Avatar is the current leader in entertainment buzz. After spending millions of dollars in marketing and advertising; this movie has topped the charts and has broken film records. James Cameron, director of the massive box-office hit Titanic is the creative force behind this blockbuster, shown below discussing the historic release of Avatar in Beijing, China.
With high-tech and impressive IMAX 3-D visuals, the Asian-tech market was anticipating the release of the blockbuster. However, after ten days of both regular theatre and IMAX 3-D theatre showings, the film was discontinued in the basic, non IMAX 3-D theatres.
According to an article posted by The New York Times-online, China has chosen to move Avatar out of basic theatres for a new domestically produced film-biography of the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The Chinese government prefers to protect its domestic film industry by only allowing 20 international films to be seen per. year for a limited time each.
Here are some facts about Avatar in China:
– The film has been in 2,500 theatres since January 4th
– Avatar has grossed over $76 Million in ticket sales making it the most successful non-domestic film EVER in China
– There are only 550 IMAX 3-D theatres available to the Chinese public
– Avatar has run in China for over the 10-day limit
Chinese officials have been known to do pull back on non-domestic media and entertainment when media hype gets too big, for its own political reasons. However a similar issue with censorship and Google makes it difficult for the “West” to capitalize on the fastest growing economy of all time.
It will be interesting to see what happens next upon the release of Avatar on DVD and online forms in China. What are your thoughts?