Those few foreign films compete with a growing number of domestic films — more than 400 in 2008, including those co-produced with foreign companies. Overall, box-office revenue is soaring.
But China’s main studios are all state-owned and some producers complain that the government cannot decide whether movies should serve as market-driven entertainment or nationalistic propaganda.
Critics say Confucius belongs in the latter category. The movie, produced by Beijing Dadi Century Ltd, focuses on the later life of the philosopher, whose teachings are garnering renewed interest in China. The cast was billed as star-studded. It opened on 2,500 screens in China, a record number.
Chow, who plays Confucius, predicted it would challenge the box-office success of Avatar, produced by 20th Century Fox. But 13,039 Internet users gave Confucius ratings that averaged 4.4 on a scale of 1 to 10 on douban.com, a popular Chinese entertainment Web site. About 95,280 users gave Avatar a rating that averaged 9.1.
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