“Barbie” Film Faces Ban in Vietnam Over Infringement Concerns
The film Barbie has recently drawn considerable attention due to the news of its potential ban in Vietnam. The official ban followed a meeting of the Film Classification Council, which includes 11 members led by Professor Tran Thanh Hiep.
According to Mr. Vi Kien Thanh, the Director of the Department of Cinema, the council decided not to allow Barbie to be screened due to concerns regarding copyright infringement. The film’s visual interpretation has appeared multiple times throughout the movie, differing from online interpretations that claim it is only found in the trailer.
This Hollywood production not only sparked discontent among Vietnamese viewers but also raised eyebrows among U.S. officials, as film companies scramble to find new ways to penetrate the Chinese market.
Senators Marsha Blackburn and Ted Cruz criticized the production team of Barbie, with Cruz stating to the Daily Mail that the crew was “erasing China.”
For a long time, China has been viewed as a lucrative market for Hollywood. The strict policies imposed by Beijing on foreign films have led U.S. studios to seek ways to adapt to Chinese audience preferences.
Barbie film faces a ban in Vietnam due to copyright infringement
Hollywood Films Struggling to Attract Chinese Audiences
In 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar premiered in China, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon, with audiences paying upwards of $100 for initial tickets. The film grossed $259 million in China, becoming the highest-grossing film ever released there at the time.
Thirteen years later, Avatar: The Way of Water premiered but didn’t replicate its predecessor’s success, earning only $229 million—less than half of what analysts had predicted. The disappointing results left Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Film Group, the highest-grossing film distributor in China, saying: “Foreign films are not resonating with Chinese audiences as they used to.”
As the influx of U.S. films into China began to decline post-pandemic, Hollywood struggled to attract audiences. Even Marvel, a brand that once thrived in China, has lost its edge in the market.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the first Marvel film to be released in China since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019, also saw disappointing box office numbers, according to statistics from the ticketing site Maoyan.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania debuted in China on February 17, earning just $19.4 million in its opening week, down 70% from the $66 million that Ant-Man and the Wasp made back in July 2018. In the following weeks, revenue continued to decline, reaching only $33.4 million.
Hollywood films are increasingly struggling to attract Chinese audiences
Challenges for Hollywood in the Chinese Market
The next installment in the superhero franchise from Warner Bros., Shazam! Fury of the Gods, only garnered $4.3 million in its opening week in China, significantly lower than the $30 million Shazam! earned in the same timeframe in 2019.
After Beijing lifted its “zero COVID” policy in December 2022, the Chinese box office during the Lunar New Year generated $988 million, a 14% increase compared to the same period in 2019. However, box office revenues have predominantly leaned towards domestic productions.
According to Global Times, China has recently become increasingly hostile towards Hollywood due to the decline in imports of U.S. films over the past few years. Audiences are also becoming accustomed to local films. Typically, Beijing allows only 30-40 foreign films to be released annually. In 2021, only 20 Hollywood films were released in China.
Michael Berry, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, noted that Hollywood films face stiff competition.
“With the increasing challenges, Hollywood’s ability to access the Chinese market will continue to decline, and it won’t be easy to regain trust in the near future. A significant portion of Hollywood’s losses in China is related to government agencies,” Michael Berry stated.
Is Hollywood Too Accommodating to the Chinese Market?
According to Screen Daily, Hollywood must submit films to government censors 10-12 weeks in advance (previously 8-10 weeks) to gain approval for release in the Chinese market. Often, the criteria for film censorship focus on sensitivity, excessive violence, and China’s cultural concerns.
Hollywood believes that these issues are increasingly burdensome. Film studios insist that having films screened in China is “a rare privilege.” “Getting films into China is much harder now than it used to be. We will have to navigate tight restrictions at any time,” one executive told Screen Daily.
In 2022, Mr. Ton Nghiep Le – Deputy Minister of the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party – acknowledged that Hollywood films need to improve their quality, focusing on respecting cultural values, customs, and audience behavior.
“We import films from any country that does better, which is more suitable for Chinese audience understanding,” he concluded.
Barbie ban in Vietnam raises concerns in the international community
According to Bloomberg, this is the first time high-ranking officials in China have suggested that Hollywood films are finding it increasingly difficult to enter the market. China remains the largest film market globally and is a crucial revenue source for Hollywood. Approximately 41% of the films released in China over the past decade come from the U.S., with some titles performing better when screened in the U.S.
This is a significant reason why Hollywood is “accommodating” to the Chinese market.
As news broke about the Barbie film being banned in Vietnam over copyright concerns, various government officials have been vocal about it, particularly focusing on Hollywood studios.
U.S. studios emphasize that Warner Bros. Film Group adheres to the Chinese market, even stating that “the content in the film does not declare anything.”
“Senator Cruz has fought for many years to block U.S. companies, particularly Hollywood studios, from changing and censoring content to quickly make money in the Chinese market,” Blackburn, a spokesperson for Cruz, said.
Currently, Congressman Mark Green has reiterated calls for U.S. studios to adhere to legal regulations regarding excessive censorship from the Chinese market. According to Politico, Barbie is not the first film to face controversy, closely following Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise.
“No Hollywood film has ever been released without facing scrutiny from other countries. I encourage studios to respect cultural sensitivities to avoid losing support from various federal sectors,” Mark Green expressed in a statement.
