《哪吒2》狂揽20亿：中国电影“逆袭”好莱坞

在上周我制作的关于《哪吒2》的《柠檬变成柠檬水》播客节目中，我提到它的票房有望突破20亿美元。本周，果不其然，它已经成为首部突破20亿美元大关的非好莱坞电影。无论你是否喜欢这部电影，它的票房成绩无疑是一个巨大的奇迹。

在播客中，我分析了《哪吒2》成功的原因。首先就是观众喜欢这部电影，甚至愿意多次观看，还有人专程去IMAX影院体验。其次《哪吒2》的成功已经成为中国民族自豪感的象征，这种情感进一步推动了其票房的增长。现在越来越多的人开始讨论“这对好莱坞意味着什么”，但我认为答案很简单 - 中国观众仍然对看电影充满热情，而美国观众则不然。

为什么会出现这种差异？因为好莱坞在过去十多年里一直在培养观众待在家里的习惯。许多由Netflix或Amazon制作的电影，根本没有机会在影院上映，观众只能通过订阅这些平台来观看。这种有意或无意的策略，导致观众对电影和去电影院的热情大幅下降。几周前的奥斯卡颁奖礼上，主持人Conan O'Brien（柯南·奥布莱恩）甚至开玩笑说，要“骗”年轻人重新回到电影院。

还有一个有趣的现象：现在很多人将电影称为“内容”（content），而不是艺术作品。把电影称为“内容”，是否意味着它与我们闲暇时随手刷到的视频混为一谈？毕竟社交媒体上的所有信息也被称为“内容”。我并不是在贬低“内容”这个词，但将一部制作成本上千万的电影与一个TikTok视频同样归类为“内容”，确实在某种程度上贬低了电影作为艺术品的价值。

影院和电影公司其实可以合作改善观影体验。例如电影公司可以同意让影院保留更高比例的票房收入，前提是这些资金用于提升影院的硬件设施。此外，电影公司和发行方可以重新承诺至少90天，甚至120天的独家影院窗口期，以重新培养观众在影院看电影的习惯，而不是等两周后在家看流媒体。观众也可以优先选择在影院观影，支持中型制作和独立电影，而不仅仅是大片。

当然，当我们谈论好莱坞电影的国内票房时，实际上指的是美国和加拿大的总票房。这两个国家的人口加起来约为3.8亿，而中国的人口是14亿！简而言之，好莱坞需要全球市场才能打造一部票房破亿的电影，而中国则不需要。《哪吒2》约99%的票房来自本土市场，而《星球大战：原力觉醒》的国际观众占比接近55%。

刚刚提到好莱坞也在热烈讨论《哪吒2》的巨大成功，并探讨如何重新打开中国市场。但对我来说，《哪吒2》的真正启示在于：中国已经具备了制作全球票房爆款电影的基础，接下来是如何吸引全世界的观众也来看我们的电影。如果真的能做到这一点，好莱坞或许永远无法打破我们的记录了。

Nezha 2 Breaks $2 Billion: What It Means for Hollywood and the Future of Cinema

In last week’s episode of the “Turn Lemons Into Lemonade” podcast, I mentioned that Nezha 2 was on track to surpass $2 billion at the box office. Sure enough, this week, it officially became the first non-Hollywood film to break the $2 billion milestone. Whether you love the movie or not, its box office success is undeniably a cinematic miracle.

On the podcast, I analyzed some key reasons behind Nezha 2’s massive success. First, Chinese audiences genuinely love the movie, with many going for repeat viewings, and some even making special trips to IMAX theaters for the full experience. Second, the film has become a symbol of national pride in China, further fueling its box office momentum. Now, more and more people are asking, “What does this mean for Hollywood?” But to me, the answer is simple: Chinese audiences still love going to the movies, while North American audiences, not so much.

Why the Decline in North American Theatrical Interest?

For over a decade, Hollywood has been training audiences to stay home. Many films produced by Netflix and Amazon never even get a theatrical release - viewers can only watch them via streaming subscriptions. This deliberate and strategic shift has eroded the excitement around going to the movies. Just a few weeks ago at the Oscars, host Conan O'Brien joked that young people need to be ‘tricked’ into going back to theaters.

Another interesting phenomenon is that people now refer to movies as “content” rather than art. Does calling a film “content” put it in the same category as the random videos we scroll past on social media? After all, everything on TikTok and Instagram is also labeled as “content.” I’m not saying the word itself is bad, but when a multi-million-dollar cinematic production is lumped into the same category as a 30-second TikTok clip, it undeniably diminishes movie’s artistic value.

Can Hollywood Bring Back the Theatrical Experience?

Movie theaters and studios can work together to improve the cinema experience. For instance, studios could agree to let theaters keep a larger share of ticket sales—on the condition that those funds are reinvested into upgrading cinema technology and enhancing audience experiences. Additionally, studios and distributors should commit to a 90-day or even 120-day exclusive theatrical window to recondition audiences to watch movies in theaters first, rather than waiting a couple of weeks for streaming. Audiences, in turn, could make a conscious effort to support mid-budget and independent films in theaters, not just blockbuster franchises.

China vs. Hollywood: A Market Size Reality Check

When we talk about the domestic box office for Hollywood movies, we’re actually referring to both the U.S. and Canada, which together have a population of about 380 million. Meanwhile, China’s population is 1.4 billion. This means Hollywood needs the global market to push a film past the $1 billion mark, whereas China does not.

For example, 99% of Nezha 2’s box office revenue came from China, while 55% of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ earnings came from international markets. Hollywood is now scrambling to understand Nezha 2’s success and figure out how to reopen the Chinese market.

The Real Takeaway from Nezha 2

To me, the biggest takeaway isn’t just Nezha 2’s record-breaking success; it’s the fact that China now has the capability to produce global box office hits. The next challenge? Getting international audiences to watch Chinese films. If China figures out how to do that, Hollywood may never be able to reclaim its dominance at the global box office.