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| WWZ - It's all about the zombies. |
World War Z - the zombie festooned flix extravaganza scheduled for release in June - may well turn out to be the biggest cinema flop ever. With a budget exceeding $400 million and a mountain of negative pre-release scuttlebutt, WWZ may be zombie crazed Hollywood's biggest casualty ever.
With a twice re-written script and a convoluted ending, this horror epic - the movie rights owned by Brad Pitt who is the film's lead character, as well as, exec producer - may still work at the boxoffice if the special effects (which are reported to be 'the best yet') satisfy audiences. Still, that big $ price tag is a giant hurtle so the goal, at this point, may be to recoup in an extremely successful (Paramount hopes) theatrical after-market. It's rumored that the final (new) version of the film is "less spectacular" but more "emotional" and fits into Paramount's insistence that the film carry a PG-13. We're all hoping for the best as the boxoffice needs a boost.
When China Met Africa
A great docu film, When China Met Africa, highlights an issue not heard about, if at all - China's economic colonization of Africa - which has been ongoing for over a decade. China's goal is the extraction and exploitation of Africa's natural resources. The scheme goes like this, we (Chinese enterprises) will build Africa's infrastructure and you (African nations) will supply us with natural resources. Great for China, not so good for African states.
If you have an opportunity to view When China Met Africa do so, it's enlightening and spot-on in detailing the nuances of geo-political maneuvering by an economic super power.
Hollywood 'Bends Over' for Chinese Market
Since we're on China I wanted to discuss Hollywood's adaption of films to satisfy the Chinese market and comply (and closely work) with the Chinese government censors to comport to their social and political demands.
Hollywood, more and more, is placating to the Chinese government wishes to produce alternate cuts of films distributed to Chinese audiences. China allows just 34 U.S. movies (foreign imports) annually into the Chinese cinema marketplace to compete for China's ever increasing cinema market - which is now second worldwide. The question, however, is: if all of this placating equates to increased boxoffice admissions or do Chinese moviegoers consider it a juvenile and transparent ploy to induce their attendance. I believe China is determined to have a thriving, home-grown cinema industry. It's learning, from Hollywood, the latest film production and post-production technologies and techniques. This knowledge, coupled with digital movie distribution, makes it a no-brainer for the Chinese in developing a cinema industry. With seven new screens being opened per day, and distribution by a few 'state approved' exhibitors, the circle will be complete.
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