We take a look at Hong Kong director Ronny Yu’s Hollywood films, from a family movie about kung fu kangaroos fighting to uphold Chinese virtues to horror films Freddy vs. Jason and Bride of Chucky.
U.S. producer E. Bennett Walsh, who has made films including Mortal Kombat, Meg 2: The Trench and The Kite Runner across the APAC region, says he’s got his eye on Japan and Korea as the next hot destinations for footloose Hollywood productions. “I think the opportunity in Asia is in Korea and Japan,” said Walsh. …
Transcript
What does it take to make a hit in Hollywood? An a-list actress? A tried-and-true superhero franchise? How about. the blessing of the People’s Republic of China.
For years now, Hollywood has been straining to make sure its films don’t offend Chinese censors. Without
their approval, studios can’t gain access to China’s massive box office.
Pleasing Chinese censors can mean adding scenes that glorify the country, but it can also mean leaving things out, particularly anything that calls attention to human rights abuses. The financial pressures to do so have gotten so intense that in many cases American filmmakers are pre-empting censorship altogether, and designing their films to pass muster from the first draft.