China is a booming market for movies, second only to the U.S., but its homegrown films have generally struggled to do meaningful business overseas.
Though some of the Chinese movies were made with the help of U.S.-based producers, most are backed by state organizations, which have been flooding the country's developing film industry with cash in the hopes of producing movies that might someday translate to other markets.
It isn't a sure bet. China has been represented in Toronto by five to 10 movies a year for more than a decade, organizers say. But the emphasis on selling tickets outside the country is a newer priority, especially since many of the earlier films were banned in their home countries and traveled to festivals so they could be seen at all.
Overseas box office for Chinese films is small but growing. In 2013, China exported 45 films that collectively grossed about $200 million in markets outside China, up nearly 33% from the year before, according to the market research firm Entgroup. That is still a tiny amount compared with the box office collected by Hollywood and other markets that send movies to China: a total of $1.45 billion in sales in 2013.
Historically, most Chinese films that did well outside their home country were martial-arts spectacles like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or art-house favorites from celebrated Chinese auteurs. The country's film industry doesn't have as much experience with other types of films, and some genres like comedies notoriously fall flat with overseas audiences.
Chinese filmmakers are trying to improve their country's commercial prospects by broadening the kinds of films they make. In Toronto that includes selections like "Breakup Buddies," a road comedy in the vein of "The Hangover" series, and a romantic comedy called "Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2."
Sales agents say a diaspora of Chinese citizens around the world, together with new distribution technologies, have made other markets more receptive to local Chinese films.
More than 48 million Chinese citizens live outside the country, giving films a possible built-in audience in overseas markets. And platforms like video-on-demand and Netflix Inc. mean that distributors don't have to shop solely for films suited for movie theaters, said Stuart Ford, the chief executive of IM Global LLC, which is handling international sales at Toronto for "Breakup Buddies."
"The distribution arena has evolved into a digital universe, where there's a home for niche content," said Mr. Ford.
Distributors in Southeast Asia are natural buyers for Chinese movies, he said, though Western Europe and the U.S. have also shown a growing appetite.
Hollywood has seized on China as an important market for its films, despite logistical and financial challenges. Chinese films aren't as reliant on overseas box office right now, said Mr. Ford, since local grosses can quickly add up to hundreds of millions of dollars. But state officials are eager for the credibility a global presence can bring.
That is especially true with Chinese films seeking critical prestige. "Dearest," about parents who stumble into a widespread kidnapping ring after their own child is abducted, is seeking North American distribution at Toronto and is scheduled for Chinese release late this month. "Coming Home," set in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, has already been picked up for U.S. distribution by Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Classics after grossing $47 million in China.