Made in India sells big time in China, shows PK

MUMBAI: For film makers who have been eyeing the Chinese market for long, Raju Hirani’s PK could be the tipping point they have been waiting for, after the Aamir Khan starrer collected more than Rs 100 crore at the box office, reaffirming their faith in the potential of Chinese film market, the world’s second-largest after US. In fact, China’s film market growing at 34% is expected to surpass the US in the next five years, according to the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA).

“When I went to China, I discovered that a lot of people had seen other films of mine, which had not been released locally. Whatever route they may have chosen to see those films, to me, it said a lot about the Chinese. It showed them to be an open culture and society, interested enough to actively search other cultures. How many of us are actively looking for local Chinese films to watch? As for PK’s success, to me it is actually the first Indo-Chinese co-production since India signed the treaty. It was a double performance. While the visual was me, the audio was by Wang Baoqiang, a leading actor in China who was I think very generous to do this film. The Chinese Film Group also gave PK a great release across China,” said PK’s star Aamir Khan.

While China produced over 600 films in 2014, largely local, its screen density has quadrupled since 2010 taking the count to over 23,600. This offers a huge theatrical opportunity for any film. “With an average ticket price of $8, any traction that our Hindi films see in this market is going to see a significant spike in the international collections,” said Priti Shahani, president of Junglee Pictures, whose Dil Dhadkane Do, with Excel Entertainment, will be the next Hindi film to release in China, distributed by Eros International under the treaty they recently signed with three Chinese film companies.

For years, film makers have been eyeing the Chinese market but its cap of 22 international films a year, with an additional 14 for Hollywood has restricted access so far. Till date, only five Indian films have been released in China.

Vijay Singh, CEO OF Fox Star, who released My Name Is Khan some years ago in China, says the performance of PK has shown that good Bollywood content has a market in China. “Over time, as the Chinese market opens up to more Hindi films, it can redefine the economics for Bollywood — the key will be to pick the right films given the limited number of slots available for foreign films,” said Singh.