Hollywood movies drive Chinese producers to do better, forum told

Chinese film producers regard the competition from Hollywood movies as an impetus for the domestic film industry rather than a threat, they told yesterday\'s "Chinese Stories vs. Hollywood" forum.

The forum, a program of the 17th Shanghai International Film Festival, discussed how Chinese films could compete with Hollywood in both Chinese and international markets.

Xu Zheng, director and producer of Lost In Thailand, one of the highest-grossing Chinese movies, said film producers still have a lot to learn from Hollywood.

"Hollywood movies have a certain story-telling formula which has turned out to be successful in many cases," Xu said.

As for content, Xu added that Chinese cinemagoers are eager for good, original Chinese stories which can be inspired by life and ancient Chinese legends.

The forum also heard about several highly-anticipated film projects with strong Chinese stories.

Based on an online thriller, the adventure film The Ghouls is slated for release next year.

Wanda Media general manager Zhao Fang is optimistic about the film because of the novel\'s large fan base.

"The story, in spite of its distinctive Chinese elements, will not be difficult to understand by a foreign audience. It also has universal appeal," Zhao said.

"We will distribute the movie internationally," he added.

Wang Haifeng, producer of the 3D fantasy film The Monkey King, said his confidence to make a sequel was strengthened by US$31 million in box office returns from its distribution in 37 countries.

"The Monkey King story is a subject with large market potential in the West," said Wang.

"It is a Chinese-superhero film and our overseas distribution is also an exercise in exporting China\'s culture and values."