Lights, camera, inaction

Even as prospects for China's film-dubbing industry look bleak, experts believe the wider picture has been overlooked.

"Original movies only really prevail in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou," said Shi Chuan a doctoral advisor at the School of Film & TV Arts and Technology at Shanghai University. "However, if you look at second- or third-tier cities, you'll find that most moviegoers prefer dubbed films because of the language barrier."

Meanwhile, many cinema audiences in first-tier cities are unable to appreciate movies in English. "For the younger generation, it's fashionable to watch foreign films in English," said the Beijing-based dubbing producer Liao Lin. "The truth is that there are many cultural and linguistics elements in films that can hardly be understood or perceived in a 90-minute show," she added.