If American films are meh...are China’s better?

Hollywood isn't performing as well at home or abroad. Is it losing its cultural dominance to China's burgeoning film industry?

‘Survive until 2025’ was the mantra that got Hollywood through the past five years of lockdown, streaming wars, and franchise fatigue. And while summer films like Lilo & Stitch, Superman, and Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning made critical and box office impact… on the whole, it still doesn't compare to pre-2020 levels. And even more curious, the international box office - specifically in China - has declined over the years as well.

At the same time, the highest grossing animated film of all time hit theaters this year… in China. Ne Zha 2 has dominated the global box office and with Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and K-Pop: Demon Hunters also breaking records, Brittany had to ask: What does this say about Hollywood’s global influence and how have audience appetites changed since 2020? Staff writer at The Atlantic, Shirley Li, joins the show to answer those questions and more.

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