中國元素風靡全球, 好萊塢追逐中華古老神祕感
Not long ago most Chinese figures appearing in Hollywood films were peripheral characters, villains and bad guys – with the notable exception of Jackie Chan. But Chinese characters – and China as a setting – are becoming increasingly prominent, judging by Iron Man 3, the latest blockbuster from Walt Disney’s Marvel division.
不久以前，幾乎所有好萊塢電影中的華人面孔都是次要角色，例如惡棍或壞人——功夫明星成龍(Jackie Chan)是個值得一提的例外。但從迪士尼(Walt Disney)旗下漫威娛樂公司(Marvel Entertainment)出品的最新大片《鋼鐵俠3》(Iron Man 3)中可見，華人角色以及中國作爲故事背景的地位正變得愈發重要。The film, which premieres this week in Hollywood, will be released in the US and China simultaneously on May 3. It is the latest in a string of high-profile movies to be filmed in China and has Chinese characters central to the plot, with Wang Xueqi, a renowned actor, starring alongside Robert Downey Jr. The booming Chinese box-office suggests why: Chinese film attendance is soaring, a multiplex boom is adding 10 new screens a day and the market eclipsed Japan in 2012 to become the second largest in the world.
《鋼鐵俠3》本週在好萊塢舉行了首映儀式，並將於5月1日在中國上映。目前已有多部大片在中國拍攝，並擁有對劇情發展至關重要的華人角色，本片是其中的最新一部，片中中國著名演員王學圻與好萊塢明星小羅伯特•唐尼(Robert Downey Jr)聯袂出鏡。中國蒸蒸日上的電影票房或能解釋其中原因：中國的觀影人次正在快速增長，修建多廳型電影院的熱潮使得中國的銀幕數量以每天10塊的速度增長，2012年中國超越日本成爲了全球第二大電影市場。China has about 12,000 screens but is growing so fast that it may within a few years overtake the US in box- office revenue. “If it maintains its current rate of growth you could see a box office in five to seven years that is the same size as the US or that has surpassed the US market,” said Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chief executive of DreamWorks Animation.
中國目前擁有約12000塊銀幕，但其增長速度是如此之快，在短短几年之內中國的票房收入就可能超越美國。夢工廠動畫電影公司(Dreamworks Animation)首席執行官傑弗裏•卡岑伯格(Jeffrey Katzenberg)表示：“如果中國電影產業保持目前的增長速度，那麼在五到七年之內，中國的票房規模將與美國不相上下、甚至可能超越美國市場。”
The big question for the international film industry – led by studios from Hollywood – is whether it can capitalise on a box office market that increased by 36 per cent to $2.7bn in 2012 – the second consecutive year that China has grown by more than 30 per cent, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
對於由好萊塢片廠主導的全球電影產業而言，當前最關鍵的問題在於，能否利用好這塊2012年增長36%、票房達到27億美元的市場——美國電影協會(Motion Picture Association of America)提供的數據顯示，這是中國的票房規模連續第二年增幅超過30%。That growth has been fuelled by Hollywood blockbusters such as last year’s The Avengers and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. But competition from Chinese-made films is increasing: Finding Mr Right, a romantic comedy, stormed the Chinese box office last month, while last year’s highest-grossing film was Lost in Thailand, a Chinese-made film that became one of the most commercially successful releases in the country.
去年上映的《復仇者聯盟》(The Avengers)、《諜中諜4：幽靈協議》(Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol)等好萊塢大片對中國的票房增長起到了推動作用。但中國國產電影的市場競爭力也有所增強，上月一部名爲《北京遇上西雅圖》(Finding Mr Right)的國產浪漫喜劇在中國票房排行榜上叱吒風雲，而去年中國票房收入最高的影片是《泰囧》(Lost in Thailand)，這部國產電影是有史以來在中國上映的最成功商業片之一。In the first three months of this year, domestic films claimed about 70 per cent of the $830.6m in box-office revenue. Hollywood studio chiefs are relaxed about this homegrown competition, saying it points to a maturing market that caters to a range of different tastes. China remains a rich opportunity for Hollywood and its movie-goers continue to embrace American fare: the two films that topped the box office this week were GI Joe: Retaliation and The Croods.
今年前三個月裏，中國的總票房收入爲8.306億美元，其中約70%來自國產影片。好萊塢製片廠的首席執行官們對來自中國本土的競爭姿態放鬆，稱這僅僅表明中國市場正在趨於成熟，開始迎合多元化觀衆羣體的不同審美品味。對於好萊塢而言，中國仍然充滿機遇，中國電影觀衆也依然喜愛美式風格：本週中國票房榜上前兩名的影片均爲好萊塢出品，分別是《特種部隊：全面反擊》(GI Joe: Retaliation)和《瘋狂原始人》(The Croods)。Last year China increased the number of foreign-made films it will clear for release each year, following intensive lobbying from the MPAA and private overtures from the Obama administration. After the increase was announced by Xi Jinping, China’s new premiere, the country agreed to allow an additional 14 “premium format” films to be screened in its cinemas, along with the 20 it was already showing every year.
去年在美國電影協會以及奧巴馬政府私下主動示好的強大遊說攻勢之下，中國提高了每年允許公映的海外製作影片配額。在中國新任國家主席習近平宣佈配額上調以後，中國同意在原本每年引進20部美國電影的基礎上，增加14部IMAX或3D制式的電影。Exempt from the quota restrictions are “co-productions” – films made by international companies with local, Chinese partners. Marvel last year said its “intention” was to co-produce Iron Man 3 in China. Qualifying for co-production status in China can have a significant impact on a film’s bottom line because it doubles the cut assigned to the studio from ticket sales: qualifying studios will take about 50 per cent of ticket sales, compared with 25 per cent for a normal release.
中外聯合制作影片不受進口配額限制——這類影片是由國際製片公司與中國本土合作方共同攝製的。漫威去年表達了希望在中國聯合制作《鋼鐵俠3》的意願。滿足中國有關合拍片的條件能夠顯著影響一部影片的盈利前景，因爲在這種模式之下製片方的票房分成比例能夠提高一倍：符合合拍片條件的製作方能夠分得約50%的票房收入，而普通的外國影片則僅能得到25%的票房收入。Marvel struck a deal with DMG Entertainment, a Chinese media group, for an undisclosed investment in the production, with DMG lined up to market and distribute the film. It also made a different version of Iron Man 3 for the Chinese market, which features an appearance from Fan Bingbing, a popular Chinese star.
漫威與中國傳媒公司DMG娛樂傳媒集團(DMG Entertainment Group)達成了一項協議，DMG向《鋼鐵俠3》投入了一筆未披露金額的資金，還將參與組織該片的市場營銷和發行放映。漫威還專門針對中國市場製作了一個不同版本的《鋼鐵俠3》，中國明星范冰冰在該版本中出鏡。Marvel ultimately decided not to apply for co-production status. It is unclear why – the company declined to comment – but to qualify specific “Chinese elements” must be included in a film. “[China] has to be central to everything the film is about,” said one Hollywood executive familiar with the process. In the case of Iron Man 3 this may have blunted its appeal in other markets.
漫威最終決定不再申請合拍資格。目前尚不清楚是何原因，該公司也拒絕了記者的置評請求。但一部影片要想滿足合拍條件，片中必須包含某些特定的“中國元素”。一名熟悉合拍流程的好萊塢管理層人士表示：“中國必須是影片的中心，片中的所有情節都要圍繞中國展開。”對於《鋼鐵俠3》而言，這種模式或將減弱其在其他市場的吸引力。No US films have yet been released as Chinese co-productions. Among the first to qualify for co-production status will be Kung Fu Panda 3, which will be released in 2015 by Oriental DreamWorks, a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation, China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd.
目前尚無美國影片作爲中外合拍片上映。首批有望滿足聯合制作條件的影片包括計劃於2015年公映的《功夫熊貓3》(Kung Fu Panda 3)。該片的製作方是東方夢工廠(Oriental DreamWorks)，這是一家由夢工廠動畫、華人文化產業投資基金（China Media Capital，簡稱CMC）、上海東方傳媒集團(Shanghai Media Group)與上海聯和投資有限公司(Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd)共同成立的合資企業。Together with the Chinese government, DWA is constructing a research and development centre in Shanghai, as well as a $350m film studio facility. It has made the most aggressive moves in China of any film company but others are trying to get in on the act. Relativity Media, an independent studio, invested in Skyland, a China-based media company with the aim of making local films; Pinewood Shepperton, home of the James Bond films, recently struck a deal with Seven Stars Media, a private company controlled by entrepreneur Bruno Wu.
通過與中國政府進行合作，夢工廠目前正在上海建立一個研發中心，以及一個造價3.5億美元的影視製作工作室。在所有的電影公司中，夢工廠在中國市場上的舉措最爲積極，不過其他製片廠也在努力採取行動。獨立製片公司Relativity Media投資了一家名爲Skyland的傳媒企業，這家總部設在中國的公司致力於本土電影製作。而製作了詹姆斯•邦德(James Bond)系列影片的Pinewood Shepperton近期則與企業家吳徵(Bruno Wu)掌管的七星媒體(Seven Stars Media)達成了合資協議。Such tie-ups are good for China, says Li Ruigang, chief executive of China Media Capital, a state-owned media fund, which recently formed a partnership with Raine, a US merchant backed by some of the biggest names in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. “Even though China is growing very fast it’s still way behind [the US]. “The financing process, production, marketing, distribution . . . all this expertise and knowhow is very important to China’s movie market.”
CMC董事長黎瑞剛表示，此類合作有利於中國電影產業的發展。CMC是一家國有傳媒產業基金，不久前剛與精品投資銀行Raine集團結成了合作關係，這家美國銀行擁有數位好萊塢以及硅谷大佬的支持。黎瑞剛指出：“即使中國目前正在飛速發展，相對於美國仍有很大差距。對於中國電影市場的發展而言，美國在融資流程、影片製作、市場營銷以及發行放映等各方面的專長和技巧非常重要。”He anticipates more openness in China, with more films allowed into the country and a domestic sector that exports more films than it does currently. “One day there will be an open market . . . if [China] is going to be a big player it will let others come in to [the] market. But it takes time.”
黎瑞剛預計中國將進一步開放電影市場，更多的外國電影將被允許進入中國放映，中國本土電影產業也將向海外輸出比目前更多的國產電影。他表示：“未來中國電影市場將對外開放……如果中國希望在國際市場中具有較大的影響力，就必須允許其他國家電影加入國內市場競爭。但這需要時間。”
