| It used to be that China was a gold mine for certain types of U.S. films. |
| Big studio blockbusters. Action movies. Animated flicks for the whole family. (All with the caveat, of course, that they were approved by the Chinese government). |
| Those films could regularly bring in north of $100 million just in China, turning some flops into success stories. |
| But in recent years, the demand for American films dried up. Until last week, the top-grossing American film in China this year was Universal's "Jurassic World Rebirth," which brought in $79 million there. |
| That's why the box office performance of Walt Disney Co.'s "Zootopia 2" was such a surprise. During its opening weekend in China, the movie grossed $272 million over, making it the biggest opening ever for a non-local animated movie. Overall, the movie grossed $556 million in global ticket sales over the holiday weekend. |
| As I wrote last week, industry experts and studio executives were closely watching to see how "Zootopia 2" would fare in China's increasingly restrictive market. |
| Of any movie, "Zootopia 2" had, perhaps, the best possible runway of success. The original 2016 animated film is beloved by audiences in China, where it grossed a total of $236 million. It was, until last weekend, Hollywood's highest-grossing animated film in China. |
| And buoyed by the popularity of the original movie, Disney developed a "Zootopia" -themed land in Shanghai Disneyland, which has been a popular destination for tourists. It is the only such land in any Disney park. |
| So if "Zootopia 2" couldn't do well in China, it would have been a grim sign for U.S. films, perhaps suggesting that the market had forever changed. |
| That wasn't the case. Far from it. The movie's box office haul in China vastly exceeded what most observers had predicted, also giving a major boost to Disney's vaunted animation division that has faced some notable box office misfires in recent years. |
| The auspicious debut of "Zootopia 2" doesn't necessarily mean the Chinese market for American films is reverting to the way things were a decade ago. |
| It does, however, show that certain movies can still break through in the world's second-most populous nation. |
| "Zootopia 2" benefited from a particularly loyal following, a concerted effort by Disney to keep the franchise in the public eye via its theme park and continued audience interest in animated franchise films. |
| But much has changed in China's entertainment landscape since the original movie debuted. |
| Over the last five years, China's film industry has matured and produced more local films for the box office — notably, animated hit "Ne Zha 2" brought in nearly $2.2 billion worldwide, $1.8 billion of which was in China. |
| And similar to the U.S., the Chinese film market has also been affected by the growth of short-form content and the popularity of watching entertainment on phones and tablets, keeping theatergoers at home. |
| Then there's the geopolitics. Earlier this year, China said it planned to reduce the number of Hollywood films it allows into the country amid escalating trade tensions with the U.S. over tariffs. |
| Another test of Hollywood's box office prospects in China will come later this month when Disney-owned 20th Century Studios releases "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment of a franchise that has broad appeal in the country. |
| The James Cameron-led blockbuster is exactly the type of film that has typically done well in China: a movie by a known filmmaker that features the kinds of visual effects Chinese audiences once gravitated toward. It's a safe bet that Cameron and his team — who will attend the premiere in Sanya, Hainan province on Dec. 8 —are expecting huge numbers to once again flock to the world of Pandora. |
Stuff we wrote |
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| Last week, "Dancing With the Stars" crowned a new champion, with Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and his partner, Witney Carson, taking home the Mirrorball Trophy. |
| As I wrote in the last issue of the Wide Shot, the 20-year-old show was seeing ratings highs it hadn't reached in years. |
| The finale was no different. A total of 9.24 million viewers tuned in to the three-hour show, making it the most-watched "Dancing With the Stars" finale in nine years. Even more critical was its strength among younger viewers: The show notched its highest finale ratings in 14 years among adults age 18 to 34. |
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Finally ... |
| My colleague Nabih Bulos wrote about Saudi Arabia's attempt to court tourists as part of the country's effort to diversify its economy beyond oil. |
