Hunger Games
That this dystopic story about subverting and overthrowing heartless authoritarians was approved to screen in China is in itself a notable feat. On the surface, it's a fast-paced adventure of protagonist Katniss and her plight to win a television-broadcast survival contest in which 24 teenagers kill each other in a brutal, last-one-standing competition. But it doesn't take much imagination to watch scenes of the contestants, brought from their "Districts," rural, poorer homes, to the "Capitol," where opulence and wastefulness prevails, and draw real-life comparisons to modern day society.
Titanic 3D
The "new" Titanic made a staggering $67 million in its opening week in China, a testament to the power of 3D effects, Celine Dion and nostalgia over Chinese audiences. Who would have thought "My Heart Will Go On" - still a KTV favorite - would reappear in movie theaters more than a decade after Rose first uttered, "I'll never let go"? Leading up to the re-release, fans on Sina Weibo postulated why the infamous sprawled-out, nude Rose scene was removed. (One possible theory: to prevent audiences from reaching out and groping the heads of patrons sitting ahead.) The re-launch of the ship-sinking classic became proof that the 3D formula works.
The Dark Knight Rises
Perhaps the darkest of superheroes, the tortured Batman struggles with morality in cinematically stunning action scenes that justified the price of the IMAX tickets. Audiences, whether wooed by hottie caped-crusader Christian Bale or car-chase thrills, went out in droves to see director Christopher Nolan's final Batman masterpiece. In its opening weekend, the film pulled in $31 million in China and $49.8 million in overseas ticket sales.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1
Fans had to wait an entire year for Part 1, released in domestic theaters late this year, around the same time Part 2 came out in the US. But that's OK, as Part 1 had the most comical (intentional or not) and outlandish scenes of the series yet. Part 1 finally saw Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) love climax. Their frolicking session results in Bella becoming pregnant and giving birth to a strange parasite - in the span of two weeks, making a case for abstinence to tweenagers worldwide. This movie has irked feminists, liberals and conservatives alike, making it as contentious as it is successful.
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