Chinese animated movie Ne Zha 2 is currently screening in Hong Kong, with box office earnings surpassing HK$20 million. While the film is performing well at the box office, comments on various review platforms have shown a polarized trend. Experts in the industry have noted that this reflects the "growing pains" that Chinese animation faces when going international, emphasizing the need to improve the construction of the industry chain, the internationalization of capital operations, and the accumulation of distribution experience.
They also suggest learning from companies like Disney to release different versions tailored to various countries, making it easier for international audiences to understand the storyline.
"Cultural and artistic products inherently possess a degree of internationality," said Cui Yunpeng, Vice Dean of the School of Animation and Digital Arts at Communication University of China.
He pointed out that cultural promotion abroad essentially involves commercial pathways to promote media art products, aiming to allow more international audiences to see and appreciate Chinese culture. He believes that both the current Ne Zha 2 and previous Chinese animated films like Big Fish & Begonia and Deep Sea face obstacles in their overseas distribution channels, making it difficult to enter mainstream theaters and secure screening slots due to insufficient overseas distribution experience.
"Unlike Disney and other global companies with deep experience, most Chinese animated films are primarily created with the domestic market in mind. This presents challenges for global distribution in terms of theme selection and cultural taboos."
Industry chain in need of development
Cui pointed out that compared to Disney and Japanese animations, the industry chain of Chinese animation is relatively short and heavily reliant on box office earnings, with other forms of derivative products and services not forming an ecological network.
"Many internationally renowned animated films have multiple capital participants, including theaters, toy manufacturers, and IP licensing, from the early stages of operation, which directly or indirectly creates advantages for international distribution."
He believes that breakthroughs should be made in capital operations and the industry chain, while ensuring that works like Ne Zha resonate with audiences from various cultural backgrounds, supplemented by localized measures. For example, some segments of Disney films differ slightly in their international versions.
"Constructing a complete industry chain, internationalizing capital operations, and accumulating distribution experience are urgent tasks for promoting Chinese works."
Challenges on distribution overseas
In recent years, while many excellent cases of Chinese films going international have emerged, they still face numerous challenges. Young mainland director Zhang Shuhu similarly believes that the differences in overseas distribution mechanisms pose significant challenges for many outstanding films, including Ne Zha 2. He noted that China employs a "centralized distribution model," while overseas, a "theater-by-theater negotiation and signing" approach is common, leading to longer screening cycles and scattered resources.
He pointed out that institutions that have relied on Chinese films for overseas distribution have historically held weak negotiating power in international theater negotiations, often categorizing Chinese-language films as "foreign films," which are typically scheduled during non-prime time slots, making it difficult to enter mainstream markets. In many cases, the investment in overseas promotion for Chinese films is generally low, with limited outreach often confined to Chinese communities. "For example, with Ne Zha 2, despite significant promotional efforts, it still fails to effectively reach local audiences."
Zhang believes that the cultural roots of Chinese films, such as traditional myths, contain unique imagery and values, which markedly differ from Western individual heroism values, making it hard for overseas audiences to empathize.
"The Chinese mythological system is complex, and even some Chinese audiences find it hard to explain, let alone overseas viewers."
He observed that some Western media struggled to summarize the plot of Ne Zha 2, and there were even instances of misinterpreting metaphors. "Much of the film's plot exceeds the cognitive limits of overseas audiences, which inadvertently raises the bar for viewing."
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