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Surprise: China Loves "Kung Fu Panda"

Written by Arya Ponto

Thursday, 03 July 2008

Of all the things that could be a hit in China, whodathunk that a movie combining their national animal mascot with martial arts would go over well? I mean, this sort of thing didn't happen with Kangaroo Jack in Australia.

Distributors report that Jack Black's Kung Fu Panda has grossed over sixteen million dollars at the Chinese box office. That doesn't sound so impressive by US box office standards, but in China, topping fifteen million dollars is what's considered a huge hit.

The film opened in China June 20th, to rave reviews from Chinese critics.

Prior to its release, there was a minor controversy over the film, with a small group calling for the movie's boycott. Their reasoning? It was produced by DreamWorks, which was founded by Steven Spielberg, who pulled out of his role in the Olympics as an "artistic adviser" because of his protests against the Chinese government for their support of the Sudanese government's role in Darfur. Spielberg's decision sparked a heated debate among Chinese youths as to whether or not to accept Kung Fu Panda, calling the film an exploitation of Chinese culture.

All is well, though. Looks like the rest of China decided not to take them seriously and made the film a hit.