海角大神

Matt Damon has long been one of Hollywood鈥檚 biggest stars. But in聽China, even he admits that fans have more interest in homegrown actors聽like Lu Han, a 25-year-old teenage heartthrob.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little overwhelming when someone like Lu Han shows up,鈥� Mr.聽Damon said a press conference earlier this month for the upcoming聽film, 鈥淭he Great Wall.鈥�

鈥淚 think the first night before we started shooting there were聽something like 400 flower arrangements,鈥� he added, pointing out that聽they were for Mr. Lu and not him. 鈥淚t took up the entire hallway.鈥�

鈥淭he Great Wall鈥� is the latest 鈥� and with a budget of $150 million,聽the biggest 鈥� attempt at bridging the lucrative gap between the聽world鈥檚 two largest movie box offices. With expectations in the聽industry running high, the movie is being seen as a litmus test for聽whether joint US-China blockbusters can pay off.

On the line are billions of dollars in untapped revenue for a聽struggling Hollywood, and long-sought international recognition for聽China鈥檚 ever-expanding film industry. 鈥淭he Great Wall鈥� is the聽largest-ever such co-production, a designation that exempts it from聽China鈥檚 strict import quota on foreign films and entitles its foreign聽partners to a bigger share of the box-office revenue.聽

'Jurassic World' a major hit

With North American ticket sales in a slump, Hollywood filmmakers are聽eager to crack into China鈥檚 booming movie market. Ticket sales in聽China brought in $3.3 billion the first half of the year, up nearly 50聽percent from the same period in 2014, according to Artisan Gateway, a聽Shanghai-based film industry consulting group.

Rance Pow, president of Artisan Gateway, said in an email that this聽year鈥檚 box office growth has been China鈥檚 highest in five years.聽

Summer blockbusters like 鈥淔urious 7鈥� and 鈥淛urassic World鈥� have been聽major hits across the country, leading import films to account for 53聽percent of this year鈥檚 box office total. But for American studios, the聽challenge lies in adding the right amount of Chinese elements 鈥撀爄ncluding actors, locations, and cultural symbols 鈥� to Hollywood鈥檚聽time-tested formula.

鈥淎 little homework goes a long ways,鈥� says Janet Yang, an American聽film producer who splits her time between Los Angeles and Beijing.
鈥淭he more time you spend in China the more you realize how Chinese it聽really is. Just because a Starbucks there doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 the same聽as everywhere else."

Damon鈥檚 anecdote highlights one of many pitfalls that marred previous聽attempts at making at cross-cultural hits: misplaced attention on聽American stars. Critics of Hollywood say its films have too often used聽China as a mere backdrop for the likes of Damon, neglecting to include聽the kind of local talent that could increase a film鈥檚 appeal to聽Chinese moviegoers.

鈥淐hinese audiences are less likely to stomach that than they once聽were,鈥� says Jonathan Landreth, the managing editor of the online聽magazine China File and a former freelance media reporter who covered聽China from 2004 to 2012.

鈥淭here are many Chinese actors that can give Matt Damon a run for his聽money in the home market."

鈥淭he Great Wall鈥� has no shortage of Chinese stars, including Mr. Lu and聽veteran Hong Kong actor Andy Lau. It鈥檚 also the first English-language聽movie by Zhang Yimou, one of China's best-known directors dating to his simple elegiac films of small town Chinese life. In recent years, he has directed action films like the Kung Fu drama "House of聽Flying Daggers," and ''Hero," and the opening and closing ceremonies of聽the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

What little has been disclosed about the movie reveals that it focuses聽on a group of elite warriors who use the Great Wall as a weapon to聽combat otherworldly creatures. It鈥檚 due for global release in November聽2016.

'Make it unique'

鈥淭hese kinds of movies are all produced by Hollywood,鈥� Mr. Zhang said聽at the press conference earlier this month, referring to films聽involving monsters. He explained, without elaborating, that his job聽was to 鈥減resent information about Chinese culture and make it unique."

While Chinese moviegoers have shown a penchant for science fiction,聽rarely are such movies filmed in China 鈥� let alone at a place as聽historically and culturally significant as the Great Wall. How plot聽and setting mesh in 鈥淭he Great Wall鈥� is one of its most highly聽anticipated aspects.

鈥淭he biggest challenge is to make sure that everyone understands the聽film,鈥� Zhang said. 鈥淚 cannot just consider how Chinese people think聽about the movie. I have to think about how young people all over the聽world think about it.鈥�

Matt Damon aside, Hollywood鈥檚 largest mark on the film may be its聽propensity for monsters and skilled special effects. Official聽co-productions require China or a Chinese story to be central to the聽plot. With that in mind, Peter Shiao, the CEO of Orb Media Group, an聽Asian-American production company, says 鈥淭he Great Wall鈥� is likely to聽face its toughest test overseas.

鈥淚 would be very surprised if this movie doesn鈥檛 come close to聽grossing $100 or $200 million in China,鈥� says Mr. Shiao, who鈥檚聽followed its production. 鈥淗ow it performs outside of China is the big聽question mark.鈥�