China will be bigger for the movie box office in 2017 than the US
Whether its characters from Disney’s Marvel, Star Wars or Pixar stable, or even DC’s own Batman and Superman, people will flock to the movies to quench their content thirst. Increasingly the international box office is becoming a bigger and bigger factor in movie decisions. Some film, like Expendables 3, are being made solely because of foreign demand, and the same goes for streaming content from Netflix and Amazon. What this tell us is content is truly king, but it also means content companies are likely to pivot to satiate local preferences.
China — not the U.S. — is projected to be the leader in box office revenue in 2017, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.If true, it will mark the first time that the U.S. has not been the top revenue driver in an entertainment and media segment. The Chinese box office is expected to generate $10.3 billion next year, while the U.S. will be at $10.1 billion. By 2020, the Chinese box office will reach $15.1 billion versus just $11 billion in the U.S.
Source: China will be bigger for the box office than the US next year: PwC
