Double power

China and the United States have a long history of successful film co-productions. Prominent among them are:

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

Four master warriors (Li Mu Bai, Chow Yun Fat, and Yu Shu Lien, Michelle Yeoh) are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen in 19th-century China.

Box office US: $128.1 million; China: $1.6 million

Lust, Caution (2007)

An erotic espionage thriller in which Wong Chia Chi (Wei Tan) is a seductress involved in a plot to assassinate a top Japanese collaborator during World War II.

US: $4.6 million; China: $22 million

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) battles the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in an epic that races from ancient China to postwar Shanghai and into the Himalayas.

US: $102.5 million; China: $17.5 million

The Karate Kid (2010)

Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) moves to China, where he falls for a classmate. Maintenance man Mr Han (Jackie Chan) teaches Dre kungfu after a bully picks on him.

US: $176.6 million; China: $7.9 million

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2011)

In 19th-century China, two girls take an oath of sisterhood. In present-day Shanghai, their descendants struggle to maintain their friendship in the face of demanding careers, love lives and more.

US: $1.3 million; China: $7.1 million

(China Daily European Weekly 05/30/2014 page7)