You may have noticed we’ve been getting a lot more Asian themed movies in the last few years. It’s not just a fad, it’s a response to the fact that the Far East is emerging as one of Hollywood’s biggest markets. This is particularly true of China, which may still restrict the number of foreign films it allows in, but has been giving the studios big returns. For example China was the biggest non-US territory for Avatar, adding $182 million to the gross.
One director who seems to really like Asia is Rob Minkoff. He made The Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li a couple of years ago, and now he’s heading back to the continent for the 3D family flick, Chinese Odyssey. According to THR, Minkoff has said that “Chinese Odyssey is a supernatural high-seas adventure that pits our hero against an onslaught of deadly foes on the path to fulfilling his destiny. It’s a story involving ancient mysteries, deadly sea monsters, great characters and larger-than-life adventures, which all make for a fantastic cinematic experience. The opportunity to film again in China is an added thrill.”
Interestingly, it’s also going to be made largely with Chinese money, the first time this has happened with a large scale English-language movie.
There really is a shift going on from big films being made just for America, with the rest of the world seens as an afterthought, to companies really seeing the international marketplace as where the money is at. Chiense Odyssey is just the latest evidence of that.