Summer is the golden season for the film industry, as the Hollywood blockbusters will not arrive in China until August. But Chinese filmmakers have already started complaining that Hollywood films rob their box-office revenue, that piracy eats up their profits, and that the film-inspection system limits their creativity.
All three complaints are not persuading the domestic audience to turn to Chinese films.
India, South Korea and European countries are also big markets for Hollywood films. But their own films are often better than those from China.
The biggest victims of piracy are popular imported films. The success of foreign films in China comes from how good they are, not how they fare under the inspection system. Imported films have the same starting point as their Chinese counterparts.
It is a fact that many film sponsors do not understand the industry, and these sponsors are the decision-makers in film production. US filmmakers, by comparison, are more professional and independent. The hot money from China's real estate industry flows into the country's film industry as speculative funds and creates a pseudo-prosperity.
Chinese filmmakers should have a lot of interesting stories to tell from ancient and modern China. But they have so far failed to let their audience believe they have the ability and intention to make films for their artistic value rather than for quick money.
Chinese filmmakers seldom face their own shortcomings. Not all filmmakers have as large a domestic audience as they do. But they may never stop complaining until they realize that audiences, not the sponsors, are the people they should aim to please.