On Plugged In …
The remake of an American movie …
about a heroic …
Chinese girl …
has also found its way…
into the US China…
economic debate…
(Aynne Kokas – author “Hollywood Made in China”)
“There’s only one way that a film can be made in China and that’s with the approval of the Chinese government.”
With hundreds of millions in China ...
willing to pay for movies …
how far does Hollywood go …
to meet the demands …
of the Chinese audience?
(Chris Fenton, former President DMG Entertainment)
“What’s happening now is the CCP is saying we don’t want that sensitive stuff shown anywhere in the world.”
An economic and cultural rivalry ...
On Plugged In ..
China vs. Hollywood.
(Greta Van Susteren)
Hello and welcome to Plugged In.
I’m Greta Van Susteren reporting from Washington, DC.
A just released movie touches on several sensitive areas of the already tense relationship between the United States and China.
Disney’s “live-action” re-make of the animated classic “Mulan” cuts beyond concerns about China’s influence on movie scripts and storylines.
The movie’s release is also putting a spotlight on human rights abuses of Chinese Uighurs.
From Los Angeles VOA’s Elizabeth Lee explains.
(China-Hollywood Connection)
((NARRATOR))
The pandemic is dealing a sickening blow to Hollywood. Theaters in key U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles remain shut.
((Aynne Kokas, University of Virginia Media Studies))
“With COVID, if the U.S. box office doesn't recover the Chinese box office could overtake it this year.”
((NARRATOR))
China, the second largest movie market is seeing a surge in ticket sales since movie theaters started reopening in July.
((Chris Fenton, Former Motion Picture Executive))
“COVID is now made China even more important to Hollywood.”
((NARRATOR))
Chris Fenton, the former president of motion pictures for China-based DMG Entertainment says even before the pandemic…
Hollywood has been working hard for years to get into the Chinese market.
((Chris Fenton, Former Motion Picture Executive))
“Hollywood said, “you know what, we need to at least think about sensitive topics when it comes to China, for instance Tiananmen Square or Taiwan or Tibet. So that at least has been a premeditated censorship by Hollywood starting in 1997. But the CCP’s encroachment on fully operating inside the creative guidelines of what Hollywood does day to day has gotten more and more extensive over time.”
((NARRATOR))
But even with careful crafting of films, doing business in China has its perils. Disney had high hopes for its movie Mulan. When Hollywood has been criticized for years for casting white actors to play Asian roles,
Mulan has a predominantly Chinese cast, including actors Jet Li and Donnie Yen.
((Barrie M. Osborne, Mulan Executive Producer))
"We wanted to make sure we had a full, 100% Chinese cast, particularly because we've seen the backlash of films that have not followed that protocol.”
((NARRATOR))
The movie’s release was delayed because of the pandemic. Now that the film is finally being streamed in the U.S. and released in Chinese theaters, there is controversy as viewers noticed some of the movie was filmed in Xinjiang with credits thanking government entities there where China is accused of human rights violations with mass detentions of the Muslim Uighurs.
((Aynne Kokas, University of Virginia Media Studies))
“I think the issue is that we don't have visibility into why Xinjiang was chosen, and no one is willing to talk about it.”
((NARRATOR))
This comes after the Chinese American actress who plays Mulan supported the Hong Kong police on social media last year during the mass demonstrations in Hong Kong against China’s increasing control.
((Zhao Lijian, China Foreign Ministry Spokesman)) ((in mandarin))
“I think she is Mulan in the modern times.”
((NARRATOR))
From Thailand and South Korea to the U.S. and on social media, people have been calling for a boycott of Mulan. Disney has not responded for a request for a comment. Disney’s troubles come at a time of political tensions between the U.S. and China. The New York Times reports the Trump Administration is considering a ban on cotton products from Xinjiang. A Chinese spokesman says the U.S. is using human rights as an excuse to destabilize Xinjiang.
((Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman))
“Xinjiang related matters are not about rights, ethnicity or religion but about countering violence, terrorism and separatism. The U.S. has no right or qualification to interfere.”
((NARRATOR))
In the midst of the Mulan backlash, Reuters reports Chinese authorities have told media outlets in China not to cover the release of Mulan in China. Elizabeth Lee, VOA News, Los Angeles.
(Greta)
For context let's put some numbers to what we are talking about.
In 2019 Americans spent the most worldwide spending a little more than 11-billion dollars going to the movies.
Chinese movie-goers spent nearly 10-billion dollars, which is nearly five times more than third place Japan.
According to the consulting firm PWC, China generates more box office dollars than the next six markets combined.
And with many U.S. theaters closed due to the pandemic, by the end of this year China could surpass US movie revenue.
China operates more than 60 thousand screens compared to about 40 thousand in the US.
Chinese films make 80 to 90 percent of their revenue from ticket buyers in local theaters.
In contrast American films get less than 30 percent of revenue from
movie attendance.
Theme parks and merchandise licensing that accompanies the films account for most of the rest.
In 2019, of China’s 25-highest grossing films 17 were made in China, eight were American made.
(Greta)
With China poised to become a global movie powerhouse what does it mean for Hollywood and the future of the U.S. film industry?
Chris Fenton is a Hollywood executive and author of the book “Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, and American Business.”
I asked him about China’s growing influence on Hollywood and its films.
(Chris Fenton interview)
CF: China is probably the most important market outside of the United States and next year will probably be the most important market which means it will be the largest box office generator around the world, including that of the United States.
GVS: Well, there's no question here in the United States, we have a First Amendment and we have a great respect for arts and artists will often time and this includes movie makers make movies that are critical of the United States and we see that all the time. Will Hollywood make today, or can it make a movie today that's critical of China that will also be shown in China?
CF: Well first of all a movie, a movie that's critical of China in some way, Hollywood would technically just say you know what we're not going to worry about the China market for this. We're going to make it for the rest of the world. And they operated that way for quite some time. Red Dawn was sort of the end of that, because Red Dawn used the Chinese as the enemy in that movie and ultimately the one that the protagonist defeated in the film. China was very upset about that because the PLA, the People's Liberation Army, was the enemy that was shown in the film. And when China heard about that film, MGM and Sony were like hey you know what it's okay we're not making that movie for China the economics work for the rest of the world. Except China didn't agree with that. They said we don't want that movie shown anywhere in the world. So we're going to shut you out of our market unless you change it. And that's exactly what they forced. So, the first amendment right which you brought up is completely dampered by the way the CCP is operating beyond its borders. It's one thing to say hey, we're not going to show what you want to show in our market because there are certain things that we feel are sensitive for our populace and Hollywood placates to that, just like they do with Japan or South Korea or in the Middle Eastern countries. But what's happening now is the CCP is saying we don't want that sensitive stuff shown anywhere in the world. We don't want that flight jacket that Tom Cruise is wearing in the latest Top Gun movie to have the Taiwanese and Japanese flag on it, not just in our country, but also in Argentina, and in Germany, and in the United States, and that's where the real issue lies.
GVS: But does Hollywood appease China now for money?
CF: It's all about the dollar. That's what it is. Unfortunately, that is what it is. And there's a simple solution to it. And it used to be sort of the way I think people on the right and the left and in between thought about things here in America and other countries, which was patriotism before capitalism. That was a simple, simple concept. Like, let's do something that's good for the people first, and then let's be free market capitalist. And that's the way we got to get back to; because right now, and I was completely complicit for it, you know, over 20 years. And in fact, it wasn't until the GM of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey tweeted something where the NBA was thrown out of that market. and I woke up to it going ‘wait, the American public are mad about the way the NBA has been behaving over there. They've been kowtowing to the CCP. That's weird. Oh, wait, I've been doing that in Hollywood as a cog in the wheel. Hmm, that's interesting.’
And I never thought about it because it was always a mission of globalism, a mission of opening China to the products and services of America, no matter what it took, like that was in the best interests of all Americans, that was in the best interest of the world. That was the globalist mission. The problem is, is now we've seen that move a lot of our manufacturing offshore, we've sold off a lot of our, or had IP rights stolen or tech patents stolen. We've been enforced into the jayvees. We have an unlevel playing field when it comes to trade because they're seen as a developing nation, while we're a developed nation. There's all kinds of problems with it. So we need to address those.
GVS: Alright, let me talk about Disney's new release Mulan, which is a remake. Tell me what your thoughts are about that.
CF: What they tried to do with Mulan was to make an IP that was based on legend and mythology that was fully Chinese, that had been made many times in the various versions of Chinese movies and television series, and to “Disnify” it and to make it into a huge Hollywood production. The problem with doing that is that in order to get the access to the resources and the locations and all the other privileges that you need to make that movie, you have to placate the government in many different ways. On top of it to get access to the locations where they wanted to shoot it, and in fact, they use some of the same locations that they used in a movie called Kite Runner a few years ago, out in the Xinjiang Province, which is where the Uighur atrocities are occurring. And to get that access, they had to go through the same entities that are the ones responsible for the atrocities that all of us are appalled by. Not only that, but as protocol, and I know it from making Looper or Iron Man 3, you need to credit those entities and credit those individuals that work for those entities in the end crawl of the movie.
GVS: But who chose that area, was it was it imposed upon Disney or did Disney say, okay, we want to shoot some of this there?
CF: Well, I can tell you, I wasn't part of that production. But I can tell you in a very sort of similar manner, when we did a sports program for ESPN called the World's Strongest Man competition, we wanted to shoot it in Beijing, and the CCP was very adamant that we use the backdrop of a city they wanted to showcase around the world called Chengdu and this was back in 2005, when no one had heard of that city, instead. So they do force their will on what they want to have seen in a particular form of content, which carries that message. So, without knowing for sure, I would say that if history repeats, you're 100%, right that they were forced to use that as a backdrop which was something that Disney shouldn't have treaded into.
The problem is--and it's the same thing the NBA had-- is that if Bob Iger stands up and says something or Disney stands up and says something, it just becomes a sacrificial lamb, and Bob gets replaced by some CEO that keeps his head in the sand or Disney gets replaced by Universal over there or maybe Telemunchen out of Germany. The only way it changes is if there's some sort of unified front backing what is very important to Americans, which is First Amendment rights.
We should have the right on our soil to back what we think is right in regards to a controversy between Hong Kong and the CCP. And we should have, as Hollywood, unified, backed Disney into allowing them to say what we all wanted them to say, which was, hey, we don't think what's right is happening to Hong Kong right now. And we don't believe in what our lead actors in Mulan are saying, but we also don't expect you to retaliate for us exercising our free rights. And all of Hollywood should have come behind Disney and said, you know what, if you retaliate against them, you're retaliating against all of us,
(Greta)
Six months ago New York City was the U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, preparations are under way to re-open the theaters. But it is an uphill battle for wary New Yorkers who have grown accustomed to social distancing.
For those reluctant to go to the movie theater the Lincoln Film Society will bring the movies to them.
Plugged In’s Mil Arcega explains.
(Moviegoer Options)
A summer evening outdoors…
No need for face masks…
Or a temperature check…
And with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop any movie is a date night masterpiece.
((Stephanie, New York City Resident))
“With the world that we live in now and social distancing, this is an easy date, while still social distancing! Dating 2020!”
((Dan Petroff, New York City Resident))
“COVID! You can’t go to the movies, you can’t go anywhere else, so it’s a chance to sit out here, take in a movie and see the skyline… Just something different!”
((NARRATION))
With New York City still in recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – most of the city’s theaters remain closed – for now.
((NATS)) “Right now, it’s closed, along with our film center. And it hasn’t been open since March 12.”
((NARRATION))
Lesli Klainberg is the Executive Director of the Lincoln Center Film Society. She has yet to receive any instructions from city or state authorities on reopening… but a lot of work is being done in preparation:
ventilation systems have been refurbished; and the society’s film collection is growing.
((Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Film Society))
Normally, we’d be restricted to the physical theatres and so now we can program 8-9 films at a time.”
((NARRATION))
The city’s annual film festival, opens later in September. Klainberg says all the movies will be shown in New York’s open spaces.
((Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Film Society))
“We want the New York Film Festival to be a real festival of New York. Normally we actually have the festival only within the confines of the 65th street… And this year, going out into the city, is very significant for us. We think film can be a way for the city to open up, for people to come out and enjoy the arts again!”
((NARRATION))
Chain movie theatres around New York still display posters from March… but most are hoping to update and reopen soon with a few big adjustments.
Most theaters will only be allowed to operate at 30 to 50% capacity.
Ventilation systems have been revamped.
Auditoriums will be thoroughly cleaned between every screening.
And to entice viewers – some theater chains are promising to charge only 15 cents the price of admission - 100 years ago,
Smaller private theatres may have a harder time adjusting to the new reality, but they are working on setting up online screenings.
For now – the drive-in theatre – a throwback to the past - is making a comeback.
It may be the only safe option for New Yorkers right now -
And until Fall when the cold weather returns - it may be the most enjoyable.
For Nina Vishneva in New York, Mil Arcega VOA News.
(Greta)
The relationship between Hollywood and China is being scrutinized.
A recent industry report found a growing trend of self-censorship by American movie studios.
Aynne Kokas studies the media and technology relationship between the United States and China.
She is the author of the book, “Hollywood Made in China,” which explores how the Chinese market has transformed the American media industry.
We spoke about the broader cultural and economic impact of the race to dominate the global box office.
(Aynne Kokas Interview)
GVS: What do you get has the upper hand in this relationship with movies China or Hollywood?
AK: So for a long time, Hollywood Studios had the upper hand because they had more technology, a bigger global market and Hollywood studios are still, by far, the preferred film venue outlet for global film. So in Japan or in the UK or in France. However, in the Chinese domestic box office we're seeing Chinese consumers are much more interested in watching Chinese films.
So we're looking at, at nearly $10 billion last year. And it's catching up very quickly to the US market. So I think that we really need to see what's going to happen with COVID. If this is truly an inflection point in which there is a substantially larger Chinese box office where production in China ramps up before production in Los Angeles ramps back up. Then we may see this as a significant moment where the Chinese box office becomes the dominant force in the world.
GVS: You have written that Beijing has deputized, I guess to the Hollywood or Disney, in order to advance, China's political interests and national narrative. What do you mean by that?
AK: One thing I talked about in my book “Hollywood made in China” is this idea of the full production, where a lot of a lot of, you know, companies go in hot and they're excited about these co-produced films. And then, as a process of engaging with the Chinese government, the amount of Chinese funding that they have to include the amount of Chinese, the number of Chinese stars types of cuts, they pull out. One thing that we see in the recent release Mulan is the way in which the idea of corners is framed the space of Xingjang is completely alighted and all that we see is an image of what the film refers to as the Silk Road, which actually invokes the Belt and Road Initiative narrative that Xi Jinping has proffered, and advanced in his foreign policy discourse.
GVS: Would Mulan not be able to be made, distributed in China, but for essentially agreement with China won in terms of removing certain things or portraying certain things as a particular way?
AK: Yeah, there's only one way that a film can get made in China, and that's with the approval of the Chinese government. Recent government regulations have shifted so that government film approval is just below the level of the National People's Congress so it's very high level approval.
What we also saw in the film was that at the end, the credits actually thanked governmental bureaus in change on where there are over one million Uighurs allegedly held.
GVS: Was that to tip, a tip was that an acknowledgement of China to make China happy CCP happy,
AK: Well, I think that it is an acknowledgment and I think that that acknowledgement is really important. But what we see is that by choosing by choosing to actually film in Xinjiang Disney was participating in the system of oppression that's operating there.
GVS: When we think of Xinjang, we think of the Uighurs.
AK: Right, right.
GVS: Many people do. And human rights violations, could that movie have been made in any way, that Disney film Mulan, could that have been made in any way and distributed in China but for China telling them where to do it?
AK: So, one thing that I think is important to note here is that there are a lot of deserts in China that do not that are not in Xinjiang. So, for example Inner Mongolia would be another filming location that would have those same kind of expansive desert vistas. So, by choosing to actually work within that context, they were choosing to work with that governmental with that government.
GVS: Now, there's a boycott going on - #boycottMulan, because one of the stars has gone on social media and has given positive words about the police in Hong Kong who have been stomping all over the protesters, people are protesting for democracy there. And now they've got this, this Twitter or the social media hashtag boycott the movie and it's been sport in Hong Kong Thailand and Taiwan. Does that have an impact on the Chinese government?
AK: So we're seeing it, not just in those places but in the US in Japan and Korea. But frankly, the Chinese government is used to its neighbors, pushing back against Chinese content control, so I don't think it affects the Chinese government. And frankly, we've seen a very muted response from Disney.
GVS: Disney doesn't want to, doesn't want to rock the boat?
AK: Right. I mean we saw in the, we saw in the Fall, what happened when the NBA response to was to support the Hong Kong protesters were to support free speech about the Hong Kong protesters and their games were blacked out for a very long time. Now I don't know how much pressure Disney was under, or how much of a requirement, it was for them to shoot in Xingang. If it was, you get to make the movie in China only if you shoot in Xinjiang, or if it was just that they chose that because they thought the vistas were very beautiful and we're willing to overlook the human rights abuses.
GVS: In the United States we take great pride of the fact that we have First Amendment we let artists do whatever they want. An artist does what he or she wants and a director or movie maker is an artist. In China if you don't, if you don't do a positive view of China, what happens?
AK: Right, so that's a that's a problem in terms of distribution so films that don't have a favorable vision of China would likely not be distributed within the Chinese market.
GVS: You know when you say doesn't have a positive view of China, what if it just had you know an unattractive skyline would that be enough.
AK: So we have seen examples of unattractive skylines being cut out of films that are distributed in China. So for example, in the case of Mission Impossible 3, there was an unattractive vision of Shanghai where there was laundry hanging in the street. That was cut and the release was delayed by several months, cutting into the profit substantially.
GVS: Do you ever hear Hollywood sort of put it down its foot and say we want that in there. Does Hollywood do essentially what China wants?
AK: So, the problem with a lot of this is that we don't have a lot of transparency into what happens in studios. So how film, how the films that are going to be made or chosen, what the final cut looks like. And that I think is the concern for the American people.
(Greta)
It is not just Hollywood suffering big losses during the pandemic.
New York City is the entertainment capital of the US East Coast.
Live Broadway stage productions like the Lion King and Hamilton could remain on hold until next year. VOA’s Anna Rice explains.
(Broadway Remains Dark)
((NARRATION))
Every year, more than 14 million people come to see one of New York City’s famous Broadway shows. In 2019, these performances brought in well over 1.7 billion dollars.
But since March, the theatres have been empty.
And Broadway could be facing a record setting year-long break.
Theatre critic Michael Riedel believes the theatres won’t spring back to life until there’s a vaccine against COVID-19.
((Michael Riedel, Theatre Critic))
“There is no possibility that Broadway or concerts, or anything live, any live events are coming back until there’s a vaccine. One, the actors can’t do it, because how are you going to do Romeo and Juliet when they both have masks on? It’s going to, you know, kill the romance. The musicians do not want to be in the pit of an orchestra until they feel safe going there, because, as you know, without a vaccine, if you’re blowing on the flute or the trombone, you’re going to spread the virus! So, they are not going to go back to work…”
((NARRATION))
The most popular Broadway shows like Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera and Lion King will likely survive the unprecedented break. But some of the less famous ones might have to close – and this sad process has already begun.
((Tim Balk, Journalist, New York Daily News)) “
The biggest one is Frozen, which is the Broadway show that was frozen, it’s not going to thaw, it’s done. There are a couple of others…”
((NARRATION))
But even those that survive will have to adjust to the new reality. The industry will have to review its pricing policy and compensation to those who work behind the scene – musicians, set and lighting designers.
((Michael Riedel, Theatre Critic))
“You cannot reopen Broadway when there is a vaccine and say – hey, by the way, Hamilton is back on the boards, now pay $1200 to see it! That’s not going to happen. Ticket prices will have to come down to a reasonable level.
((NARRATION))
But how to do that is a tough question for industry leaders.
One of the oldest theatre companies, the Shubert Organization owns 17 theatres on Broadway. They were forced to furlough a lot of their employees but have proven resilient over time.
((Michael Riedel, Theatre Critic))
“The Shubert Organization, which is the foundation of Broadway, the anchor of Broadway, that has survived, Shubert has survived the Great Depression, they survived September 11, they survived the collapse of New York City in the 1970s when the city was perceived as so dangerous nobody would want to come here - they survived certainly hurricane Sandy – they have survived everything!”
((NARRATION))
Broadway isn’t just about Broadway but also New York City as well. The industry pumps money into the city and supports thousands of jobs.
A vibrant theater industry funds hotels, restaurants and stores near Times Square. For many, when Broadway comes back, New York City is back – with all its hustle, bustle and shine.
For Evgeny Maslov in New York, Anna Rice, VOA News.
(Greta)
Before we go, Hollywood is still mourning the death of actor Chadwick Boseman.
His starring role in the Marvel comic blockbuster film “The Black Panther” won Boseman worldwide acclaim.
The 43-year old actor died August 28th after a private four-year battle with cancer
ABC’s Faith Abubey has more on Boseman’s life and his legacy.
(Chadwick Boseman: 1976-2020)
Wakanda forever!!!
Cancer robbed the world of another hero.
Taking 43-year-old rising Hollywood star Chadwick Boseman, the man who gave human form to Marvel's Black Panther.
He died in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and family.
According to the statement posted to his Instagram account - the actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 - the diagnosis eventually advancing to stage 4.
Colorectal cancer - is the second deadliest cancer in the US - disproportionately affecting black and brown communities. And even more remarkable - Boseman's family revealing the actor was making movies starring in Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" and playing a determined Thurgood Marshall during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy"
Boseman - a South Carolina native - worked his way up in the film industry playing an impressive roster of black icons like Jackie Robinson in '42'
James Brown in 'Get On Up' before finding fame as T’Challah in Marvel's Black Panther.
Boseman tearing up during this interview about the movie while talking about two fans with terminal cancer"
(Chadwick Boseman)
“And their parents said they’re just trying to hold on until this movie comes. And when I found out that they…(tearing up) yeah. It means a lot.”
The stunning news of Boseman's death - sending social media into shock and grief. Many using the actor's death as a reminder of the individuial battles many fight - silently.
Faith Abubey, ABC News, Washington.
(Greta)
That’s all the time we have this week.
Thank you to my guests Aynne Kokas and Chris Fenton.
For more on these issues visit our website at VOANews.com.
And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Greta.
And thank you for being Plugged In.
#####
The remake of an American movie …
about a heroic …
Chinese girl …
has also found its way…
into the US China…
economic debate…
(Aynne Kokas – author “Hollywood Made in China”)
“There’s only one way that a film can be made in China and that’s with the approval of the Chinese government.”
With hundreds of millions in China ...
willing to pay for movies …
how far does Hollywood go …
to meet the demands …
of the Chinese audience?
(Chris Fenton, former President DMG Entertainment)
“What’s happening now is the CCP is saying we don’t want that sensitive stuff shown anywhere in the world.”
An economic and cultural rivalry ...
On Plugged In ..
China vs. Hollywood.
(Greta Van Susteren)
Hello and welcome to Plugged In.
I’m Greta Van Susteren reporting from Washington, DC.
A just released movie touches on several sensitive areas of the already tense relationship between the United States and China.
Disney’s “live-action” re-make of the animated classic “Mulan” cuts beyond concerns about China’s influence on movie scripts and storylines.
The movie’s release is also putting a spotlight on human rights abuses of Chinese Uighurs.
From Los Angeles VOA’s Elizabeth Lee explains.
(China-Hollywood Connection)
((NARRATOR))
The pandemic is dealing a sickening blow to Hollywood. Theaters in key U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles remain shut.
((Aynne Kokas, University of Virginia Media Studies))
“With COVID, if the U.S. box office doesn't recover the Chinese box office could overtake it this year.”
((NARRATOR))
China, the second largest movie market is seeing a surge in ticket sales since movie theaters started reopening in July.
((Chris Fenton, Former Motion Picture Executive))
“COVID is now made China even more important to Hollywood.”
((NARRATOR))
Chris Fenton, the former president of motion pictures for China-based DMG Entertainment says even before the pandemic…
Hollywood has been working hard for years to get into the Chinese market.
((Chris Fenton, Former Motion Picture Executive))
“Hollywood said, “you know what, we need to at least think about sensitive topics when it comes to China, for instance Tiananmen Square or Taiwan or Tibet. So that at least has been a premeditated censorship by Hollywood starting in 1997. But the CCP’s encroachment on fully operating inside the creative guidelines of what Hollywood does day to day has gotten more and more extensive over time.”
((NARRATOR))
But even with careful crafting of films, doing business in China has its perils. Disney had high hopes for its movie Mulan. When Hollywood has been criticized for years for casting white actors to play Asian roles,
Mulan has a predominantly Chinese cast, including actors Jet Li and Donnie Yen.
((Barrie M. Osborne, Mulan Executive Producer))
"We wanted to make sure we had a full, 100% Chinese cast, particularly because we've seen the backlash of films that have not followed that protocol.”
((NARRATOR))
The movie’s release was delayed because of the pandemic. Now that the film is finally being streamed in the U.S. and released in Chinese theaters, there is controversy as viewers noticed some of the movie was filmed in Xinjiang with credits thanking government entities there where China is accused of human rights violations with mass detentions of the Muslim Uighurs.
((Aynne Kokas, University of Virginia Media Studies))
“I think the issue is that we don't have visibility into why Xinjiang was chosen, and no one is willing to talk about it.”
((NARRATOR))
This comes after the Chinese American actress who plays Mulan supported the Hong Kong police on social media last year during the mass demonstrations in Hong Kong against China’s increasing control.
((Zhao Lijian, China Foreign Ministry Spokesman)) ((in mandarin))
“I think she is Mulan in the modern times.”
((NARRATOR))
From Thailand and South Korea to the U.S. and on social media, people have been calling for a boycott of Mulan. Disney has not responded for a request for a comment. Disney’s troubles come at a time of political tensions between the U.S. and China. The New York Times reports the Trump Administration is considering a ban on cotton products from Xinjiang. A Chinese spokesman says the U.S. is using human rights as an excuse to destabilize Xinjiang.
((Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman))
“Xinjiang related matters are not about rights, ethnicity or religion but about countering violence, terrorism and separatism. The U.S. has no right or qualification to interfere.”
((NARRATOR))
In the midst of the Mulan backlash, Reuters reports Chinese authorities have told media outlets in China not to cover the release of Mulan in China. Elizabeth Lee, VOA News, Los Angeles.
(Greta)
For context let's put some numbers to what we are talking about.
In 2019 Americans spent the most worldwide spending a little more than 11-billion dollars going to the movies.
Chinese movie-goers spent nearly 10-billion dollars, which is nearly five times more than third place Japan.
According to the consulting firm PWC, China generates more box office dollars than the next six markets combined.
And with many U.S. theaters closed due to the pandemic, by the end of this year China could surpass US movie revenue.
China operates more than 60 thousand screens compared to about 40 thousand in the US.
Chinese films make 80 to 90 percent of their revenue from ticket buyers in local theaters.
In contrast American films get less than 30 percent of revenue from
movie attendance.
Theme parks and merchandise licensing that accompanies the films account for most of the rest.
In 2019, of China’s 25-highest grossing films 17 were made in China, eight were American made.
(Greta)
With China poised to become a global movie powerhouse what does it mean for Hollywood and the future of the U.S. film industry?
Chris Fenton is a Hollywood executive and author of the book “Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, and American Business.”
I asked him about China’s growing influence on Hollywood and its films.
(Chris Fenton interview)
CF: China is probably the most important market outside of the United States and next year will probably be the most important market which means it will be the largest box office generator around the world, including that of the United States.
GVS: Well, there's no question here in the United States, we have a First Amendment and we have a great respect for arts and artists will often time and this includes movie makers make movies that are critical of the United States and we see that all the time. Will Hollywood make today, or can it make a movie today that's critical of China that will also be shown in China?
CF: Well first of all a movie, a movie that's critical of China in some way, Hollywood would technically just say you know what we're not going to worry about the China market for this. We're going to make it for the rest of the world. And they operated that way for quite some time. Red Dawn was sort of the end of that, because Red Dawn used the Chinese as the enemy in that movie and ultimately the one that the protagonist defeated in the film. China was very upset about that because the PLA, the People's Liberation Army, was the enemy that was shown in the film. And when China heard about that film, MGM and Sony were like hey you know what it's okay we're not making that movie for China the economics work for the rest of the world. Except China didn't agree with that. They said we don't want that movie shown anywhere in the world. So we're going to shut you out of our market unless you change it. And that's exactly what they forced. So, the first amendment right which you brought up is completely dampered by the way the CCP is operating beyond its borders. It's one thing to say hey, we're not going to show what you want to show in our market because there are certain things that we feel are sensitive for our populace and Hollywood placates to that, just like they do with Japan or South Korea or in the Middle Eastern countries. But what's happening now is the CCP is saying we don't want that sensitive stuff shown anywhere in the world. We don't want that flight jacket that Tom Cruise is wearing in the latest Top Gun movie to have the Taiwanese and Japanese flag on it, not just in our country, but also in Argentina, and in Germany, and in the United States, and that's where the real issue lies.
GVS: But does Hollywood appease China now for money?
CF: It's all about the dollar. That's what it is. Unfortunately, that is what it is. And there's a simple solution to it. And it used to be sort of the way I think people on the right and the left and in between thought about things here in America and other countries, which was patriotism before capitalism. That was a simple, simple concept. Like, let's do something that's good for the people first, and then let's be free market capitalist. And that's the way we got to get back to; because right now, and I was completely complicit for it, you know, over 20 years. And in fact, it wasn't until the GM of the Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey tweeted something where the NBA was thrown out of that market. and I woke up to it going ‘wait, the American public are mad about the way the NBA has been behaving over there. They've been kowtowing to the CCP. That's weird. Oh, wait, I've been doing that in Hollywood as a cog in the wheel. Hmm, that's interesting.’
And I never thought about it because it was always a mission of globalism, a mission of opening China to the products and services of America, no matter what it took, like that was in the best interests of all Americans, that was in the best interest of the world. That was the globalist mission. The problem is, is now we've seen that move a lot of our manufacturing offshore, we've sold off a lot of our, or had IP rights stolen or tech patents stolen. We've been enforced into the jayvees. We have an unlevel playing field when it comes to trade because they're seen as a developing nation, while we're a developed nation. There's all kinds of problems with it. So we need to address those.
GVS: Alright, let me talk about Disney's new release Mulan, which is a remake. Tell me what your thoughts are about that.
CF: What they tried to do with Mulan was to make an IP that was based on legend and mythology that was fully Chinese, that had been made many times in the various versions of Chinese movies and television series, and to “Disnify” it and to make it into a huge Hollywood production. The problem with doing that is that in order to get the access to the resources and the locations and all the other privileges that you need to make that movie, you have to placate the government in many different ways. On top of it to get access to the locations where they wanted to shoot it, and in fact, they use some of the same locations that they used in a movie called Kite Runner a few years ago, out in the Xinjiang Province, which is where the Uighur atrocities are occurring. And to get that access, they had to go through the same entities that are the ones responsible for the atrocities that all of us are appalled by. Not only that, but as protocol, and I know it from making Looper or Iron Man 3, you need to credit those entities and credit those individuals that work for those entities in the end crawl of the movie.
GVS: But who chose that area, was it was it imposed upon Disney or did Disney say, okay, we want to shoot some of this there?
CF: Well, I can tell you, I wasn't part of that production. But I can tell you in a very sort of similar manner, when we did a sports program for ESPN called the World's Strongest Man competition, we wanted to shoot it in Beijing, and the CCP was very adamant that we use the backdrop of a city they wanted to showcase around the world called Chengdu and this was back in 2005, when no one had heard of that city, instead. So they do force their will on what they want to have seen in a particular form of content, which carries that message. So, without knowing for sure, I would say that if history repeats, you're 100%, right that they were forced to use that as a backdrop which was something that Disney shouldn't have treaded into.
The problem is--and it's the same thing the NBA had-- is that if Bob Iger stands up and says something or Disney stands up and says something, it just becomes a sacrificial lamb, and Bob gets replaced by some CEO that keeps his head in the sand or Disney gets replaced by Universal over there or maybe Telemunchen out of Germany. The only way it changes is if there's some sort of unified front backing what is very important to Americans, which is First Amendment rights.
We should have the right on our soil to back what we think is right in regards to a controversy between Hong Kong and the CCP. And we should have, as Hollywood, unified, backed Disney into allowing them to say what we all wanted them to say, which was, hey, we don't think what's right is happening to Hong Kong right now. And we don't believe in what our lead actors in Mulan are saying, but we also don't expect you to retaliate for us exercising our free rights. And all of Hollywood should have come behind Disney and said, you know what, if you retaliate against them, you're retaliating against all of us,
(Greta)
Six months ago New York City was the U.S. epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, preparations are under way to re-open the theaters. But it is an uphill battle for wary New Yorkers who have grown accustomed to social distancing.
For those reluctant to go to the movie theater the Lincoln Film Society will bring the movies to them.
Plugged In’s Mil Arcega explains.
(Moviegoer Options)
A summer evening outdoors…
No need for face masks…
Or a temperature check…
And with the Manhattan skyline as the backdrop any movie is a date night masterpiece.
((Stephanie, New York City Resident))
“With the world that we live in now and social distancing, this is an easy date, while still social distancing! Dating 2020!”
((Dan Petroff, New York City Resident))
“COVID! You can’t go to the movies, you can’t go anywhere else, so it’s a chance to sit out here, take in a movie and see the skyline… Just something different!”
((NARRATION))
With New York City still in recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – most of the city’s theaters remain closed – for now.
((NATS)) “Right now, it’s closed, along with our film center. And it hasn’t been open since March 12.”
((NARRATION))
Lesli Klainberg is the Executive Director of the Lincoln Center Film Society. She has yet to receive any instructions from city or state authorities on reopening… but a lot of work is being done in preparation:
ventilation systems have been refurbished; and the society’s film collection is growing.
((Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Film Society))
Normally, we’d be restricted to the physical theatres and so now we can program 8-9 films at a time.”
((NARRATION))
The city’s annual film festival, opens later in September. Klainberg says all the movies will be shown in New York’s open spaces.
((Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Film Society))
“We want the New York Film Festival to be a real festival of New York. Normally we actually have the festival only within the confines of the 65th street… And this year, going out into the city, is very significant for us. We think film can be a way for the city to open up, for people to come out and enjoy the arts again!”
((NARRATION))
Chain movie theatres around New York still display posters from March… but most are hoping to update and reopen soon with a few big adjustments.
Most theaters will only be allowed to operate at 30 to 50% capacity.
Ventilation systems have been revamped.
Auditoriums will be thoroughly cleaned between every screening.
And to entice viewers – some theater chains are promising to charge only 15 cents the price of admission - 100 years ago,
Smaller private theatres may have a harder time adjusting to the new reality, but they are working on setting up online screenings.
For now – the drive-in theatre – a throwback to the past - is making a comeback.
It may be the only safe option for New Yorkers right now -
And until Fall when the cold weather returns - it may be the most enjoyable.
For Nina Vishneva in New York, Mil Arcega VOA News.
(Greta)
The relationship between Hollywood and China is being scrutinized.
A recent industry report found a growing trend of self-censorship by American movie studios.
Aynne Kokas studies the media and technology relationship between the United States and China.
She is the author of the book, “Hollywood Made in China,” which explores how the Chinese market has transformed the American media industry.
We spoke about the broader cultural and economic impact of the race to dominate the global box office.
(Aynne Kokas Interview)
GVS: What do you get has the upper hand in this relationship with movies China or Hollywood?
AK: So for a long time, Hollywood Studios had the upper hand because they had more technology, a bigger global market and Hollywood studios are still, by far, the preferred film venue outlet for global film. So in Japan or in the UK or in France. However, in the Chinese domestic box office we're seeing Chinese consumers are much more interested in watching Chinese films.
So we're looking at, at nearly $10 billion last year. And it's catching up very quickly to the US market. So I think that we really need to see what's going to happen with COVID. If this is truly an inflection point in which there is a substantially larger Chinese box office where production in China ramps up before production in Los Angeles ramps back up. Then we may see this as a significant moment where the Chinese box office becomes the dominant force in the world.
GVS: You have written that Beijing has deputized, I guess to the Hollywood or Disney, in order to advance, China's political interests and national narrative. What do you mean by that?
AK: One thing I talked about in my book “Hollywood made in China” is this idea of the full production, where a lot of a lot of, you know, companies go in hot and they're excited about these co-produced films. And then, as a process of engaging with the Chinese government, the amount of Chinese funding that they have to include the amount of Chinese, the number of Chinese stars types of cuts, they pull out. One thing that we see in the recent release Mulan is the way in which the idea of corners is framed the space of Xingjang is completely alighted and all that we see is an image of what the film refers to as the Silk Road, which actually invokes the Belt and Road Initiative narrative that Xi Jinping has proffered, and advanced in his foreign policy discourse.
GVS: Would Mulan not be able to be made, distributed in China, but for essentially agreement with China won in terms of removing certain things or portraying certain things as a particular way?
AK: Yeah, there's only one way that a film can get made in China, and that's with the approval of the Chinese government. Recent government regulations have shifted so that government film approval is just below the level of the National People's Congress so it's very high level approval.
What we also saw in the film was that at the end, the credits actually thanked governmental bureaus in change on where there are over one million Uighurs allegedly held.
GVS: Was that to tip, a tip was that an acknowledgement of China to make China happy CCP happy,
AK: Well, I think that it is an acknowledgment and I think that that acknowledgement is really important. But what we see is that by choosing by choosing to actually film in Xinjiang Disney was participating in the system of oppression that's operating there.
GVS: When we think of Xinjang, we think of the Uighurs.
AK: Right, right.
GVS: Many people do. And human rights violations, could that movie have been made in any way, that Disney film Mulan, could that have been made in any way and distributed in China but for China telling them where to do it?
AK: So, one thing that I think is important to note here is that there are a lot of deserts in China that do not that are not in Xinjiang. So, for example Inner Mongolia would be another filming location that would have those same kind of expansive desert vistas. So, by choosing to actually work within that context, they were choosing to work with that governmental with that government.
GVS: Now, there's a boycott going on - #boycottMulan, because one of the stars has gone on social media and has given positive words about the police in Hong Kong who have been stomping all over the protesters, people are protesting for democracy there. And now they've got this, this Twitter or the social media hashtag boycott the movie and it's been sport in Hong Kong Thailand and Taiwan. Does that have an impact on the Chinese government?
AK: So we're seeing it, not just in those places but in the US in Japan and Korea. But frankly, the Chinese government is used to its neighbors, pushing back against Chinese content control, so I don't think it affects the Chinese government. And frankly, we've seen a very muted response from Disney.
GVS: Disney doesn't want to, doesn't want to rock the boat?
AK: Right. I mean we saw in the, we saw in the Fall, what happened when the NBA response to was to support the Hong Kong protesters were to support free speech about the Hong Kong protesters and their games were blacked out for a very long time. Now I don't know how much pressure Disney was under, or how much of a requirement, it was for them to shoot in Xingang. If it was, you get to make the movie in China only if you shoot in Xinjiang, or if it was just that they chose that because they thought the vistas were very beautiful and we're willing to overlook the human rights abuses.
GVS: In the United States we take great pride of the fact that we have First Amendment we let artists do whatever they want. An artist does what he or she wants and a director or movie maker is an artist. In China if you don't, if you don't do a positive view of China, what happens?
AK: Right, so that's a that's a problem in terms of distribution so films that don't have a favorable vision of China would likely not be distributed within the Chinese market.
GVS: You know when you say doesn't have a positive view of China, what if it just had you know an unattractive skyline would that be enough.
AK: So we have seen examples of unattractive skylines being cut out of films that are distributed in China. So for example, in the case of Mission Impossible 3, there was an unattractive vision of Shanghai where there was laundry hanging in the street. That was cut and the release was delayed by several months, cutting into the profit substantially.
GVS: Do you ever hear Hollywood sort of put it down its foot and say we want that in there. Does Hollywood do essentially what China wants?
AK: So, the problem with a lot of this is that we don't have a lot of transparency into what happens in studios. So how film, how the films that are going to be made or chosen, what the final cut looks like. And that I think is the concern for the American people.
(Greta)
It is not just Hollywood suffering big losses during the pandemic.
New York City is the entertainment capital of the US East Coast.
Live Broadway stage productions like the Lion King and Hamilton could remain on hold until next year. VOA’s Anna Rice explains.
(Broadway Remains Dark)
((NARRATION))
Every year, more than 14 million people come to see one of New York City’s famous Broadway shows. In 2019, these performances brought in well over 1.7 billion dollars.
But since March, the theatres have been empty.
And Broadway could be facing a record setting year-long break.
Theatre critic Michael Riedel believes the theatres won’t spring back to life until there’s a vaccine against COVID-19.
((Michael Riedel, Theatre Critic))
“There is no possibility that Broadway or concerts, or anything live, any live events are coming back until there’s a vaccine. One, the actors can’t do it, because how are you going to do Romeo and Juliet when they both have masks on? It’s going to, you know, kill the romance. The musicians do not want to be in the pit of an orchestra until they feel safe going there, because, as you know, without a vaccine, if you’re blowing on the flute or the trombone, you’re going to spread the virus! So, they are not going to go back to work…”
((NARRATION))
The most popular Broadway shows like Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera and Lion King will likely survive the unprecedented break. But some of the less famous ones might have to close – and this sad process has already begun.
((Tim Balk, Journalist, New York Daily News)) “
The biggest one is Frozen, which is the Broadway show that was frozen, it’s not going to thaw, it’s done. There are a couple of others…”
((NARRATION))
But even those that survive will have to adjust to the new reality. The industry will have to review its pricing policy and compensation to those who work behind the scene – musicians, set and lighting designers.
((Michael Riedel, Theatre Critic))
“You cannot reopen Broadway when there is a vaccine and say – hey, by the way, Hamilton is back on the boards, now pay $1200 to see it! That’s not going to happen. Ticket prices will have to come down to a reasonable level.
((NARRATION))
But how to do that is a tough question for industry leaders.
One of the oldest theatre companies, the Shubert Organization owns 17 theatres on Broadway. They were forced to furlough a lot of their employees but have proven resilient over time.
((Michael Riedel, Theatre Critic))
“The Shubert Organization, which is the foundation of Broadway, the anchor of Broadway, that has survived, Shubert has survived the Great Depression, they survived September 11, they survived the collapse of New York City in the 1970s when the city was perceived as so dangerous nobody would want to come here - they survived certainly hurricane Sandy – they have survived everything!”
((NARRATION))
Broadway isn’t just about Broadway but also New York City as well. The industry pumps money into the city and supports thousands of jobs.
A vibrant theater industry funds hotels, restaurants and stores near Times Square. For many, when Broadway comes back, New York City is back – with all its hustle, bustle and shine.
For Evgeny Maslov in New York, Anna Rice, VOA News.
(Greta)
Before we go, Hollywood is still mourning the death of actor Chadwick Boseman.
His starring role in the Marvel comic blockbuster film “The Black Panther” won Boseman worldwide acclaim.
The 43-year old actor died August 28th after a private four-year battle with cancer
ABC’s Faith Abubey has more on Boseman’s life and his legacy.
(Chadwick Boseman: 1976-2020)
Wakanda forever!!!
Cancer robbed the world of another hero.
Taking 43-year-old rising Hollywood star Chadwick Boseman, the man who gave human form to Marvel's Black Panther.
He died in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and family.
According to the statement posted to his Instagram account - the actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 - the diagnosis eventually advancing to stage 4.
Colorectal cancer - is the second deadliest cancer in the US - disproportionately affecting black and brown communities. And even more remarkable - Boseman's family revealing the actor was making movies starring in Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" and playing a determined Thurgood Marshall during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy"
Boseman - a South Carolina native - worked his way up in the film industry playing an impressive roster of black icons like Jackie Robinson in '42'
James Brown in 'Get On Up' before finding fame as T’Challah in Marvel's Black Panther.
Boseman tearing up during this interview about the movie while talking about two fans with terminal cancer"
(Chadwick Boseman)
“And their parents said they’re just trying to hold on until this movie comes. And when I found out that they…(tearing up) yeah. It means a lot.”
The stunning news of Boseman's death - sending social media into shock and grief. Many using the actor's death as a reminder of the individuial battles many fight - silently.
Faith Abubey, ABC News, Washington.
(Greta)
That’s all the time we have this week.
Thank you to my guests Aynne Kokas and Chris Fenton.
For more on these issues visit our website at VOANews.com.
And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Greta.
And thank you for being Plugged In.
#####