Latest update December 15th, 2015 10:12 PM
Selling Cars, Selling Milk and Selling Copies
How did Transformers: Age of Extinctionenjoy a record-breaking B.O. in China?
The Chinese netizens hail Director Michael Bay “Mr. Mai Kao Bei”, which sounds exactly like his name but means “selling copies”. People show their admiration for the director that he did pass China’s censorship, fend off the disadvantage of screening in the protection month of Chinese films, and finally earn a large amount of money. Transformers: Age of Extinction also helped boost the box office of a local film The Breakup Guru because those who could not get the tickets to the Transformers in a certain time slot went to The Breakup Guru instead – in China, sometimes it is an “either-or”. Meanwhile, some Chinese netizens also make fun of the director for the film features so many Chinese brands, only to attract more local cash while the film itself has not much innovation.
Before this summer, the highest grossing film was James Cameron’s Avatar, a miraculous B.O. of $224.5 million in China, the screening of which greatly accelerated China’s 3D screen construction almost overnight. The Chinese audiences used to think only Cameron himself could break this record with his Avatar 2, but Bay ended this assumption. Transformers 4 made a sweeping ￥1 billion in its first week in China and nearly ￥2 billion within a month. Had there was no protectionism of the local films in screening slots arrangement, it would have been quite easy for its final B.O. to go beyond the actual ￥1.97 billion ($320.3 million).
This enviable record naturally leads to 2 questions.
Why Bay can succeed in China while others fail, in the same market this summer? Can others learn from this case and succeed or can this director score once again?
Favorable timing and social factor are decisive in the success of Transformers 4 in China.
American daily life has been closely linked to cars. Titanic arranges the first sex scene of Jack and Rose in a car. The Voice Coach Blake Shelton drives a cool flaming red truck in the opening scene in the music video of his popular country rap Boys ‘Round Here while a group of hip-hop guys driving a classic convertible passing him by with a background rap of the red neck, portraying a contrast of two kinds of cultures, both valuing cars.
Car is not only a vehicle, but also an indication of one’s social status, immediate surroundings and personal taste.
Based on this idea, Transformers individualizes different cars in its animation. Autobot leader Optimus Prime is a container truck colored with the American flag, a literal red neck. The much loved Bumblebee is a chatty beetle. The SUV Ironhide can be a spokesman of loyalty and tenacity. Ultra Magnus, the car carrier truck is brave and fierce. The Porsche racing car Jazz is cool and alert. Opposite to those civilian vehicles, Decepticons are mainly armed with military equipment. Their head Megatron is transformed from a gun, leading a team of mecha tanks.
The fight between Autobot and Decepticons indicates the peace-loving civilians fight against the military government. The animation first appeared in China in 1980s when the only channel for the general public to learn about the outside world was the evening news program on China Central Television. At that time, “rich” was what people call those who had ten thousand yuan. So it was more difficult for the Chinese to own a car than Americans. Influenced by the Transformers animation, Chinese people imperceptibly identified cars with reliability and status. Children who associated the cars with characters put their hopes and expectations on transformers toys. They competed with each other in the collection of such expensive toys, the way local rich wives bragging their Louis Vuitton bags nowadays. The Chinese actor Xia Yu, Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for In the Heat of the Sun, has been a huge fan and has collected several shelves of transformers toys.
It was unexpected that within 20 years, the Chinese auto market has exceeded those in the US and the UK. In 2010, China was announced to be the largest number of auto productions and sales in the world. According to the data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufactures (CAAM), auto sales in China reached 21.98 million in 2013 with an annual growth of 13.87%, among which passenger vehicle sales totaled 17.93 million, a 15.71% increase from 2012. There are both actual and psychological demands behind this fast growing car business.
Cars are not necessarily an essential means of transportation in Chinese populous cities. For example, prosperous metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai have introduced vehicle restriction policies to ease the traffic jam. However, cars are still the symbol of status and self-identification. Many Chinese women would consider it one of the essentials when being proposed. Imported cars, especially luxury ones are fanatically chased.
2007 was good timing for Mr. Mai Kao Bei to bring Transformers to China. The children who liked playing the transformers toys had grown up and were ready to buy or had already purchased their own cars. It is these grown-ups who are the major consumers in the rising Chinese film market. They are the main purchasing power of the nostalgic films American Dreams in China ($87.66 million) and So Young ($118.08 million) as well.
These people were to retrace their happy past days in a familiar context, while watching Transformers or So Young. This is a unique edge that other blockbusters like Avatar can’t compete with. So Transformers appears at the right time and the right place.
It is because of this nostalgia that although fans were not satisfied with the film’s dense product placements, there was no harsh criticism, but mild mockery only. After all, China’s entertainment content has not been short of such placements. It even creates a feeling that Mr. Mai Kao Bei really understands the China market, if this does not sound too absurd.
In fact, Mr. Mai Kao Bei never seemed to be an outsider in the China market. According to the WTO agreement, in 2017, China’s current film import system will come to an end. In an open market without quota restriction, it will be less likely for one film to “dominate”. Therefore, with the success of Transformers 1 in 2007, it is only natural that Mr. Mai Kao Bei wants to tap deeper into the Chinese market with its sequels.
Mencius once said: “The benefits of timing are not equal to advantages of situation offered by the location, and advantages of situation offered by the location are not equal to the union arising from the accord of men.” Mr. Mai Kao Bei’s will to learn from his past “failures” and resilience are the key elements for a growing higher box office despite the sequels’ decaying artistic value.
You must have noticed that the release of Hobbit 3 has been put off while the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is still yet to be imported. But neither would be so attractive after a long time of waiting. Simultaneous theatrical release in Mainland China is a prominent advantage of Transformers 4 in the series, or may even be the only edge.
Since many complained about Transformers 3’s spiky product placements, Paramount adopts a different and effective approach to cast Li Binging, one of the Bingbing-s, another being Fan Bingbing who was cast in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which also qualified for a simultaneous release. (Note: These 2 Bingbing-s are considered the most appropriate for such roles in China). Chinese stars have been cast as a “flash-by” in Hollywood blockbusters, but Li Bingbing has a fair amount of exposure in Transformers 4. The film has been shot in various locations in Mainland China and presented really beautiful and prosperous places. For those scenes that need to show characters breaking all kinds of traffic rules and might show the impotency of the local police, the film “reasonably” moves the setting to Hong Kong in order to smash buildings, destroy cars and advance crossfire, without a complaint from the authorities.
Mr. Mai Kao Bei has also done his homework in political correctness. In the film, villains are all from the States; politicians are either obsessed with desire and power or plainly stupid – the American audiences and authorities won’t grudge such plots anyway. In contrast, the Chinese characters like Li Bingbing are not “Sick man of Asia” but loyal tough people who are neither material nor spineless. Moreover, the Defense Secretary in the film stating “The central government will offer utmost support to Hong Kong” may somehow help ease the current bickering between Hong Kong citizens and the Mainland Chinese. It also conveys patriotism – the five-star red flag are more visible than the Hong Kong’s flag, an indication of the trust the local government maintains for the central government. If this film cannot pass the strict censorship, then no one can.
In order to produce an American blockbuster with Chinese characteristics, Paramount collaborated with M1905.com, a film website owned by CCTV 6, China Central Television’s Movie Channel. According to the newspaper Southern Weekend, Transformers 4 was once expected to be a co-production. But the website’s Chief Liang Longfei, also film’s Chinese producer, held the film a typical American blockbuster and it would be difficult to be qualified as a co-production. Also, the original animation’s plot of civilians fighting against the government was another no-no. He thus suggested an assisted production with China instead, and helped to rectify “the China image” in the location scout, dialogues and art direction: China needs to be portrayed as rich, open, harmonious, developed and civilized, while the Chinese people needs to look diligent, friendly, law-biding, peaceful and honest. Any innuendo of shabby, old, small, dirty or poor corners can be a mistake.
If there is anything other foreign filmmakers can learn from Mr. Mai Kao Bei, it would be to find a powerful local partner with a solid background, follow his or her suggestions and then work a close cooperation.
Transformers 4’s seamless obedience to the censors’ plot regulations that even the Chinese audience would find unusual is at the price of its characters design and story development. For example, Guangzhou Auto Group’s white car GA5 was strangely arranged in the Autobots but it didn’t make much difference because the audience had no idea of its functions, features and target customers. Although GA5 spent a fortune, this placement might not have a great publicity effect as expected. Its current feedback is far from that of the Shuhua milk and the “invisible” Zhou Hei Ya.
When it came to the fierce fighting against Decepticons, audiences were shocked at the scene that Optimus Prime rode a dragon instead of transforming to fly. Then what is the difference between this and other Robo Armies like those in Pacific Rim?
So far, the Transformers franchise has raked in $616.6 million in China, but Mr. Mai Kao Bei should be fully aware that Transformers 4 has exhausted its advantages when Optimus Prime is not presented as what we have remembered: a red and blue truck. So he is offering another film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one also adapted from an animation which is known to all those born in 1980s in China.
This new film’s major selling points would still be transformation, Otaku goddess and special effects, but if can be released simultaneously in Mainland China, an acceptable B.O. performance can be expected because of the number of loyal local fans.
Mr. Mai Kao Bei will continue to succeed in selling copies in China, at least before 2017.
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