"How to Train Your Dragon" and "Lilo & Stitch" are one of the latest Hollywood tentacles to ensure coveted Chinese exhibition approval, showing that despite the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute, Beijing is still open to the door to major U.S. distributions.
Walt Disney Co.'s third film, Marvel's Thunderbolt* superhero movie, opened in the country on Wednesday, Bloomberg reported.
Sources told Bloomberg that while discussing non-public information, he also won the "How to Train Dragon" of the government-backed film, which also won approval from government-backed companies that requested anonymity. The studio is expected to announce an official release date for the Middle Kingdom in the coming weeks.
The approval is a critical moment for studios to prepare for summer tent bones, although China recently announced it would "moderately reduce" tariffs that American films allow Donald Trump to impose, which has no obvious pullback.
Bloomberg confirmed that the major’s studio continued to pursue a Chinese distribution, and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. recently filed “F1” and Paramount Global seeking approval for “Mission: Impass Imbiss - The Chart The The Chart Mewing”.
When commented, the China Film Administration did not immediately respond to Bloomberg's request, and all four studios declined to comment.
Imax Corp. CEO Rich Gelfond objected to speculation about the Hollywood blackout in a Bloomberg TV interview on Monday, saying it was a "false narrative" and that major U.S. blockbusters will be greatly reduced. Gelfond had previously suggested that China's restrictions could target low-budget titles with minimal sensational potential.
Although China remains the second largest drama market in the world in the United States, Hollywood’s dominance has gradually declined as Lunar New Year Hat the of Unar the New Year'Ne ne Zha 2" is increasingly attracting audience attention. Still, China can still offer considerable box office returns, accounting for about 10% of Warner Bros. International’s opening weekend’s recent hit “Minecraft Movies.”