Smash hit ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ may not be screened in China
LOS ANGELES: ‘ Crazy Rich Asians’ which has already recouped its production costs in just five days, may not be screened in China.
A debut in the world’s secondlargest film market is not guaranteed. It’s not unusual for a Hollywood film to arrive in China weeks or months after it premieres in the US. One of the film’s producers – Ivanhoe Pictures’ John Penotti – suggested he awaited what the magazine described as a ‘ makeor-break China release.’
“We’re all praying to the China gods right now,” Penotti said. “From my colleagues in Beijing, it looks like we’re in strong consideration.”
It might seem that an American film with a cast of predominantly Chinese descent would be a perfect compromise. “( Producers) were interested in getting into the Chinese market, and I was like, ‘ This is a movie with worldwide and domestic potential – that just happens to star Asians,’” author Kevin Kwan said.
The Singaporean- American writer had panned the book on which the movie is based.
‘ Crazy Rich Asians’ could satisfy viewers in China thanks to the Chinese inf luence and identity woven throughout the screenplay – which, by the way, is multilingual with transitions between English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Still, Chinese identity and Chinese-American identity are two different things, says Li Haisong, director of digital content at trade publication China Film Insider. “The cultural significance would not be as important as it is in the US,” she told Fortune. “In China, they are used to seeing television shows full of Chinese faces. Here in the States, it’s more about diversity and representation. That wouldn’t be the biggest selling point (in China).”
“I’d be concerned that the humour might not translate well either,” added Jonathan Papish, an analyst and journalist who spent eight years in China covering the country’s box office. “Crazy Rich Asians isn’t something that screams success in China.”