China's Homegrown Hit Films Struggle Overseas

HONG KONG (AP) - China's biggest grossing movie last year was a low-budget comedy that earned 1.26 billion yuan ($200 million). But when "Lost in Thailand" was released in the U.S. earlier this year, it earned a paltry $57,000. It joins other homegrown hits that flopped internationally. While China has become a box-office superpower, the country faces a harder task fulfilling its leaders' hopes that its studios can be able to rival Hollywood for global influence. Chinese movies' overseas box office receipts fell 48 percent last year. Regulators urged filmmakers to improve their films so they can compete with international mainstream films. But film distributors say selling China's movies to the world is hampered by subject matter that doesn't travel well, different storytelling methods and the sheer size of its own market.