Japanese anime film Your Name has already been a huge success in its own country. And now it has become the country's most successful film yet at the Chinese box office.
日本動畫電影《你的名字》已經(jīng)在本土取得了巨大成功。如今它已成為中國電影票房史上最成功的日本電影。
Despite the lack of big-name Hollywood stars or expensive stunts, it has taken nearly $78m since its debut in early December.
盡管沒有好萊塢大牌明星或昂貴特技,但是該片自12月初上映以來已經(jīng)收獲了近7800萬美元的票房。
So why is it doing so well? The BBC's Ashleigh Nghiem takes a look.
那么,為什么它的表現(xiàn)如此出色呢?英國廣播公司的阿什莉•納姆將帶您一探究竟。
It's appealing to Chinese looking for escapism
該片能夠吸引有逃避現(xiàn)實想法的中國人
Written and directed by 43-year-old Makoto Shinkai, Your Name is a love story about two teenagers who swap bodies.
《你的名字》是關(guān)于兩個互換身體的青少年之間的愛情故事,43歲的新海誠擔(dān)任該片編劇和導(dǎo)演。
The dreamy drama about missed connections involving young star-crossed lovers has captured the imagination of Chinese audiences.
這部夢幻般的電影講述了一對不幸的年輕情侶屢次錯過的戀情,激發(fā)了中國觀眾的想象力。
For evidence, look no further than the reviews on the Chinese film rating site, maoyan.com - where reviews have averaged 9.3 out of 10.
看看中國電影評分網(wǎng)站貓眼網(wǎng)的評論,這就是證據(jù)?!赌愕拿帧返钠骄u分為9.3,滿分10分。
"The film was beautiful beyond words and every shot was like a painting," one cinema goer Taylor wrote.
“這部電影美到無法用語言形容,每一個鏡頭都像一幅畫。”電影觀眾泰勒寫道。
But it is perhaps the element of fantasy that appeals to young Chinese looking for a little escapism.
而也許正是這些夢幻元素吸引了想要逃避現(xiàn)實的中國年輕人。
"Watching this film made me miss the springtime of my youth and that really touched me," said one fan.
一位粉絲說:“看這部電影讓我懷念起自己的成長歲月,這真的讓我很感動。”
Timing is everything
時機決定一切
Film experts believe Your Name has struck a chord with young Chinese at just the right time.
電影專家認為,《你的名字》在恰當(dāng)?shù)臅r間引起了中國青年的共鳴。
"It's a love story targeted at the demographic with the most amount of disposable income, the so-called 'Post 90s' generation which has been driving the box office boom," said Jonathan Papish, film industry analyst for China Film Insider.
《中國電影內(nèi)幕》的電影行業(yè)分析師喬納森•帕彼斯表示,“這部愛情電影針對的年齡段觀眾的可支配收入是最高的,所謂的‘90后’一代帶動了電影票房爆火。”
"It also fits well with the ACGN (Anime, Comic, Game, Novel) youth subculture that is growing in popularity in China," MrPapish added.
帕彼斯補充說,“這也與在中國越來越受歡迎的動漫(動畫、漫畫、游戲、小說)青年亞文化非常契合。”
With 200 million young consumers, the youth entertainment market is expanding fast. According to the Chinese investment bank CITIC securities, the market is set to double to 500bn yuan within a few years.
有著2億年輕消費者的青年娛樂市場正在快速擴張。據(jù)中國投資銀行中信證券稱,青年娛樂市場的價值將在幾年內(nèi)增長一倍,達到5000億元人民幣。
Chinese consumers are looking for an international flavour in their fashion, travel choices and purchasing habits, he says, so why should the film market be any different?
帕彼斯說,在時尚、出行選擇和購物習(xí)慣方面,中國消費者正尋求國際化的風(fēng)格,電影市場沒有理由會有所不同。
Is it a one-off?
這是曇花一現(xiàn)嗎?
With box office ticket sales of nearly $78m, the 2D animation replaces Stand By Me Doreamon as the top grossing Japanese film of all time in China.
這部2D動畫電影憑借著近7800萬美元的票房取代了《哆啦A夢:伴我同行》,成為有史以來在中國最賣座的日本電影。
And that could just be the tip of the iceberg for anime creators.
而這對動漫創(chuàng)作者來說可能只是冰山一角。
Foreign sales of Japanese animation surged almost 80% last year to nearly $300m, according to the Association of Japanese Animations, though it could not say how much of that bump came from China.
據(jù)日本動畫協(xié)會稱,去年日本動畫的海外銷售為3億美元,激增近80%,不過不能肯定這其中有多少是來自中國的。
One thing that's certain though: success is not guaranteed.
但有一點是肯定的:成功不是必然的。
"Japanese anime is well known and popular in China, however not all films achieve box office success," said RancePow, Chief Executive of the Asian film consultancy, Artisan Gateway.
亞洲電影咨詢公司藝匠影業(yè)首席執(zhí)行官蘭斯•保羅稱,“日本動漫在中國頗具知名度和人氣,但不是所有日本電影的票房都取得了成功。”
Nine of the 11 Japanese movies released in China this year were animated films but only three of them took in more than $20m in ticket sales.
今年在中國上映的11部日本電影中有9部是動畫電影,但是其中只有三部影片的票房銷量超過了2000萬美元。
Mr Pow believes well-known Japanese franchises that have an established fan base should fare well in China, particularly with millennials who grew up with many of the characters.
保羅認為,已經(jīng)具有粉絲基礎(chǔ)的知名日本動漫在中國應(yīng)該表現(xiàn)不錯,特別是在千禧一代的年輕人中,因為許多角色伴隨著他們的成長。
But takings for Japanese films still lag far behind most Hollywood blockbusters in China.
但在中國,日本電影的票房收入仍然遠遠不及大多數(shù)好萊塢大片。
Furious 7 raked in more than $350m, Transformers: Age of Extinction pulled in $286m andZootopia took $221m in ticket sales.
《速度與激情7》的票房超過3.5億美元,《變形金剛4:絕跡重生》的票房為2.86億美元,而《瘋狂動物城》的票房為2.21億美元。
So are foreign markets now anime's goal?
所以,如今動畫電影的目標是海外市場嗎?
Your Name's success has not been limited to China. It recently won the 2016 Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for the best animated film and is being considered for an Oscar nomination.
《你的名字》的成功不僅限于中國。該片最近拿下了2016年洛杉磯影評人協(xié)會大獎的最佳動畫電影,并被認為是奧斯卡獎的提名候選。
But Your Name producers told the BBC that the Japanese market remained its primary focus.
但《你的名字》的制作公司對英國廣播公司稱,日本市場仍然是他們的發(fā)展重點。
"Usually in Japan, business can be completed domestically, so there was no thinking that you have to go overseas from the business point of view," said Genki Kawamura from the Japanese film distribution company Toho.
日本電影發(fā)行公司東寶株式會社的川村元氣表示,“在日本,國內(nèi)市場通常就能滿足企業(yè),因此從商業(yè)角度來看,沒有必要進軍海外。”
"But dubbing helped us to overcome language barriers and with animation we can express the big world without a big set or the location, to reach a wider audience abroad."
“但電影配音幫助我們克服了語言障礙,借助動漫電影我們不需要巨大的布景或場地就可以呈現(xiàn)一個大世界,從而獲得更多的海外觀眾。”
Success overseas looks set to be an increasingly important source of revenue for Japan's anime industry.
在海外取得成功似乎將成為日本動漫產(chǎn)業(yè)日益重要的收入來源。
While anime resonates with Japan's young people, its appeal could diminish over time as its target audience at home gets older.
雖然日本的年輕人對動漫很有共鳴,但隨著本土目標受眾的老去,其吸引力會逐漸消失。
"In 2025, more than a quarter of our population will be over 65 years old and our birth rate is lower than Germany and all OECD nations," said Sejiro Takeshita, Professor of Management and Information at the University of Shizuoka.
日本靜岡縣立大學(xué)信息管理學(xué)教授竹下表示,“到2025年,日本65歲以上的人口將超過四分之一,我們的出生率低于德國和經(jīng)濟合作與發(fā)展組織的所有成員國。”
"If you combine those together and you're a Japanese company, you better start thinking about expanding overseas to create new demand."
“所以綜合這些因素,如果你是一家日本公司,你最好開始考慮海外擴張,以創(chuàng)造新的需求。”