Yesterday was the biggest-ever foreign film opening in China. 零零七 Ling Ling Qi –Chinese for 007– has never before been officially released in China and new James Bong Daniel Craig, James Bond Girl French actress Eva Green and producer Martin Campbell flew in especially for the event. “The premiere on Monday is the first one of “Hollywood standard” to ever be held in China”. Western film companies have been trying to break into the China market for years despite widespread pirating of movies and restriction only allowing 20 foreign films to be shown in Chinese cinemas each year and often with censorship.
The funny part is that violent scenes of Casino Royal were cut in the United States and England but it got through without any censorship cuts at all here in China!!!
For the anecdote during a day of shopping in Beijing, both Craig and Campbell were offered to buy pirated DVDs of Casino Royale !!!
And for info here are the 19 films that have been approved for release in Chinese cinemas this year*:
- The Guardian (惊涛大冒险) by Andrew Davis with Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher (Jan. 13 )
- Arthur and the Minimoys (亚瑟和迷你王国) by Luc Besson with voices of Madonna, Robert De Niro (Jan. 19)
- Casino Royale (007: 大战皇家赌场) by Martin Campbell with Daniel Craig, Eva Green (Jan. 30)
- Flyboys (空战英豪) by Tony Bill with James Franco, Martin Henderson (Feb. 9)
- Night at the Museum (博物馆奇妙夜) by Shawn Levy with Ben Stiller, Robin Williams (Feb. 16)
- Déjà Vu (时空线索) by Tony Scott with Denzel Washington, Jim Caviezel (March 9)
- Spider Man 3 (蜘蛛侠3) by Sam Raimi with Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst (May 4)
- Shrek 3 (怪物史莱克3) by Chris Miller, Raman Hui with voices of Mike Myers, Eddy Murphy, Cameron Diaz
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (忍者神龟) by Kevin Munroe with voices of Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Tranformers (变形金刚电影版) by Michael Bay with Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel
- Young Hannibal: Behind the Mask (年轻的汉尼拔：面具背后) by Peter Webber with Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li, Helena Lia Tachovska
- Meet the Robinsons (拜访罗宾逊一家) by Stephen J Anderson with voices of Angela Bassett, Paul Butcher
- Eragon (伊拉贡/龙骑士) by Stefan Fangmeier with Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons
- Happy Feet (欢乐的大脚) Director: George Miller Voices: Elijah Wood, Brittany Murphy, Nicole Kidman
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (哈利波特与凤凰令) Director: David Yates Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ruppert Grint, Emma Watson
- Shooter (射手) Director: Antoine Fuqua Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Mara, Michael Pena
- The Bourne Ultimatum (谍影重重3) by Paul Greengrass with Matt Damon, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez
- Rush Hour 3 (尖峰时刻3) by Brett Ratner with Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Zhang Jingchu
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (加勒比海盗3) by Gore Verbinski with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun Fat
*Thank goodness for the free flow of DVDs in Beijing!!
