(Shanghai Daily) Disney's latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" rolled out the red carpet in Shanghai yesterday in a rare world premiere in China for a Hollywood blockbuster as US producers look to woo moviegoers in the Middle Kingdom.
In the shadow of Disney's newest theme park, which opened last year, hundreds of "Pirates" fans lined up to catch a glimpse of stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Javier Bardem ahead of an afternoon viewing.
Despite a slowdown in box office sales in the Chinese market, US studios are increasingly looking to it to boost global revenues, though they face issues such as a local quota system for imported films.
China's box office slowed markedly last year, but grew at its fastest pace in more than a year in April, driven by Universal's high-octane "The Fate of the Furious."
The Chinese premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" puts it among a small number of US films to screen for the first time in China. It joins such movies as as "Point Break" and "Iron Man 3" to have premiered or opened earlier in China.
The trend reflects the growing influence of China's cinemagoers, who are driving global box office sales.
In the Shanghai sunshine, student Zhao Yushen said she had skipped her studies to come from Nanjing to see Depp.
"I've still got one final-term exam to take tomorrow morning, but I haven't prepared for it at all," she said.
Hollywood is eager to tap more consumers like Zhao, and hopes it can lobby Beijing to raise a cap of 34 imported films a year under a revenue-sharing deal. The deal is due to be reviewed this year.
The market grew around 4 percent last year, down sharply from nearly 50 percent in 2015, according to box office tracker EntGroup. The previous "Pirates" films have generated over US$3.7 billion in global ticket sales, Box Office Mojo said.
Source: Shanghai Daily