Are the Chinese movie sensors getting more lenient towards the content of foreign films or has China simply gotten an addictive taste of the bank note when in comes to 3D foreign movies? The answers to both questions are pretty straight forward; China still only selects twenty foreign movies per year for screening at mainland cinemas, but last month’s 3D movie craze created by Avatar has potentially changed the course of the foreign movie selection in China, with the imminent screening of Tim Burton’s 3D film Alice in Wonderland this March being the first clear indicator of a new selection trend.

Poster of 3D film Alice in Wonderland

Though Tim Burton is one of the most imaginative and creative directors on the planet, his new movie Alice in Wonderland which has just passed the sensors and is set for official release in China on March 26th, faces a tough battle trying to compete with the success of James Cameron’s Avatar here in China. Avatar reportedly grossed over 30 million RMB in China on the opening day alone. Not only has the film smashed China’s box office records, but one of Hunan Province’s most famous mountain peaks “Pillar of South Heaven” was even renamed “Hallelujah Mountain” after the film.

Choosing Alice in Wonderland as one of the 20 foreign films to be screened in China in 2010 may not seem surprising to foreigners familiar with Tim Burton’s unrivalled creative contribution to world cinema, but in China the selection process is based less on the legacy of the filmmaker but more on current market trends which currently favour 3D all the way. On many accounts, Alice in Wonderland seems like an odd choice for China’s sensors. It is often argued that the original novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson actually alludes to psychedelic drug use, regarding Alice’s hallucinations, encounters with mushrooms, teas and smoking insects as being inspired by illegal substances. Secondly and perhaps even more odd, is the fact that the film is being boycotted by Britain’s biggest cinema chain Odeon. This boycott comes as a counterattack after Walt Disney Pictures, the studio behind the film, announced its decision to shorten the film’s public screening time from 17 weeks to 12 in an effort to get it out on DVD sooner and ensure higher profits. According to an Odeon statement, the cinema has “invested considerable sums” in technology to show 3D films which a shortened cinema release could undermine.

What’s more, one can draw some strange parallels to China in the plot: The film depicts a 19 year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) who stumbles into the rabbit hole for a second time, not remembering her first visit there ten years previously. She reunites with her childhood friend the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) who informs her of her true destiny: to overthrow the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Apparently, Alice is also the only one who can slay Jabberwock, the menacing dragon who terrorizes the inhabitants of Wonderland. Overthrowing a red themed leader, slaying dragons? Granted, though these parallels are abstract, one does have to wonder if the film would have passed the sensors had it not been in 3D.

However, according to reports, the shortened screening time issues faced in the west are not relevant in China. After screening Avatar at IMAX 3D screens across the country since its opening in January, 3D cinemas are already more than sufficiently equipped for another 3D movie. In fact, word has it that t the screening time of Alice in Wonderland is set to be the same as that of Avatar- good news for those of us who weren’t savvy enough at snatching up tickets and enjoying the 3D experience of Avatar. And with at least three more 3D Hollywood movies set for release in 2010, there will most likely be many more opportunities to enjoy the wonderful effects of 3D on the Chinese silver screen very soon.

Source: Xin Jing Bao 新京报

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Related links:

Art House Film Festivals and Screenings This March in Beijing
Move Over Avatar: Confucius is Coming!
Pro or Anti China: 2012 Sparks Online Debate

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