10 Most Annoying Phrases In The Movie Business
8. International Appeal
What it really means: 'We need some of this lucrative Chinese box office'.
There has been a noticeable shift in the paradigm of blockbuster cinema in the last several years, and a lot of it has to do with the incredible growth in the Chinese market. Predicted to overtake the United States as cinema's most lucrative territory as early as next year, movies are now increasingly (and glaringly obviously) having scenes, locations and entire characters shoehorned in directly to appeal to Chinese audiences.
Transformers: Age of Extinction is the most prominently on-the-nose example, Iron Man 3 featured a specific Chinese cut with added footage to appeal directly to the country's audiences, Independence Day: Resurgence's pandering became almost nauseating while Now You See Me 2's Macau-set sequences are almost a cynically commercial exercise.
Chinese box office did wonders for Pacific Rim, Warcraft and A Dog's Purpose for some reason but having entire aspects of a movie designed solely to appeal to a particular region smacks of overt commercialism and a lack of artistic integrity. Making a movie to appeal to the largest possible audience is by no means a bad thing, just now when its such a blantantly designed cash-grab.