The ‘Slam Dunk’ craze in China

Since the film was released in China on April 20, the rate of ticket sales is not comparable to that of Japan or Korea, which has accumulated 4.5 million viewers.

LEE YOUNG-HEEThe author is a Tokyo correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo. “Slam Dunk” (1990-1996) keeps Japan’s pride today. Last year, the animation film “The First Slam Dunk” (2022) attracted 9.22 million viewers in Japan, and the popularity spread to Korea and China, causing a kind of syndrome.

Since the film was released in China on April 20, the rate of ticket sales is not comparable to that of Japan or Korea, which has accumulated 4.5 million viewers. On the first day of its release in China, more than 2.9 million people watched the movie, and it surpassed 10 million viewers in four days. The box office profit has reportedly exceeded 400 million yuan ($57.5 million) already.

In the Japanese morning shows, reports highlighting the “Slam Dunk” craze in China continue, showing how men in red uniforms lined up at theaters. According to news reports, the reason China is so enthusiastic about “Slam Dunk” is not so different from Korea. When the animated series aired on television in the 1990s, it coincided with the basketball fever in China at the time, leaving a deep impression on young people. Those born in the 1980s with the memory are coming to theaters now.

The theme of sports is also a positive factor in China, where censorship is tight. Unlike Japanese animations, such as “Attack on Titan” (2013-), which were restricted from screening in China as they reminded the people of an uprising, “Slam Dunk” was able to secure numerous theaters across the country.

Japan’s perception of the “Slam Dunk” craze in China is also unusual. China is the biggest market for Japanese comics and animations, and at the same time, it is the biggest distributor of pirated content.

According to a survey by Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), Japanese content piracy caused about 2 trillion yen ($14.5 billion) in damage last year. There is no official announcement, but considerable parts were distributed through Chinese sites.

CODA traces piracy sites based overseas and requests the country of the site registration to shut down the site. Last month, “B9GOOD,” considered the largest piracy site for Japanese animations, was caught by Chinese authorities following CODA’s report.

Over two years since March 2021, the site has been accessed 300 million times. Last month, the CODA signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Copyright Administration in China to make efforts to eradicate the spread of pirated content.

In theaters screening “The First Slam Dunk,” the movie is often filmed without permission. The official Weibo account of “The First Slam Dunk” had a posting asking viewers not to film the animation illegally. Fights often occur as some Chinese film the movie with their smartphones, and the audience around them asks them to stop. It could be a small change. But it makes me expect some changes in China.