CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, EDITORIAL: Who Can Afford to Go to the Movies?
By Gao Yifeng
A few days ago, China's biggest film festival opened in the island province of Hainan. The Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Award, not only celebrated achievements in the past year, but also commemorated 100 years of Chinese filmmaking.
2005 is the 100th anniversary of Chinese film. In this festival, 100 movie practitioners, including directors, singers, actors and actresses, such as Zhang Yimou, Jackie Chan and Andy Lau, were selected from the past 100 years and honored with gold medals.
"The Chinese film market is going to grow, a lot of foreign studios want to come here and produce films," said Li Zhou, general manager of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "Chinese films have done well in the international market," he explained.
However, another question is emerging. Many Chinese film fans can't afford the expensive film tickets. Statistics show that the audience pays, on average, 50 RMB for seeing one film in a cinema. Compared with some developed countries, it is still a very high expense. It is an undeniable fact that the high price of a film ticket is not good for the development of the Chinese film industry.
Though today's decline in film audienecs can be attributed to many factors--such as the rising popularity of the DVD--expensive film tickets are partly responsible.
To attract larger audiences, cinemas should reduce the price of film tickets. Currently, many movie theaters are making a positive proposal by offering a 50 percent discount on Tuesdays.
In China, film tickets are priced by the China Film Corporation and the film theaters. Audiences have no right to make suggestions in the process. In the future, let's see something done in order to afford the pleasure of going to the cinema.
A few days ago, China's biggest film festival opened in the island province of Hainan. The Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Award, not only celebrated achievements in the past year, but also commemorated 100 years of Chinese filmmaking.
2005 is the 100th anniversary of Chinese film. In this festival, 100 movie practitioners, including directors, singers, actors and actresses, such as Zhang Yimou, Jackie Chan and Andy Lau, were selected from the past 100 years and honored with gold medals.
"The Chinese film market is going to grow, a lot of foreign studios want to come here and produce films," said Li Zhou, general manager of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "Chinese films have done well in the international market," he explained.
However, another question is emerging. Many Chinese film fans can't afford the expensive film tickets. Statistics show that the audience pays, on average, 50 RMB for seeing one film in a cinema. Compared with some developed countries, it is still a very high expense. It is an undeniable fact that the high price of a film ticket is not good for the development of the Chinese film industry.
Though today's decline in film audienecs can be attributed to many factors--such as the rising popularity of the DVD--expensive film tickets are partly responsible.
To attract larger audiences, cinemas should reduce the price of film tickets. Currently, many movie theaters are making a positive proposal by offering a 50 percent discount on Tuesdays.
In China, film tickets are priced by the China Film Corporation and the film theaters. Audiences have no right to make suggestions in the process. In the future, let's see something done in order to afford the pleasure of going to the cinema.
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