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Why Selling Indie Movies To China, Rest Of Asia, Was A Tough Business Even Before Trump’s Tariffs
Uneven box office, strength of local films & the rise of short video are making it harder than ever to sell to Asia, but there are glimmers of hope.
While most markets are polarized between a few big hits and lots of misses among local movies, their domestic box office is also being bolstered by Japanese anime, Southeast Asian horror, K-pop concert films and heartwarming dramas like How To Make Millions and Hong Kong’s The Last Dance. “There were some strong signals from the authorities last year that they’d like to see a more diverse market,” says Meng Xie, founder of Chinese sales agent and investor Rediance, which has recently stepped into distribution of foreign films and just signed its first acquisition in Cannes. “The costs are more controllable and it enables us to more efficiently reach our targeted audiences,” says Elizabeth Yang, founder of DDDream International, which recently used this strategy to release Wim Wenders’ Cannes 2023 competition title Perfect Days.
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