BEIJING - When Barry Levine, a US movie producer and comic book publisher, planned to expand his business outside the United States, he fixed his eyes on China.
The 62-year-old heads Radical Studios, a California-based company that makes comic books, films, music, and interactive games, and is going to do the same in China, just like many other Hollywood companies that aim to take a bite of the country's growing entertainment pie.
Levine's approach is one he thinks is both safe and progressive - to produce works reinvented from The Water Margin, one of the four Chinese classical novels.
"We did something that is familiar to the Chinese market. It's regional story, but it's not based on, but inspired by The Water Margin," said Levine, after running from one meeting to another fortalks with potential partners in China.
The company is going to make an illustrated novel first, by next year, and later produce a film, social games and other products based on the same theme with its Chinese partners, he said.
Levine started publishing comic books and illustrated novels in 2008, and with these, he acquired rich intellectual property, with content he can further develop in other forms of media. The company currently has 72 published titles with more than 1,000 characters.
"Personally, I've learned more how to create a marriage between commerce and art," said Levine, a former photographer whose favorite artist is the English painter J.M.W. Turner.
The company has been cooperating with companies including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walt Disney Pictures, and DreamWorks Studios in its movie-making.
Levine said producing an American movie and putting it directly on the Chinese market doesn't work, unless it's an Avatar-like blockbuster, and the key to growth in this market is to develop local relations and tailor films to the audience.
China's box office receipts hit 10.2 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) last year, with a year-on-year increase of 64 percent.
More and more Hollywood companies are adding Chinese features to their movies and have stepped up their investment in the country.
"If you came to China two years ago, the reception would have been very different, for Kung Fu Panda and Avatar really knocked them (the Chinese market) into gear and made them want to open up. If you come to China three years from now, you will have a lot of competitors," said Han Li, one of Radical Studios' investment partner based in Singapore.
Huang Ying contributed to this story.
