The Chinese Film Market Magazine - Production News 14-7-1

Production News 14-7-1

Aug 30, 2025 CFM Don't Miss, Production, Report 0

From January 7, 2026 to July 22, 2025, there are 1121 scripts approved by SARFT, including 957 films with contemporary themes (post-1949) and 164 films featuring historic periods (pre-1949). In addition, 75 animations, 48 documentaries, 22 films featuring science and education, 28 films of special genre and 45 co-productions have also been put on the record after SAPPRFT’s examination.

Among these co-production projects, romance films come in the largest number and comic elements also find a strong presence. The $108 million box office of the The Breakup Guru and $85.3 million of The Man from Macau signal a lucrative market for local comedies. The popularity of The Man from Macau has prompted a sequel The Man from Macau 2 to be made as another co-production with Hong Kong.

The synopsis of those co-productions shows a preference for romance, comedy, and action movies. Besides, fantasy, horror and suspense films are also favored.

The success of the thriller The House That Never Dies (￥65 million) is believed to be an encouraging message.

Fantasy films may worth additional attention: some originate from popular online games and novels. For example, Shenmo, a welcomed mobile game, and The Ghouls, a sought-after fantasy fiction, will be adapted into co-productions. Adapting various IPs into films is gaining a stronger momentum. The current co-productions tend to be of mixed genres.

Tragedy has no presence here on the chart partly due to the local flavor of a happy ending. The only one documentary Dan Sheng Zai Zhong Guo (Born in China) is noteworthy, a Chinese-American co-production directed by LU Chuan (Kekexili: Mountain Patrol). It plans to demystify the life story of wild animals in China’s nature reserves.

Hong Kong remains the most important partner of Mainland China in co-production, accounting for over 60% of the total, followed by Taiwan. Chinese-Korean co-prods including comedy, romance, fantasy, adventure, suspense and history, are likely to rise after the birth of Chinese-Korean Co-production Agreement this June. Chinese-American co-prods embrace action, romance and comedy. The only one Chinese-French co-prod, a fantasy-action film, is said to have a $30 million budget with 75% to be shot in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Luc Besson will be the screenwriter and Matthias Hoene the director.

To look at the intended projects in terms of production company:

Bona Film Group, a large private Nasdaq-listed film company in China, has a stake in four co-productions My Geeky Nerdy Buddies, Bride Wars, Tracks in The Snowy Forest, From Vegas to Macau 2, three of which are to be co-produced with Hong Kong and one with the US. 3 are rom com and 1 action movie.

The Chinese film studio Huayi Brothers invests in 3 films to be co-produced with Hong Kong, including rom com, fantasy and action movies.

The private Chinese shingle LeVision Pictures finances a horror-suspense movie to be co-produced with Hong Kong. Zhang Zhao, LeVision’s CEO recently announced that China’s film industry has entered the digital era, with Generation Z, i.e. the digital natives its main consumers. The insight echoes BAT’s frequent move into the film industry, BAT meaning Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.

Shanghai Media Group Pictures and Disneynature, an independent film label of The Walt Disney Studios will co-develop the Lu Chuan documentary. SMG Pictures is a multimedia television and radio broadcasting, news and Internet company, whose movies like The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, Bodyguards and Assassins and Personal Tailor were all local hits.

Wanda Media, Huayi Bros. and Enlight Media partner on a co-production The Ghouls, a highly-anticipated adaptation from a fantastic adventure novel. Wuershan will be the director. His Painted Skin: The Resurrection earned $111 million.

The Shanghai-based Fundamental Films Co., Ltd., partners with Europa Corp for a fantasy-action movie. Fundamental Films has inked a long-term strategic cooperation with Luc Besson’s Europa.

China Film Co.,Ltd., the largest producer and distributor of Chinese content, has a stake in a rom com Temporary Family with Edko Film Limited, one of the largest cinema operators in Hong Kong. Previously, China Film Co.,Ltd. has cooperated with the French director Jean-Jacques Annaud on Wolf Totem, a movie adapted from a 2004 Chinese semi-autobiographical novel and is expected to go on the Chinese screens in early 2015.

Director Eva Jin’s studio Draw and Shoot Films (Mengyinghua Media) invests in Love in New Year, a feature movie with a Hong Kong partner. Eva Jin’s works including rom coms like One Night Surprise and Sophie’s Revenge delivered has earned millions in the local market. Jin is the first female director whose film reaches a box office of ￥100 million.