Picture ①: The poster of the movie Hot and Hot.

Picture ②: The poster of the movie Three Brigades.

Picture ③: The poster of the movie "Fast Life 2".

Picture ④: The poster of the movie Chang'an 30000 Li.

The above pictures are provided by the respondents

The market share of domestic films has reached more than 80% for consecutive years; In 2023, the top ten films at the box office nationwide will all be domestic films... In recent years, domestic films that are "popular and popular" have performed well in the fierce market competition. Chinese audiences increasingly favor domestic films, which is not only an empirical evidence of the high-quality development of domestic films, but also a vivid interpretation of the significantly enhanced cultural self-confidence.

Create excellent films with Chinese style

At the 2024 Spring Festival, the national film box office broke the historical record of the same period with a score of more than 8 billion yuan. Many films, such as Hot Hot, Fast Life 2, Article 20, Bear Appearing and Exiting, Reversing Time and Space, have met the audience's diverse viewing needs with a variety of themes. As of February 23, 2024, the national total box office is 12.714 billion yuan, the total number of viewers is 277 million, and the domestic film box office is 12.352 billion yuan, accounting for 97.15% of the market share.

Since 2020, the box office of domestic films has accounted for more than 80% of the Chinese film market every year. In 2023, the national film box office will be nearly 55 billion yuan, of which 83.77% will be domestic films. In the same year, although Hollywood films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark 5, Mission Impossible 7, Speed and Passion 10 were released, the top ten films at the box office throughout the year were all domestic films. The performance of domestic films in the Chinese film market is getting better and better, and Chinese audiences are increasingly accepting and liking domestic films.

In fact, less than 10 years ago, the competition between domestic films and Hollywood films in the Chinese market was still in a stalemate. At that time, in the local film market of most countries around the world, Hollywood films had an overwhelming advantage. However, in just a few years, the situation of China's film market has changed greatly.

Analysing the causes of this phenomenon, Professor Yin Hong of Tsinghua University believes that with the rapid development of China's economy and society, the quality of domestic films is improving day by day. Chinese audiences increasingly prefer film works that can connect with their own lives, and domestic films are increasingly able to provide audiences with rich and diverse viewing experiences. Taking 2023 as an example, realistic films are particularly popular with the audience. The theme of "All in One" is anti telecom fraud, the focus of "In an Octagonal Cage" is on social vulnerable groups, and "As Firm as a Rock" reflects the fight against crime... These films with strong realistic concern have a strong appeal to the audience, and during the release period, related topics have become social hot spots. Yin Hong said: "The characters and events in these films are closely related to the life of ordinary audiences, which is easy to arouse empathy of the audience and make the audience feel satisfied when they walk out of the cinema."

The excellent traditional Chinese culture is the wisdom crystallization and essence of the Chinese civilization, and is the root and soul of the Chinese nation. In recent years, the atmosphere of inheriting and carrying forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture has been constantly strengthened, the museum craze has become increasingly hot, "national trend" has become the fashion pursued by young people, traditional culture TV programs have been welcomed by the audience, and traditional culture films are also actively exploring the market. The comedy suspense film "Manjianghong", the animated film "Chang'an 30000 li", the mythical epic film "Fengshen First: Chaoge Fengyun", etc., won the box office and public praise at the same time. At the end of the film, the audience recited Tang and Song poems together, which became an unforgettable scene.

Yu Zhou, president of Chasing Light Animation, the producer of the film "Chang'an 30000 Miles", said: "In recent years, films with traditional cultural themes have become more and more popular. The improvement of film quality is an important reason, but the fundamental reason is that Chinese people are increasingly confident in their culture. We must consider the current trend of audience aesthetic changes in our creation, appropriately add contemporary creative elements, and through creative transformation and innovative development, make Chinese excellent traditional culture a valuable resource for creating excellent films with Chinese style and Chinese style. "

Establish emotional connection with current audience

Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, pointed out that domestic films are increasingly favored by audiences, and the local market share is increasing. In addition to analyzing the film itself, attention should also be paid to the relationship between films and audiences. "A very important issue of film aesthetics is the relationship between the film and the audience. No matter what means are used for the creation and expression of the film, the ultimate goal is to arouse the interest and enthusiasm of the audience to enter the cinema, and finally reach a consensus with the audience. At present, domestic films have gradually found the right way to communicate with the audience. Whether it is a real theme film or a science fiction film, whether it is a comedy or an animated film, it has captured the social hot spots and achieved good interaction with the audience. "

This view is similar to that of young director Dong Runnian. At the end of 2023, the realistic workplace comedy "The Annual Meeting Can't Stop!", written and directed by Dong Runnian, became the "dark horse" of the New Year's party and won both box office and public praise. "Domestic films have a natural close relationship with local audiences. Neither Hollywood superheroes nor audio-visual wonders have a direct connection with the daily life of Chinese audiences. After experiencing the initial novelty, audiences are easy to fall into aesthetic fatigue."

Dong Runnian, for example, as a science fiction film, Hollywood superheroes have not performed well in the Chinese market, while Wandering Earth 2 has been recognized by the audience. "The reason is that it reflects the traditional values of Chinese people. When the old astronauts in the film shouted "astronauts over 50 years old go out", it aroused the emotional resonance of the Chinese people. This spirit of being willing to make sacrifices for others and the collective is a sense of identity and pride from the depths of the traditional values of the Chinese people. It is also the essential difference in the spiritual core between our science fiction and Hollywood science fiction. "

Many insiders also see the new development opportunities for domestic films brought by the sinking of the film market.

In December 2018, the National Film Administration issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Cinemas and Promoting the Prosperity and Development of the Film Market, which put forward specific requirements for accelerating the construction and development of cinemas, deepening the reform of the cinema line system, and accelerating the development of characteristic cinemas. In recent years, the number of screens in China has always ranked first in the world, providing infrastructure guarantee for supporting the huge film market. By the end of January 2024, there were 14500 operating cinemas and 87082 screens in China. Among them, 2829 county-level cinemas and 13083 screens accounted for 19.51% and 15.02% respectively; There are 2629 township cinemas and 12751 screens, accounting for 18.13% and 14.64% respectively.

"The development of cinemas in the county and township areas has provided convenience for local people to watch films. In fact, with the sinking of the film market, the market share of domestic films has become higher and higher. During the Spring Festival holiday this year, people working in big cities returned home to drive their relatives and friends into cinemas. This demand for movie watching pushed the market share of domestic films up to 99.96%, which is a very convincing example. " Liu Peng, president of Cat's Eye Research Institute, said.

Show the real life and spirit of Chinese people in an artistic way

Dong Runnian believes that the current Chinese film is entering a new stage of "establishing a spiritual value". "I think the excellent domestic films in recent years are injecting a spirit into the audience, thus establishing a value. This spirit and value point to a more united China, a China full of hope. Everyone has a spirit of struggle, and we should strive to build our country better."

According to the survey data, the main audience for watching movies in China is currently 20 to 30 years old. According to Zhi Feina, a professor of the Chinese Academy of Arts, this group of audiences is generally the post-95 audience. With their growth, the artistic connotation and production level of domestic films have improved, and their attraction has increased significantly.

"This is like a flow of popular culture. In the early days of reform and opening up, western popular culture poured in. Since then, 'daily flow' and 'Korean flow' have also been popular for a period of time. But when they grew up after 1995, the younger generation has stronger cultural consciousness and cultural self-confidence. Chinese culture has become the main body of domestic popular culture, and watching domestic movies has become popular cultural activities Important components. Last summer, in the fierce competition with Hollywood movies, the domestic film "Disappeared She" stood out as an example. " Zhifeina said.

A large number of young film creators have also grown up. With the birth and continuation of youth film talent support projects such as the Youth Excellent Film Drama Plan, the Green Onion Plan, the Golden Rooster Film Venture Capital Conference, Shanghai International Film Festival · Venture Capital Training Camp, Beijing International Film Festival Beijing Project Venture Capital Unit, etc., Chen Sicheng, Guo Fan, Wen Muye, Dong Runnian, Han Yan, the Olympic bid A large number of young film creators represented by Dapeng have gradually become the backbone of the industry. They have a deeper understanding of the trends of Chinese and Western films, a more thorough study of the watching psychology of domestic audiences, a more acute insight into the current social reality, and a better understanding of the narrative and industrial level of contemporary films. They have created outstanding film works such as "Chinatown Detective" series, "Wandering Earth" series, "Miracle · Stupid Children", "Annual Meeting Can't Stop!", "Send You a Little Red Flower", "All in One", "Keep You Safe", which has greatly promoted the attraction of domestic films.

"Our generation of creators grew up together with the main audience of domestic films. We know more about what kind of stories audiences need in this era than film creators in other countries. This is our inherent advantage, and it is also the inherent advantage of domestic films to achieve high-quality development today. At the same time, we are also actively seeking innovation and change in the process of in-depth understanding of social reality and audience needs. " Chen Sicheng, director of the "Chinatown Detective" series, said.

All in One The director of the Olympic bid said: "The rapid development of Chinese society has provided young creators with a wealth of creative themes. As creators, we happen to grow up in such an environment, where daily stories are closely related to every Chinese, which objectively narrows the gap between film and life, and between film and audience. What we need to do is to live Chinese people in an artistic way Liveness and spirit are displayed to let the audience walk into the cinema and at the same time let the film better approach the audience. "

Xie Junwei and Zou Jing, the directors of Chang'an 30000 Miles, are also two young directors. Xie Junwei said that in the process of creating "30000 Miles in Chang'an", the children in primary school have always been with him. The communication with the children made him feel the sense of mission and pride of creating this work. "The Chinese civilization is extensive and profound. Through the creation of Chang'an 30000 Li, we have a deeper understanding of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, which gives us a stronger creative power."

While actively engaged in creative work, this group of backbone also continues to help and support younger film creators, such as Dai Mo, the director of the "Three Brigades", Cui Rui and Liu Xiang, the directors of the "Lost She", and Liu Jiangjiang, the director of the "Big Events in Life". The growth of the Chinese film talent team has shown a good momentum, It has reserved talent resources for the high-quality development of domestic films.