Chinese film industry races close to Bollywood

BEIJING: Box office earnings of the Chinese film industry have jumped a massive 64% in 2010, which is being regarded as a bad year for Bollywood. In fact, China's media regulators have predicted the local industry, regarded as a backward territory until recently, will surpass India and Japan by 2015.

The year 2010 saw a massive growth in the film industry with China 's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television reporting that a total of 500 films were made during the period. China ranked third behind Bollywood and Hollywood in terms of annual film output. It put the box office earnings of the local movie industry at $1.5 billion.

The Indian media has quoted film industry sources to say that the earnings in 2010 will be around Rs 10,000 crores ($2.2 billion) after rising 10-12 per cent over the 2009 revenue. The Indian industry has been caught in the 10-12% growth trend since 2008.
At present, the United States is ahead of all other markets as it notched box office revenue of $11 billion in 2010. Japan came second with $2.5 billion in earnings followed by India. China's media regulators expect China to overtake Japan by 2015.

The highest grosser in the Chinese market was a Hollywood film, Avatar, which earned $200 million accounting for over 13% of total sales. Next came a Chinese film, "Aftershock", that earned $100 million by telling the story of a earthquake. Another Chinese movie, "Let bullets fly" has made $75 million since its release in mid-December and its producers believe the total earnings will be much higher.

China's Film Bureau said in a statement that the country added 313 movie theatres. A total of 1,533 new screens were added resulting in a 25% growth in the country, which now has 6,200 screens.

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Top 10 Bollywood Hits of 2010

Entertainment, good content that had a balance of star-appeal, a unique plot or a fresh twist to a formula was the success factors in successful Hindi films of 2010. Let us go through the top 10 Bollywood hits of 2010 that rocked the box office

Dabangg: Dabangg stands tall as not only the biggest box office hit of 2010 but also the second biggest money-spinner in Bollywood history. The movie earned close to Rs. 230 crores at its last counting, behind the big daddy of them all, 3 Idiots which earned Rs340 crores.

Golmaal 3: Golmaal 3 is the second biggest Bollywood blockbuster of 2010, earning an excess of Rs. 100 crores, making it one of the top ten money-makers in the history of Bollywood.

Raajneeti: Raajneeti, a movie on politics based on the Mahabharata theme, is the third biggest hit of Bollywood in 2010. The multi-star cast and an interesting story-line was the mainstay of the film.

Band Baaja Baarat: Band Baaja Baarat turned to be the surprise hit of 2010. A family entertainer all the way, witty one-liners and cute romantic scenes between the lead pair of Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma found many takers in the box office.

My Name is Khan: Shah Rukh Khan stormed 2010 with My Name is Khan, a saga of an Asperger Syndrome stricken Rizwan Khan, whose last name invites the suspicion of US investigation agencies. The movie earned millions wherever it was released, and was a hit in India too.

Housefull: Sajid Khan directed Housefull, is Akshay Kumar’s biggest success, if you look at it from a commercial point of view. Though content-wise, there was nothing worth boasting about, it entertained people who were looking for slapstick humor.

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai: This one found admirers in the general public and approval in critics. A story based on the lives of smuggler Haji Mastan and don Dawood Ibrahim; this movie was a big hit in India, especially in Mumbai.

Khatta Meetha: Khatta Meetha was able to make good profits, considering that it was made on a modest budget. The movie starred Akshay Kumar and new comer to Bollywood, Trisha in lead roles. Kumar essayed the role of a contact manager who is facing hard time and looking for ways to make a fast buck.

Anjaana Anjaani: Not a novel story, it was certainly unique in terms of the fresh pairing of Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor. It did decently on the strength of good performances by the lead actors.

Ishqiya: Ishqya’s original story, amazing screenplay and amazing performances from the trio, Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi ensured that they had a winner on their hands, even though it did not get the biggest audience that flocks in to watch big-budget films.