Monster Hunt suspected of box office fraud

China's media watchdog SARFT takes measures to curb the momentum of box office fraud. [Photo/IC]

China's film market may be booming, but many problems remain to be resolved.

Sina Weibo user Baizhier said: “Chinese domestic films still have a long way to go before gaining prominent position in the global market and “Monster Hunt” is no exception. An amazing film should focus more on the plot, character and script, instead of special effects and digital technology.”

"The movie itself is good due to its strong platform, good production team and creative ideas. However, I am sad that the producer reportedly did some illegal things just to inflate the box-office figures," said Weibo user Zhang Yinian.

Zhang Chao, theater manager of Huaqiang Fantawild Holding Company, said: “It is essential to reform the current industry. Filmmakers need to improve product quality, and policymakers need to expand channels for closer communication between filmmakers and investors. Money has never been the problem for China's film industry, but money has always been an essential standard in measuring the success of a movie.”

As a matter of fact, Monster Hunt is not the only release involved with box office fraud. The distributor of the martial arts film, Ip Man 3 has admitted to fabricating box office figures to benefit from the stock market in March.

To check the momentum before things get worse, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China's media watchdog, will take action in the near future.

According to Jiang Tao, office director of the Special Fund Committee of the National Film Industry Development, a large-scale campaign launched by the SARFT is on the way.

For instance, the administration will "set up a blacklist system for theater managers who are involved in cheating the box office figures," Jiang said.

"In addition, more monitoring cameras will be installed in theaters to ensure the occupancy rate. And a margin of error of over 2 percent will not be allowed to happen," he added.

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