China market reopens for Indian films, but uncertainties remain with limited quota and overdose of repetitive movies

The China market is reopening for Indian films after about five years with Vijay Sethupathi’sMaharaja set for release this weekend.

While the Chinese market generated massive returns for Indian films with hits likePK,Dangal, andHindi Medium, especially from 2015 to 2019, the trend petered out as political tensions between the two countries escalated. Experts emphasised that while the reopening is good, the Chinese market is fraught with uncertainties such as a quota on foreign movies and the possibility of an overdose of repetitive Indian films.

“China works with a limited release calendar for foreign films, of which Hollywood takes a large chunk,” film producer, trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar said. “So, the effort to get past the selection committee itself and tie up with a local distributor in order to prove that your films are relevant to Chinese audiences is great.”

The Chinese film market, though lucrative, is unreliable and dicey, independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai said.

“Film studios look for stable markets,” he added.

While the process of making it to Chinese theatres was already tedious, strained border relations and political tensions only added to the crisis around 2020. Indian titles such as Sushant Singh Rajput’sChhichhore, Tamil filmKanaa and Ajay Devgn’sDrishyam did release in the country after the covid-19 pandemic to fill the void left by its local film industry but failed to make waves.Maharaja, set to be showcased in 40,000 screens in China starting this weekend, could help turn the tide.

Screen count

The Bollywood success story in China began more than a decade ago with Aamir Khan’s3 Idiots, which made ₹16 crore there. Over the years, Khan emerged as a huge draw in the neighbouring country, following up withPK ( ₹123 crore),Dangal ( ₹1,200 crore) and his production,Secret Superstar ( ₹700 crore).

Other hits came with Irrfan Khan’sHindi Medium ( ₹300 crore) and Ayushmann Khurrana’sAndhadhun ( ₹324 crore). Film trade experts said a large screen count helped Indian films manage impressive theatrical returns in China. The country has almost quadrupled its screen count from about 10,000 over the past few years.

India, on the other hand, operates with a little over 9,700 screens. Further, the average ticket price in China is higher than in India.

However, with Indian films likePadman,102 Not Out andBaahubali 2: The Conclusion managing unimpressive collections after the initial enthusiasm, trade experts had pointed out it is important to be selective about which films to take to China and that not every hit can manage similar traction in the neighbouring country.

Further, as far as the revenue-sharing arrangements with Chinese distributors go, only about 20% of the film’s collections comes to the producer.

“A lot of otherwise average Indian films were being taken to China, for which there were no takers, and which wasn’t required. Only a couple of tentpole films should be released there for audiences to remain interested,” film producer and distributor Sunny Khanna said.

While the success of a few Indian films released there had built a positive narrative, there is space for only a few Indian movies per year in China, said Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas.

“Only films that match the culture and storytelling of China can be released there. And given the quota on international films and other constraints, it can never be a guaranteed market,” Puri added.