The China Film Group Corporation (CFGC) yesterday denied a New York Times report alleging China had stopped granting permission to US films for screening in cinemas on the mainland.
The newspaper quoted anonymous US officials who alleged that the Chinese government was no longer approving American movies for release early next year. The reason for that, it said, was " an apparent trade dispute."
Asked for his reaction to the charge, CFGC spokesman Weng Li said: "I have never heard of such a thing. That is, my company hasn't received any instructions of the kind."
The CFGC, the only importer of foreign films in China, will release two foreign films next January - one made in Spain, and the other in Japan. "But that's only for January," he said. The decision for February has not yet been made.
Two Hollywood blockbusters, The Bourne Ultimatum and Live Free or Die Hard, were screened in Chinese cinemas last month.
An earlier Xinhua report said foreign films such as Spiderman 3 and Transformers raked in 400 million yuan ($54.1 million) when they were shown in mainland theaters this summer.
China's box office revenue last year was 2.5 billion yuan ($337.8 million), 1.1 billion yuan ($148.6 million) of which came from foreign films.
Questions:
1. What is the name of the only importer of foreign films to China?
2.The report mentions two US films were screened in Chinese theaters. When were they screened?
3. What did CFGC spokesman Weng Li say about the charges by US officials?
4. What was China’s total box office revenue last year?
Answers:
1.The China Film Group Corporation.
2.Last month.
3.He hadn’t heard of them and his company did not get the same instructions.
4.2.5 billion yuan.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Jonathan Stewart is a media and journalism expert from the United States with four years of experience as a writer and instructor. He accepted a foreign expert position with chinadaily.com.cn in June 2007 following the completion of his Master of Arts degree in International Relations and Comparative Politics.
