From the Chinese Press

A lesson for Chinese films

The Flowers of War and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, two high-budget Chinese films released at the end of the year, have earned 150 million yuan ($23.7 million) and 140 million yuan in their first week, with their daily box office return being much less than Transformer 3, a Hollywood blockbuster screened in summer. The two Chinese films' worse-than-expected performance can be attributed to their failure to meet the taste of the majority of filmgoers, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

It's true that the simultaneous release of The Flowers of War and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate were forced filmgoers to choose one over the other. But the success of a film depends more on whether it can satisfy the majority of filmgoers' taste.