上半年中国电影市场好莱坞唱主角

China's box-office revenue in the first half of this year surged 42% from a year earlier, to 8.07 billion yuan ($1.28 billion), on the strength of foreign films like the re-release of 1997's 'Titanic.'

借助《泰坦尼克号》(Titanic)3D版等外国电影的强攻，今年上半年中国票房收入较去年同期猛增42%至80.7亿元（合12.8亿美元）。

While the figures released Thursday demonstrated the importance of this fast-growing market to Hollywood, they also showed the challenges facing China's film industry岸box-office revenue for domestically produced films was down 4.3% over the same period. Chinese films generated 2.7 billion yuan, or about a third of total box-office revenue, compared with 5.37 billion yuan for foreign films.

周四发布的数据一方面证明迅速扩大的中国市场对于好莱坞的重要性，另一方面也显示了中国本土电影产业面临的挑战。中国国产电影票房收入较去年同期下降4.3%。国产电影票房是27亿元，约为总票房收入的三分之一。相比之下外国电影的票房收入达到了53.7亿元。

China's leaders appear aware of Hollywood's threat. China is currently in the midst of a monthlong period in which no U.S. films have permission to be distributed. And while other years have featured a similar hiatus, this year's is taking place during the summer season岸prime time for U.S. action films. It is scheduled to end next week, with the release of 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' on July 25.

中国领导人似乎意识到了好莱坞的威胁。目前中国正处在一个美国电影拿不到上映许可的时期，时间长达一个月。虽然过去几年也曾有过类似禁映期，但今年的禁映期时逢暑假，正好是美国动作片的黄金档期。禁映期按计划于下周结束，7月25日将上映《暮光之城4：破晓（上）》(The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1)。

The government-controlled China Film Group, which distributes most films in the country, has also arranged the release schedule so that several 3-D Hollywood movies will be pitted against one another. 'Ice Age: Continental Drift,' from 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures' 'The Lorax' will both premiere on July 27 in China. Warner Bros.' latest Batman chapter, 'The Dark Knight Rises,' and Sony Pictures' 'The Amazing Spider-Man' are both scheduled to open Aug. 30, one month after the U.S. premiere. The move will create competition for Chinese audiences. News Corp., which owns 20th Century Fox, also owns The Wall Street Journal.

另外，由政府控制、负责发行中国境内多数影片的中国电影集团公司通过放映档期安排，将使多部好莱坞3D影片展开针尖对麦芒的竞争。20世纪福克斯(20th Century Fox)的《冰川时代4：大陆漂移》(Ice Age: Continental Drift)、环球影业(Universal Pictures)的《老雷斯的故事》(The Lorax)都将于7月27日在中国首映。华纳兄弟(Warner Bros.)的《蝙蝠侠：黑暗骑士崛起》(Batman: The Dark Knight Rises)和索尼影业(Sony Pictures)的《神奇蜘蛛侠》(The Amazing Spider-Man)都计划于8月30日开映，距离美国首映已经过去一个月。中影公司此举将使这些电影为争夺中国观众而竞争。20世纪福克斯的母公司资讯集团(The Amazing Spider-Man)也是《华尔街日报》的母公司。

Hollywood sees big opportunity in the world's most-populous country, where revenue last year reached $2.1 billion, up 29% from 2010. In February, after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Los Angeles, Chinese leaders agreed to allow 34 movies a year to be shown in China, up from 20, on the condition the additional 14 be shown in 3-D or in jumbo-sized IMAX format.

好莱坞在世界人口最多的国家看到了巨大机会。去年中国电影票房收入达21亿美元，较2010年增长29%。今年2月份，在中国国家副主席习近平访问洛杉矶之后，中国领导人同意每年允许34部美国电影在中国上映，多于原先的每年20部。条件是新增的14部必须是3D格式或超大屏幕的IMAX格式。

U.S. film-industry lobbyists had been pressuring China to resolve a standoff dating back to 2010, when the World Trade Organization ruled that China's policy of limiting foreign films to 20 a year violated international trade rules.

美国电影行业游说人士此前曾一直向中国施压，要求其遵守世界贸易组织(World Trade Organization)2010年做出的一项裁决。当时世贸组织裁定，中国规定每年进口影片不得超过20部的政策违反了国际贸易规定。

Critics of China's film industry say the country's filmmakers are burdened by censorship and that more freedom of expression would help elevate the nation's films, putting them on equal footing with U.S. productions.

中国电影行业的批评人士说，中国的电影人面临影片审查的重压，扩大言论自由有助于提升中国的影片，使之与美国影片站在同等水平上。

Some of China's filmmakers say they don't believe the country's regulators need to restrict the entry of foreign films so tightly.

中国的一些电影人说，他们认为中国的监管机构不需要那么严格地限制外国影片的引进。

'We don't need to be scared or screaming like crazy, saying the wolf is here,' said Chen Kaige, director of such Chinese films as 'Farewell My Concubine.'

导演陈凯歌说，我们不需要害怕或像疯了一样地尖叫着喊狼来了。陈凯歌曾执导《霸王别姬》等中国影片。

Still, Mr. Chen, who spoke in a recent interview, added that he feels increasingly pressured to make films designed to take on the U.S.-produced competition─and is even considering directing an action film to rival some of Hollywood's.

不过陈凯歌最近在接受采访时也说，他背负着越来越大的压力要拍些与美国影片竞争的片子，他甚至在考虑拍一部动作片与好莱坞大片抗衡。

Investment in the Chinese film market is too recent to have borne much fruit yet, said Dan Mintz, chief executive of Chinese film company DMG Entertainment. 'Everything from setting up the infrastructure and dealing with regulations to learning the creative side just takes a lot of time in film,' he explained, adding that Chinese films may grow more dominant at home in the future.

中国电影公司DMG娱乐传媒集团(DMG Entertainment)的首席执行长丹·密茨(Dan Mintz)说，中国电影市场的投资才刚起步，还没有取得太大成果。他解释说，在电影制作过程中，从搭设基础设施、应对监管规定到学习创意，所有这一切都要花大量时间。他还说，中国影片在国内市场上的主导地位今后可能会进一步增强。

To be sure, there are already marks of success emerging in China. 'Painted Skin: The Resurrection,' a film from Huayi Brothers Media Corp., is on track to become the highest-grossing domestic film ever, with box-office revenue at 628 million yuan and counting, according to data from Beijing-based film-research firm EntGroup. But 'Titanic' has brought in more than 934 million yuan this year.

显然，中国已经开始出现成功的迹象。据位于北京的电影研究公司艺恩咨询(EntGroup)的数据显示，华谊兄弟传媒股份有限公司出品的《画皮2》有望成为迄今为止票房最高的国产影片，该片的票房收入目前已达人民币6.28亿元，而票房统计工作仍在进行。不过，3D版《泰坦尼克号》(Titanic)今年的在华票房收入已超过9.34亿元。

Notes Mr. Mintz, 'In 1998, there were hardly any theatres in China, so this was actually the first time many got the real experience.'

密茨说，1998年时中国的电影院还很少，所以这是很多中国人第一次到电影院观看《泰坦尼克号》。