Hollywood's glory fades due to US prejudice

Chinese movies have dominated the trending topics online since July, far outpacing foreign movies such as Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, and Deadpool and Wolverine. These Hollywood movies have fallen behind Chinese films in terms of creative marketing, strategy and execution.

On the surface, this seems to be the result of recent Hollywood movies like Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Doctor Strange 2 performing poorly at the box office and critics censuring them for their negative portrayal of other countries and sympathetic portrayal of fascism.

However, the deeper issue lies in Hollywood's failure to address the US' increasing social contradictions, leading to a gradual loss of Hollywood movies' universal appeal. Also, to protect the sources of substantial revenue such as Disneyland, Universal Studios and their likes, Hollywood has stopped experimenting with innovative themes and genres, gradually falling out of sync with contemporary global developments. This decline mirrors the broader trend of growing conservatism in US society.

On the other hand, Chinese movies have experienced exponential growth since the second decade of this century, breaking through the billion-yuan box office barrier and continuing their upward trajectory. After weathering the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese film industry now stands at a new historical starting point. In recent years, the Chinese film market has quietly undergone a transformation, with US movies gradually ceding their box office dominance to domestic films.

The major changes in the internal and external environment of Chinese cinema will have long-term, complex implications not just for the film industry but also on the development of China's cultural sector.

Since the market-oriented and industrial reform of China's film industry in the late 20th century, the challenge of facing external competition, particularly from Hollywood, has always been a major issue. Chinese movies struggled to find effective strategies to counter the influence of films like Jurassic Park and Titanic and the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Mission: Impossible, and Fast & Furious series.

But since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, the Chinese film industry has increasingly focused on realistic themes and the rich traditional culture of China. The innovative use of genres and themes that resonate with the Chinese people, as well as with reality and tradition, has gradually changed the situation. As a result, Chinese movies are no longer at a competitive disadvantage against Hollywood productions.

For instance, last summer's Chang'an revived Chinese people's interest in Tang Dynasty (618-907) poetry, sparking diverse cultural and tourism developments centered on the theme. Similarly, this year's White Snake achieved both critical and commercial success. This gradual integration of film and cultural tourism has not only boosted domestic consumption but also taken China's cultural and tourism integration to new levels.

On this foundation, the task of telling Chinese stories and disseminating China's voice through cinema has become even more significant. A richer commercial ecosystem has naturally helped in developing new growth models tailored to the unique conditions and characteristics of Chinese cinema, especially as Hollywood's global influence wanes.

Despite the widespread impact of the pandemic on the global film industry, with some in Hollywood believing that their market will never return to its 2019 peak, the Chinese film industry has continued to innovate itself. Movies such as The Wandering Earth 2 illustrate that China's cultural industry has not stalled due to the pandemic; instead, it has reached new heights. Building on the success of The Wandering Earth and Crazy Alien during the 2019 Spring Festival, followed by A Writer's Odyssey and Moon Man, the industry has continued its steady advance.

New film techniques like virtual production used in The Wandering Earth 2 represent the next phase of cinema's development worldwide, following the earlier widespread use of green screen technology. Given the barriers of technology, talents and industry scale, this new production technique has been mastered by filmmakers of only a few countries, including the US, and represents the future of global cinema. Thus, the success of The Wandering Earth series not only marks a milestone for Chinese sci-fi movies but also highlights the painstaking progress of Chinese cinema and the cultural industry.

Contemporary Chinese culture, represented by Chinese cinema, must create new values and offer a narrative distinct from the US', if it is to have greater appeal worldwide. Only by popularizing the Chinese way of life, traditional Chinese culture and the underlying values across the world can China better match its international discourse power with its comprehensive national strength.

Looking to the future, Chinese cinema still faces many complex cultural challenges, and inevitably has to engage in direct competition with American culture represented by films and gaming. For example, from the Three-Body Problem series to The Wandering Earth, Chinese sci-fi movies have been increasingly influencing the global cultural landscape, forcing Hollywood and emerging streaming platforms to respond to maintain their influence.

While adapting Chinese sci-fi novels such as The Three-Body Problem and The Dark Forest, US filmmakers not only insert American values into the productions but also distort China's image, falsely attributing global climate change and ecological crises to the country. This is done to divert American people's attention from the US' domestic problems while pursuing the broader political goal of "America First" and suppressing technological development in other countries.

This reality necessitates that China's cultural creations, including movies, address global issues such as climate change and ecological crises, offering Chinese solutions for them in order to promote the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and facilitate exchanges among societies.

The author is an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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