金融時報(bào):《星戰(zhàn)：原力覺醒》有望成為最賣座電影

《星戰(zhàn)：原力覺醒》有望成為最賣座電影

上映僅12天，《星戰(zhàn)7》全球票房就達(dá)到10.9億美元，創(chuàng)下票房最快破10億的票房紀(jì)錄。作為全球第二大電影市場，《星戰(zhàn)：原力覺醒》將于2016年1月9日在中國上映。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

gross總的[ɡr?us]

Avatar《阿凡達(dá)》

multiplex多元的，多廳影院['m?lt?pleks]

royalty專利稅['r???lt?]

white slavers誘迫良家女子去當(dāng)娼妓者

retro復(fù)古的['retr??]

Box offices feel force of Star Wars（458words）

By Matthew Garrahan in New York

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in China on Saturday after generating more than $1.5bn at the global box office in 19 days, putting it on course to surpass Avatar as the top grossing film.

The Walt Disney film capped a record 2015 for Hollywood, with global receipts for all movies exceeding $38bn, thanks to a multiplex boom in China, and total US box-office returns reaching $11bn for the first time.

China's cinema market is growing rapidly. Its total box office increased by 49 per cent in 2015 according to state figures, generating $6.77bn in revenues. The country is adding an average of 22 screens per day.

China, if it continues to grow at its current rate, is projected to overtake the US as the world's largest film market by 2017.

Chinese screens could boost results for The Force Awakens. In recent years the biggest films have performed similarly in China and the US. The Martian, a 2015 film from 21st Century Fox, made $50.1m in its opening weekend in China, compared with $54.4m over its first weekend in the US.

The Force Awakens has already generated $740.3m in the US, making it the biggest grossing film of 2015 and the second of all years behind Avatar, which made $760.5m. With China to come, the Avatar global haul of $2.8bn is within reach.

Only part of The Force Awakens' value lies in box-office returns. Macquarie Securities estimates that the film could generate $5bn in consumer product sales, with Disney likely to earn $500m-$1bn in royalties. Disney is also planning extensive new attractions at its theme parks which will be linked to the film and five other Star Wars titles it has commissioned, following its 2012 purchase of the rights.

Disney paid $4bn to George Lucas, the series creator, for his Lucasfilm company. Last week he criticised The Force Awakens as “retro” and compared the original series to his children, saying he had sold them to “white slavers”. He later apologised for the comments.

Investor anticipation about The Force Awakens lifted Disney shares over 2015. Disney and AMC Networks, home of The Walking Dead series, were the only US media companies to end 2015 with their shares up on 2014. Disney finished 2015 about 10 per cent up on the previous year.

Lower television ratings and fears about “cord-cutting” — the cancellation of cable and satellite television subscriptions — hit US media shares in 2015 with the S&P 500 Media Index falling 5.7 per cent, far more than the broader market, which was flat for the year.

Weakness in the sector is a contrast to the performance of Netflix, the on-demand streaming service that has upended viewing patterns of traditional television. Netflix shares ended 2015 up 130 per cent on 2014.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.How much did the Walt Disney film get as global receipts in 2015?

A.$11bn

B.$6.77bn

C.$50.1bn

D.$38bn

答案(1)

2.What is the percentage of China's box office increased in 2015?

A.nearly one-half

B.2 times

C.nearly one-half

D.unchanged

答案(2)

3.How many screens is added in China per day?

A.21

B.22

C.17

D.6

答案(3)

4.When did Disney purchase the right of Star Wars?

A.2012

B.2015

C.2017

D.2002

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：D.$38bn

解釋：2015年好萊塢全球票房總收入超過380億美元。

(2)答案：A.nearly one-half

解釋：中國的影院市場正在迅速增長。根據(jù)官方數(shù)據(jù)，其票房總收入在2015年增長了49%，創(chuàng)造了67.7億美元的總收入。

(3)答案：B.22

解釋：中國每天平均增加22塊新銀幕。

(4)答案：A.2012

解釋：2012年，迪士尼收購星球大戰(zhàn)品牌權(quán)益的擁有者盧卡斯影業(yè)。