell said: Hong Kong films can meet the needs of audiences and are continuously introduced to the market. They are not only fresh in taste, but also vivid and exciting. Hong Kong films can be called the most vibrant and imaginative popular film in the world since the 1970s. rdquo;

Stills of Chow Yun-fat’s “The True Character of Heroes”

However, since 1993, Hong Kong films have been hit by changes in the Southeast Asian market, the comeback of Hollywood films, and the rampant piracy. They have inevitably gone into decline, and a large-scale cultural industry has turned from prosperity to decline.

In addition to Hong Kong films, fifth-generation directors such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige have also had box office influence and appeal in the international film industry. In this regard, film research scholar Dai Jinhua analyzed: The fifth generation of directors brought China films to the perspective of Europe and the United States. At that time, European film festivals favored the fifth generation for two reasons. First of all, when the fifth generation fully debuted, it adopted a model very familiar to European art films: the new wave. The so-called new wave must contain two factors, the presentation of new works and the aesthetics of new films. Secondly, the International Film Festival’s joy for the fifth generation also reflected one of the main functions of European film festivals at that time: the introduction of non-Western films. rdquo;

In terms of film types, the most globally attracting types of Chinese films are martial arts films and kung fu films. To date, the highest-grossing Chinese film in the world is still 2000 ‘s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, with a box office of US$128 million in North America; the second place is 2003 ‘s “Hero”, with a box office of US$53.71 million in North America.

Official poster of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” released in the United States

In Dai Jinhua’s view,”Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is an important symbol of the globalization of China films and an example of the conscious globalization of China culture. This film fully demonstrates the charm of China’s martial arts films, and at the same time incorporates the production concept of Hollywood films, making it more acceptable to international audiences. ldquo;”Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is made in China within Ang Lee’s Hollywood industry. In Hollywood industry, it is Made-in/by-Hollywood, but it is also Made-in/by-China.” rdquo;

It can be seen that the key to the success of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero” lies in the interpretation of narratives and values that can be perceived and recognized by overseas markets, satisfying a certain Orientalist imagination of Western audiences.

For “Nezha 2”, the animated film genre has bridged the movie-viewing gap at home and abroad to some extent, but overseas audiences lack basic understanding of “The Romance of the Gods”, a China mythical story, and it is difficult to form a deep resonance. Moreover, most overseas audiences reject subtitled films, and dubbing faces translation accuracy problems. During the translation process, a large amount of the essence of the film will be lost.

Therefore, many scholars believe that China films need to first establish reputation in the Chinese community, then radiate to the Confucian cultural circle through co-productions, film festival screenings, etc., and finally explore European and American markets with large differences in cultural concepts. This rippling spread conforms to the law of cultural adaptation. For example, the high-profile and box office performance of “Nezha 2” in Australia, New Zealand and other places are the result of the joint action of the Confucian cultural circle and the Chinese community.

In this regard, Xie Yi analyzed: The influence of “Nezha 2″ in North American theaters is slowly expanding. First of all, North American Chinese and international students entered the movie theater to watch it. After seeing the high attendance rate of this film, the theater increased the number of theaters released. At the same time, it aroused the curiosity of overseas media and gradually formed a heated trend. This popularity will gradually be passed to North American audiences.” rdquo;

Zhang Liang, general manager of Yiding Media, the largest Thai film and television distributor in China, told Xiaguang that in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, many Chinese-language films can set box office records locally because of their extensive Chinese audience base. In North America,”Nezha 2″ is still more screened in Chinese-inhabited communities and less in locally inhabited areas. rdquo;

In addition to the cultural divide, the lack of overseas distribution resources is also an important reason preventing China films from going global.

After Hollywood entered the era of blockbusters, it successfully shared high costs with the help of the global distribution model, which in turn gave birth to a mature IP development system. The reason why Hollywood blockbusters can be successfully released in theaters around the world is that IP itself has strong box office appeal, and on the other hand, it benefits from the rich theater distribution resources that Hollywood film studios have accumulated over a long period of time. For a long time, the distribution rights of commercial blockbusters have been controlled by Hollywood giants such as Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Paramount, Sony Colombia, and MGM.

In contrast, China films cooperate with independent distributors to carry out distribution work, and there is a significant gap in distribution capabilities. Considering that global distribution requires huge investment, from a financial perspective, Hollywood film and television giants will hardly distribute foreign films that they have not participated in the investment.

Industry insiders told Xiaguang that the reason why “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero” created box office success in North America was inseparable from the participation of Jiang Zhiqiang, president of Anle Films Co., Ltd., the driving force behind the two films. Through Anle Films, Jiang Zhiqiang has established a cooperation framework with Hollywood distribution giants (such as Colombia, Miramax, etc.). By bundling the Hollywood distribution system, he has successfully transformed works such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero” into cultural products with global influence.

Official poster of “Hero” released in South Korea

In fact,”Nezha 2″ currently has a historic breakthrough in the number of theaters in North America. As of February 20, 2025, the number of theaters showing “Nezha 2” in North America has reached 945, setting a record for the largest distribution of a Chinese film in North America in the mainland of China. This number is a significant increase from the 770 companies in the early stages of the film’s release, indicating that its market acceptance continues to increase. The daily schedule of some North American theaters (such as the Empire 25 Theater in Times Square in New York) even exceeds that of “Captain America 4” released during the same period, with a maximum of 22, which is close to the local schedule limit for foreign language films.

In this regard, Xie Yi told Xiaguang News Agency that more than 900 theaters are not a considerable number compared with the 13,300 theaters in China, but they are actually an important breakthrough in overseas markets. ldquo; Different from the form of universal distribution of domestic film copies across the country, overseas theaters are highly market-oriented and need to negotiate with theaters to strive for film scheduling. Sometimes they even have to talk one by one from theater to theater. There is a data that can be used as a comparison. In Japan, there are actually only more than 500 theaters. Therefore, it seems to us that “Nezha 2” can be released in so many theaters this time is already a leap. rdquo;

In an interview with Caixin, Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Films, divided the building of overseas distribution capabilities into three steps: first, we must gradually cultivate international buyers and promote external film companies to buy China films; the second step is to promote international co-production, with Chinese and foreign producers bundling interests through joint investment; the third step is to create a mature international schedule.

In Xie Yi’s view, Chinese-language films need to be driven by benchmark works like “Nezha 2” to gradually stimulate the curiosity and attention of overseas audiences for Chinese-language films.

The world-renowned box office performance of “Nezha 2” this time has also attracted overseas attention to the vitality of Chinese-language films and their development potential in the international market.

On February 12, the Wall Street Journal published a headline titled “How did China animated film Nezha 2 surpass Hollywood’s blockbuster and earn US$1.2 billion at the box office?” According to the article, these new versions of China stories tell ancient legends in a new and exciting way, which is more attractive to young audiences, and reflects the cultural pride that China shares with millions of overseas Chinese around the world. rdquo;

However, if we want to continue to make breakthroughs in the global film market rather than a flash in the pan and a weak successor, we need China’s film industry to have mature and complete narrative methods and production levels, as well as professional talents who are familiar with overseas promotion, distribution, marketing and other aspects.

In this regard, the sea route of Korean pop culture, which belongs to the East Asian cultural circle, can be used as a reference pedigree.

In his monograph “Korean Pop Music”, German scholar Michael Fuhr analyzed the reasons why the Korean Wave has become popular around the world: Faced with the consequences of the 1997 financial crisis and the requirements of the International Monetary Fund, the Kim Dae-jung government, under the national plan to rebuild South Korea, vigorously promote the country’s economic and social structural adjustment to improve its international competitiveness. While continuing to promote economic liberalization, in order to realize South Korea’s future development and the unique cultural characteristics of South Korea’s globalization, Kim Dae-jung particularly emphasized two emerging and intersecting development paths during his presidency: cultural economic values and creative knowledge-based countries.

In 1995, the South Korean government promulgated the Film Revitalization Law, which promoted the development of large media companies and attracted large South Korean enterprise groups known as chaebol, such as Hyundai, Samsung and Daewoo, to expand into the local film industry. As the number of independent production companies, mostly composed of young local creators and Korean returnees, grows rapidly, the quantity and quality of domestic products continue to rise. In addition, the co-production strategy between the Korean Broadcasting Corporation and broadcasters from other East Asian countries promotes the diversification of product sources and helps circulate Korean products in East Asia through their own partner companies. The government also provides financial support to Korean production companies to cultivate overseas markets.

The next journey after China films went out to sea is IP. Taking “Hot and Hot” as an example, overseas IP is localized and adapted and then reversely exported to overseas markets. This case still provides a useful route for China’s content industry to go to sea. “Hot and Hot” also became the first the mainland of China film that Sony Pictures purchased global distribution rights without participating in the production. In addition, Sony Pictures also purchased the rights to the English version of the domestic movie “Hello, Lee Huanying”. But even with the help of Hollywood’s global distribution system, the overseas box office output of “Hot and Hot” is only 1.4% of the domestic box office.

Official poster of “Hot and Hot” released in Japan

On this basis, industrial production capabilities go out to sea, which is the next stage of development after content and IP go out to sea. Southeast Asia, which is geographically close and culturally close to China, can serve as a testing area for China’s film and television industry to go abroad.

For example, Malaysia, which has a large number of Chinese people and maintains a complete Chinese education system, launched the Malaysian Film Awards (FIMI) in 2014, which provides a 30% cash rebate on all eligible local production expenditures, providing additional financial incentives for creative content development specifically targeted at film, television and other screen productions. The move aims to attract the influx of foreign investment.

Currently, the three major streaming media platforms iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku all produce localized content in Southeast Asia. The Philippine original drama series “Saying Goodbye” jointly created by iQiyi and Philippine media and entertainment giant ABS-CBN, and the overseas customized drama “The Legend of Soul Ferry to Nanyang” jointly produced by film and television company Changxin Media and iQiyi have aroused strong repercussions in Southeast Asia.

This is just as shared by Li Xiuman, CEO of SM Entertainment, an important promoter of the Korean Wave culture and an important promoter of the Korean Wave, the successful experience of the Korean Wave that has become popular around the world: the first stage is to export cultural products; the second stage is to expand its presence in the local market by cooperating with local entertainment companies and singers; and finally, to establish a joint venture with local companies to share cultural and technological expertise and the added value generated therefrom. rdquo;

From this point of view, for China films, the road to sea is still a long way to go.

But China films do not go out alone. Movies going to sea is a sub-proposition wrapped in the grand proposition of China’s culture going to sea. Nowadays, social applications represented by TikTok, China games represented by “Original God”, and short drama platforms represented by ReelShort are becoming popular around the world and becoming popular. In this way, from point to face and gathering sand into towers, China films will surely be able to take advantage of the opportunity to go out to sea and be understood and familiar by more overseas audiences.