上半年中國電影市場好萊塢唱主角

China's box-office revenue in the first half of this year surged 42% from a year earlier, to 8.07 billion yuan ($1.28 billion), on the strength of foreign films like the re-release of 1997's "Titanic."

藉助《泰坦尼克號》(Titanic)3D版等外國電影的強攻，今年上半年中國票房收入較去年同期猛增42%至80.7億元（合12.8億美元）。

While the figures released Thursday demonstrated the importance of this fast-growing market to Hollywood, they also showed the challenges facing China's film industry岸box-office revenue for domestically produced films was down 4.3% over the same period. Chinese films generated 2.7 billion yuan, or about a third of total box-office revenue, compared with 5.37 billion yuan for foreign films.
週四發佈的數據一方面證明迅速擴大的中國市場對於好萊塢的重要性，另一方面也顯示了中國本土電影產業面臨的挑戰。中國國產電影票房收入較去年同期下降4.3%。國產電影票房是27億元，約爲總票房收入的三分之一。相比之下外國電影的票房收入達到了53.7億元。

China's leaders appear aware of Hollywood's threat. China is currently in the midst of a monthlong period in which no U.S. films have permission to be distributed. And while other years have featured a similar hiatus, this year's is taking place during the summer season岸prime time for U.S. action films. It is scheduled to end next week, with the release of 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' on July 25.
中國領導人似乎意識到了好萊塢的威脅。目前中國正處在一個美國電影拿不到上映許可的時期，時間長達一個月。雖然過去幾年也曾有過類似禁映期，但今年的禁映期時逢暑假，正好是美國動作片的黃金檔期。禁映期按計劃於下週結束，7月25日將上映《暮光之城4：破曉（上）》(The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1)。

The government-controlled China Film Group, which distributes most films in the country, has also arranged the release schedule so that several 3-D Hollywood movies will be pitted against one another. "Ice Age: Continental Drift," from 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures' "The Lorax" will both premiere on July 27 in China. Warner Bros." latest Batman chapter, "The Dark Knight Rises," and Sony Pictures' "The Amazing Spider-Man" are both scheduled to open Aug. 30, one month after the U.S. premiere. The move will create competition for Chinese audiences. News Corp., which owns 20th Century Fox, also owns The Wall Street Journal.
另外，由政府控制、負責發行中國境內多數影片的中國電影集團公司通過放映檔期安排，將使多部好萊塢3D影片展開針尖對麥芒的競爭。20世紀福克斯(20th Century Fox)的《冰川時代4：大陸漂移》(Ice Age: Continental Drift)、環球影業(Universal Pictures)的《老雷斯的故事》(The Lorax)都將於7月27日在中國首映。華納兄弟(Warner Bros.)的《蝙蝠俠：黑暗騎士崛起》(Batman: The Dark Knight Rises)和索尼影業(Sony Pictures)的《神奇蜘蛛俠》(The Amazing Spider-Man)都計劃於8月30日開映，距離美國首映已經過去一個月。中影公司此舉將使這些電影爲爭奪中國觀衆而競爭。20世紀福克斯的母公司新聞集團(The Amazing Spider-Man)也是《華爾街日報》的母公司。

Hollywood sees big opportunity in the world's most-populous country, where revenue last year reached $2.1 billion, up 29% from 2010. In February, after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Los Angeles, Chinese leaders agreed to allow 34 movies a year to be shown in China, up from 20, on the condition the additional 14 be shown in 3-D or in jumbo-sized IMAX format.
好萊塢在世界人口最多的國家看到了巨大機會。去年中國電影票房收入達21億美元，較2010年增長29%。今年2月份，在中國國家副主席習近平訪問洛杉磯之後，中國領導人同意每年允許34部美國電影在中國上映，多於原先的每年20部。條件是新增的14部必須是3D格式或超大屏幕的IMAX格式。U.S. film-industry lobbyists had been pressuring China to resolve a standoff dating back to 2009, when the World Trade Organization ruled that China's policy of limiting foreign films to 20 a year violated international trade rules.
美國電影行業遊說人士此前曾一直向中國施壓，要求其遵守世界貿易組織(World Trade Organization)2009年做出的一項裁決。當時世貿組織裁定，中國規定每年進口影片不得超過20部的政策違反了國際貿易規定。

Critics of China's film industry say the country's filmmakers are burdened by censorship and that more freedom of expression would help elevate the nation's films, putting them on equal footing with U.S. productions.
中國電影行業的批評人士說，中國的電影人面臨影片審查的重壓，擴大言論自由有助於提升中國的影片，使之與美國影片站在同等水平上。

Some of China's filmmakers say they don't believe the country's regulators need to restrict the entry of foreign films so tightly.
中國的一些電影人說，他們認爲中國的監管機構不需要那麼嚴格地限制外國影片的引進。

"We don't need to be scared or screaming like crazy, saying the wolf is here," said Chen Kaige, director of such Chinese films as "Farewell My Concubine."
導演陳凱歌說，我們不需要害怕或像瘋了一樣地尖叫着喊狼來了。陳凱歌曾執導《霸王別姬》等中國影片。

Still, Mr. Chen, who spoke in a recent interview, added that he feels increasingly pressured to make films designed to take on the U.S.-produced competition─and is even considering directing an action film to rival some of Hollywood's.
不過陳凱歌最近在接受採訪時也說，他揹負着越來越大的壓力要拍些與美國影片競爭的片子，他甚至在考慮拍一部動作片與好萊塢大片抗衡。

Investment in the Chinese film market is too recent to have borne much fruit yet, said Dan Mintz, chief executive of Chinese film company DMG Entertainment. "Everything from setting up the infrastructure and dealing with regulations to learning the creative side just takes a lot of time in film," he explained, adding that Chinese films may grow more dominant at home in the future.
中國電影公司DMG娛樂傳媒集團(DMG Entertainment)的首席執行長丹•密茨(Dan Mintz)說，中國電影市場的投資纔剛起步，還沒有取得太大成果。他解釋說，在電影製作過程中，從搭設基礎設施、應對監管規定到學習創意，所有這一切都要花大量時間。他還說，中國影片在國內市場上的主導地位今後可能會進一步增強。

To be sure, there are already marks of success emerging in China. "Painted Skin: The Resurrection," a film from Huayi Brothers Media Corp., is on track to become the highest-grossing domestic film ever, with box-office revenue at 628 million yuan and counting, according to data from Beijing-based film-research firm EntGroup. But "Titanic" has brought in more than 934 million yuan this year.
顯然，中國已經開始出現成功的跡象。據位於北京的電影研究公司藝恩諮詢(EntGroup)的數據顯示，華誼兄弟傳媒股份有限公司出品的《畫皮2》有望成爲迄今爲止票房最高的國產影片，該片的票房收入目前已達人民幣6.28億元，而票房統計工作仍在進行。不過，3D版《泰坦尼克號》(Titanic)今年的在華票房收入已超過9.34億元。

Notes Mr. Mintz, "In 1998, there were hardly any theatres in China, so this was actually the first time many got the real experience."
密茨說，1998年時中國的電影院還很少，所以這是很多中國人第一次到電影院觀看《泰坦尼克號》。