Art films have become the "dark horse" in the market this summer, but they still need to go their own way

the market capacity of Chinese films has increased, which has expanded the living space of art films. such extraordinary box office receipts show that the market is changing, but such box office results may not become the norm.

recently, the documentary "22" has successfully grossed more than 100 million yuan at the box office, and continues to rise-- against the background of competing with the commercial film "Wolf Warriors 2" in the same period, it is not easy for this niche documentary to gain such reputation and box office. Not long ago, the art film Gang Rinpozi, directed by Zhang Yang, was released on June 20, which not only grossed nearly 100 million yuan at the box office, but also led to artistic and commercial speculation that once became a phenomenal topic. For a time, the film market space, which was pried by documentaries and art films, was widely concerned by the industry.

< strong > A clear understanding: < / strong >

< strong > watching art films is not the new normal for watching movies < / strong >

the success of domestic films at the box office this summer has really surprised people in the industry, especially the market performance of minority works that are regarded as unpopular, which makes many people in the industry say frankly that it is "really rare." "the level of audience appreciation has greatly improved" and "the development of art films has ushered in the spring" is the current optimistic judgment of the market in the industry.

reporters noticed that in the same period, when many Hollywood films were released, "Gang Rinpozi" withstood the production rate of less than 3%, and became a dark horse in the film market in June. "22" has become the new champion at the domestic documentary box office, from an initial production of only 1.5% to a box office success of 100 million yuan.

according to the law of the market in the past, it is completely unthinkable that the box office of films like "22" has exceeded 100 million yuan. Shi Chuan, vice chairman of the Shanghai Film Association, is worried that the box office success of films such as "22" may lead to some misunderstanding that the spring of art films is really coming. In his view, although these minority films have their own specific viewing groups, it is impossible to appear "suddenly like a spring breeze in the night." it seems that thousands of trees and pears are in full bloom. "at present, the audience's acceptance of art films is still very limited, and the reality that art films are struggling will last for a long time." Ishikawa said.

this view has also been shared by some industry analysts. Some commentators believe that the increase in the capacity of the Chinese film market has expanded the living space of art films, and such extraordinary box office receipts show that the market is changing, but such box office results may not become the norm.

Ishikawa bluntly pointed out the real state of some audiences watching art films: "although the attendance of 'Gang Rinpozi' is high, in many cinemas, more than half of the audience are sleeping and browsing their mobile phones." He believes that many audiences go into cinemas to watch art films only for a change of taste occasionally, not the new normal for watching movies. "if the industry does not have a clear understanding of the current situation, it will lead to misjudgment; if capital invests heavily in literary and art films and cinemas increase production on a large scale, it is likely to lead to excessive consumption of literary and art films; if a large number of shoddy films squeeze into cinemas under the banner of art films, what will eventually tarnish the reputation of art films that have not been easily accumulated."

< strong > Development Direction: < / strong >

< strong > opening up the focus market < / strong >

in fact, seeking more market space is an awkward situation that almost every art film has to face after its release. At the beginning of the release, he Wen, general manager of the new film association, sent an open letter to cinema managers on the official Wechat of Beijing New Pictures United Pictures, recommending "Gang Rinpozi" and hoping that the cinema manager would give the film more screenings. He Wen said in the letter: "I am well aware of the severe market pressure and business challenges faced by the front-line managers." For this reason, I hope all of you can give some space to excellent domestic films like Gang Rinpozi, and some time and golden shows for talented young directors like Director Zhang Yang. "

and the success of "22" is not only related to the theme and schedule, but also inseparable from the support of many performing celebrities, such as Zhang Xianyi, Guan Hu, Pu Cunxin, Feng Xiaogang and other well-known figures in the film and television culture circles. It played an important role in the promotion of the film.

as for the survival of art films, Ishikawa said frankly that cinemas are now in business, and it is difficult to expect commercial cinemas to increase production for art films with the "affection card." "Commercial cinema is by no means the best way out for art films, and the right way for its development is to open up a stable focus market outside the commercial cinema line."

the establishment of art cinemas to provide good screening channels for art films has become an effective way for the industry to open up the focus market of art films. Although the development of art cinema is still facing a variety of difficulties, the industry has always been making efforts to expand the living space of art films. In October last year, the National Art Film projection Alliance was officially launched, and a month later, it announced a list of the first 100 art cinemas, ensuring that each cinema would show art films 10 prime times a week. According to the reporter, Wanda Film, one of the franchisees of the National Art Film projection Alliance, has decided to launch a long-term screening of "22" at Wanda Cinema across the country.

< strong > Breakthrough the predicament: < / strong >

< strong > quality and marketing are important < / strong >

the reporter learned from some art cinemas that the biggest problem facing cinema operation is not finding enough good film sources. Some film critics said that no matter the quality or quantity of art films produced in our country, it is difficult to support the normal operation of a cinema line. In the view of the industry, if art films want to break through the predicament of survival, quality and marketing are still the most important links.

in fact, how art films survive has always been a question for film creators to think about. Zhang Yang, director of "Gang Rinpozi," has a clear understanding of this. He believes that in addition to the mixed quality of the film and the difficulty of adjusting the artistic style, the publicity ability of literary films, documentaries and other types of films is generally weak. Especially in the current market environment and channel platform, it is difficult to compete with blockbusters. "the only thing that can highlight the characteristics is word-of-mouth, which needs to be fermented by word-of-mouth to increase the layout bit by bit."

Rao Shuguang, secretary general of the Chinese Film Association, also believes that in addition to the support provided by the Art Film projection Alliance, art films also need to improve themselves. He said frankly that at present, there is still a lack of professional marketing and promotion personnel for art films in China, which makes it difficult to achieve accurate delivery, which to a certain extent aggravates the situation that art films are left out by the market.

in this regard, Zhang Yang said: "the cost of art films is relatively low, and the market demand is not so large, so it does not need to occupy as much space as blockbusters. Art films should find their own distribution channels and survival logic."

Edit: mary