‘Ne Zha,’ ‘Boonie Bears,’ China Film Franchises in Focus at Beijing

Chinese animated box-office hit Ne Zha and its sequel drew much praise, as did the success of the popular animated Boonie Bears film and TV franchise during an event held as part of the 15th edition of the Beijing International Film Festival. However, Chinese film industry representatives also warned that this was no time to rest on one’s laurels or be complacent, calling for creatives to focus on developing more homegrown content with broad appeal that can go beyond a single film.

The event, entitled “Film Investment and Financing Forum: Rediscovering Value and Restoring Confidence of Film Investment and Financing,” featured a lineup of illustrious speakers from the Chinese film industry, including Jiang Defu, CEO of Bona Film Group and producer; Liang Jing, Chinese actress (The Chef, the Actor, the Scoundrel; Love at First Sight), producer (The Eight Hundred, The Sacrifice, Black Dog) and chair of Beijing Seventh Art Pictures; Rao Shuguang, film theorist and president of the China Film Critics Society; Shang Linlin, executive president of Fantawild Holdings, general manager of Fantawild Animation and chief producer of the popular Boonie Bears film and TV franchise; Jerry Ye, film producer (The Eight Hundred, Detective Chinatown) and senior vp at iQiyi; as well as Yu Baimei, director, screenwriter, and producer (Ping Pong of China; My People, My Homeland; Looking Up; Devil and Angel; The Breakup Guru). TV host and personality Li Jie served as moderator.

“Everyone is talking about Ne Zha now. If we don’t talk about Ne Zha, it seems we can’t talk about films at all,” highlighted Rao Shuguang, film theorist and president of the China Film Critics Society, according to a translation of his Chinese comments provided by the festival. “This one film accounts for 60 percent” of the Chinese box office, he noted, cautioning: “This also shows the structural change in the Chinese film industry, which is a winner-takes-all situation. In fact, we need to pay more attention to diverse types of films because, after all, a single flower does not make spring. We still need a hundred flowers to bloom.”

Yu Baimei, director, screenwriter, and producer (Ping Pong of China; My People, My Homeland; Looking Up; Devil and Angel; The Breakup Guru, called on creatives and executives to look for more entertaining entertainment offerings in cinemas, arguing that film posters these days can make audiences feel more like visiting a mental health clinic. “Most films are about some psychological issues, and these films lack entertainment value, bringing too many negative feelings,” he argued.

“We need more genres and more successful, stable IPs,” meaning intellectual properties, he concluded. “If China is not just limited to Ne Zha … and Boonie Bears 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, but also has eight or nine stable IPs that can produce three, four or five films, then I believe the impact on audiences would be different.” Reliable franchises “that we produce ourselves” can “make cinemas dazzling and overwhelming again.”

He concluded: “Frontline filmmakers are working very hard on this matter. The sense of crisis is something everyone has already felt. Everyone must double their efforts to create more positive and richer films to barely keep up with the pace of change in today’s era.”

But Yu also shared a positive outlook, saying: “I have high expectations for the upcoming summer season, which has several very good blockbusters.”

Meanwhile, Shang Linlin, executive president of Fantawild Holdings, general manager of Fantawild Animation and chief producer of the popular Boonie Bears film and TV franchise, shared insight into the success of the Boonie Bears. “The value of a film itself is not large; its significance lies in its influence,” she said. That is why the franchise has been expanding into spaces well beyond the screen, from theme parks to advertising partnerships. “There are more than 20 major categories, covering everything from food and beverages to stationery and toys, with over 3,000 products,” she explained. “This provides stable support for the subsequent value recovery of the IP and the long-term development of the IP.”

Fantawild’s theme parks are one key aspect of franchise management, Shang added, mentioning that there are “currently more than 40 theme parks nationwide” with “multiple different brands, many of which focus on Chinese culture. We have now developed a large number of Boonie Bears parks based on the Boonie Bears brand, including Boonie Bears hotels.”

Among future opportunities, she cited the likes of virtual reality, concluding: “We hope to further leverage the value of the IP.”

Other speakers at the event included Jiang Defu, CEO of Bona Film Group and producer; Liang Jing, Chinese actress (The Chef, the Actor, the Scoundrel; Love at First Sight), producer (The Eight Hundred, The Sacrifice, Black Dog) and chair of Beijing Seventh Art Pictures; and Jerry Ye, film producer (The Eight Hundred, Detective Chinatown) and senior vp at iQiyi. TV host and personality Li Jie served as moderator.

The Beijing film festival runs through Saturday.