There aren't many American movies in theaters here in China. Usually, you can find one (maybe 2 or at most 3 in big theaters). There also isn't much variety in American movies shown in Chinese theaters - they're almost always blockbuster action films. Last week was no exception when I happened to walk by a theater on the campus of nearby Chengyi College and noticed this poster advertising
The Expendables 2 which was the only English-language film in this theater.
The Expendables 2 is a perfect example of how Hollywood can virtually guarantee a film's success in China. Action films are the best bet for the Chinese market since they are generally simple to understand. Although English-language films here are shown with Chinese subtitles, Chinese viewers could understand most of the plot even without understanding the dialog. For films like The Expendables 2, plot isn't really relevant in the first place - its the action and stunts audiences want to see and Chinese can appreciate fight scenes (especially if there's martial arts thrown in), gunfights, car chases and crashes, buildings being blown up, etc. as much as anyone else.
In addition to having a bunch of old American action stars (Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, etc.), The Expendables 2 also has a couple of Chinese stars thrown in for good measure (quite possibly to ensure box office success in China). As in the first Expendables, Jet Li has a role although he's very expendable in the sequel, appearing only for a few minutes at the beginning. Giving such short screen time to one of China's few internationally known film stars might not go over well with Chinese moviegoers, but The Expendables 2 saved itself by also casting Chinese actress Yu Nan (余男) who plays a safe-cracking, gun-toting, ass-kicking female member of the Expendables group.
Ms. Yu is a popular actress in Chinese films and Chinese viewers have responded well to her character in The Expendables 2. I imagine that's in part because she beats up Western villains which is a nice change to the stereotypical Hollywood portrayal of Chinese characters over the past century (evil villains that must be defeated by Western heroes). Although Yu Nan's Expendables role doesn't really show much of her acting skills, she has been critically acclaimed for some her Chinese films such as Tuya's Marriage where she plays a Mongolian woman from a sheep raising family who has to divorce her disabled husband and marry a new one who will take care of her family (including the disabled, former husband) - If you're interested, it might be available on Netflix.
So far, The Expendables 2 has taken in over $40 million in Chinese theaters ($40 million as of September 16th). That's almost half of the U.S. box office receipts of $81,562 as of September 20th. Since China is now the second biggest film market in the world (after the United States), we're likely to see more big-budget Hollywood films with Chinese characters and plot elements.
One other thing that can make American movies in China confusing is that they often have different titles in Chinese.For example, since the word expendable would probably mean nothing to most Chinese people, the Chinese title becomes 敢死队2 (Death Squad 2 or Suicide Squad 2) which is a more descriptive and easily understood title.
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