Hollywood no longer gets the big bucks from China

Hollywood blockbusters like the Aguaman sequel and Barbie failed to draw in big crowds to cinemas in China. PHOTO: WARNER BROS
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Before the sequel to Aquaman was released in China in December 2023, Warner Bros did everything it could to sustain the original movie’s success.

The Hollywood studio blanketed Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, with movie clips, behind-the-scenes footage and a video of an Aquaman ice sculpture at a winter festival in Harbin, a city in China’s north-east.

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