Though it had been widely predicted to happen sometime later this decade, China managed to surpass North America during the pandemic 2020 — during the first year of decade — in domestic box-office. A big part of that was the fact that China had built more movie theaters than North America. On this episode, we discuss:

• whether I say something in this interview that disqualifies me from ever working for a studio movie that needs China’s box office;

• the definition of “dumb money” investors, and how this applies to the China’s access to the American moviemaking process

• why did a movie like Wolf Warrior 2, the first movie in the worldwide top-ten, get completely ignored domestically in America?

• what contribution the Russo Bros., famously of the Marvel Avenger movies, added to Wolf Warrior 2?

Also:

• the Eastern ethos and religious philosophies that are being applied to Chinese big-budget productions like The Wandering Earth,

• alongside what the Asian crossover effect of K-Pop, Parasite, and Squid Game;

• the difference between Russia’s successful mid-50s film production/censorship from China’s current state-based film distribution.

Erich Schwartzel covers the film industry in the Wall Street Journal's Los Angeles bureau. He joined the Journal in 2013 and has written dozens of front-page stories on life and business in Hollywood, specializing in features where commerce meets culture. His work can be found here.

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