China's Biggest Blockbuster Has the Film Industry Depressed
By and Lucas Shaw
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Good evening from the North Fork of Long Island. I am going to be on the East Coast for most of July and hope to see some of you in New York City (or by the beach). This newsletter will likely be off next week while I stuff my face with seafood and fresh berries.
I am handing this week's edition over to my colleague Sohee Kim, who has a startling report on the biggest movie of the year. (You can reach her at skim847@bloomberg.net.)
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China is a "more brutal society in that sense," said Eric Harwit, professor of Asian studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "If somebody loses their job because artificial intelligence is taking over, well, that's just the cost of China's moving forward. They don't have that kind of regret about people losing jobs and there are less opportunities for organized protest against the Chinese government." Hollywood guilds such as SAG-AFTRA have been outspoken about the harm AI could have on jobs and have fought for protections against AI in contracts in TV shows, films and video games. The unions have also pushed state and federal legislators to create laws that would give people more protections against deep fakes, or videos manipulated to show a person endorsing an idea or product that they don't actually support. There is no equivalent of that in China. "You don't have those freestanding labor organizations, so they don't have that kind of clout to protest against the Chinese using artificial intelligence in a way that might reduce their job opportunities or lead to layoffs in the sector," Harwit added. U.S. studios are also going to court to challenge the ways AI companies train their models on copyrighted materials. Earlier this month, Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures sued AI startup Midjourney, alleging it uses technology to generate images that copy the studios' famous characters, including Yoda and Shrek. Read more: Jamie Lee Curtis just wanted an AI ad removed, not to become the 'poster child of internet fakery' In China, officials involved in the project to remaster kung fu films said they were eager to work with AI companies. They said that AI will be used to add "stunning realism" to the movies. They are planning to build "immersive viewing experiences" such as walking into a bamboo forest duel and "feeling the philosophy of movement and stillness." In areas such as animation, new environments could be created with AI, Chi said. "We are offering full access to our IP, platform, and adaptation rights to partners worldwide — with the goal of delivering richer, more diverse, and high-quality AI enhanced film works to global audiences," said Tian Ming, chairman of Shanghai Canxing Culture & Media Co. in his remarks earlier this month. Tian said there is no revenue-sharing cap and it is allocating about $14 million to co-invest in selected projects and share in the returns. The kung fu revitalization efforts will extend into other areas, including the creation of a martial arts video game. Read more: Two-minute TV shows have taken over China. Can they take over the world? Industry observers said China is wise to go back to its well of popular martial arts classics out of Hong Kong, which have inspired U.S. action movies for decades. There's also not as much risk involved for China, said Simon Pulman, a partner at law firm Pryor Cashman. "They've got very little to lose by doing this," Pulman said. "If it can potentially enhance the value of those movies, there's very little downside for them." China's film industry has grown significantly compared to decades ago, boosted by the proliferation of movie theaters, including Imax screens, in the country. In the past, China's box office relied heavily on U.S. productions like movies from the "Fast & Furious" and Marvel franchises, but now local movies dominate the market. The Chinese animated movie "Ne Zha 2" grossed $2.2 billion at the box office globally. But those Chinese productions generally don't draw large U.S. audiences when they're released in the States. The classic martial arts movies, however, have a global following and enduring legacy. "People love martial arts movies, because action travels," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. "It doesn't matter what language it's in, if you have a great action sequence and great fighting sequences." Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
