How China and Mexico Can Save the Romantic Comedy
In Hollywood, the classic combination of love and laughs no longer adds up financially. But that’s happily not the case everywhere.
And … action.
Photographer: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
You’ve probably heard that the "Star Wars" prequel “Solo” didn’t have the most spectacular of openings. Yes, it was the No. 1 movie in the U.S. and worldwide in its first weekend, but it brought in less than a quarter of what “The Avengers: Infinity War” had four weekends before. In China, since a few months ago the world’s biggest movie market, it came in third behind two movies that weren’t even premiering. No. 2, according to the Bloomberg News account, was “Infinity War.” No. 1 was a romantic comedy called "How Long Will I Love U."
When I read that, I perked up. A romantic comedy was the No. 1 film in China?!? In close-to-prime movie season? In its second week?