Hollywood Will Kowtow to China

Over the last several years I've posted that Hollywood was in for big changes when it comes to the making of movies. H'wood's political correctness will become passe'.  Nudity, sexual preferences, and gender equality will take a backseat as Chinese cultural norms set the tone for movies.

In movie-speak, China is the future.  The era of the Western domination of moviemaking is rapidly drawing to a close, as Asia, particularly China, is where the money in cinema is.  The Chinese boxoffice is expected to outgross the U.S.'s next year.  Additionally, China has been buying Hollywood, up and down the food-chain: studios, post-houses, cinema exhibition chains. etc. as well as building studios and production facilities at home.

China currently has a quota on how many foreign movies can enter the Chinese market (it now is 34 per year).  This has forced the U.S. studios to do an end-run around the quota system by entering into co-production deals with Chinese film makers.  These co-productions cater to the cinema tastes of the Chinese and kowtow to the censors.

Co-productions follow strict rules. for example, half of the cast and crew must be Chinese and story-lines must follow censorship guidelines - crime stories cannot have too many details, stories about corruption must end with the perpetrators behind bars. There can be no ghosts, religion, nudity, or politics.  Movies must be made so that a five year-old child can watch it without being scared. Too much blood and gore, no way.

What trumps political correctness is money.

Another consideration is the Chinese consumers tastes in films.  What they like, and flock to the cinema to view, are romance and romcoms, and big epic productions with loads of special-effects.
Horror and 'message' films are forbidden and wouldn't screen well, regardless.

Obviously, this is limiting creativity but a good argument can be made regarding the numerous crap films and marquee fodder H'wood spews out every year.  So, filmmakers are presented with a dilemma but one which is easily decided: to go with the Chinese flow and accept the 'way', or not.

Comprise is the new normal for Hollywood, the alternative - no movie in China.  The global movie industry from Hollywood to Bollywood must woo and kowtow to China's film norms and restrictions as the revenue source is huge and booming.  Today, to hit it big globally, a film must pass the Chinese censor gauntlet, as well as, cater to Chinese film tastes. This fact tests the range of what films can be produced.

This scenario may not be a bad thing.  What will happen is that China will, over time, loosen its censorship rules while at the same time, H'wood moves away from its over-bearing infatuation with politically correct viewpoints.  For me, that's a win - win.

Best
Jim