Crackdown targets box office fraud

Shanghai Kuailu Investment Group, the main financial backer of Ip Man 3, said on Wednesday that it will pay back all the cash it raised for the movie through various financial channels.

A source close to the movie's distributor told China Daily that the company hopes to "behave well" to return to the movie market, as it has several new programs in the pipeline.

Zuo Heng, an associate researcher with the China Film Art Research Center, said Ip Man 3 is a somewhat "overdue" case that shows the government's determination to regulate the market.

"It's the capitalists' nature to seek flaws in the system to maximize profits. Only when the laws and regulations are more predictable and preventive can such scams be eradicated," he said.

Yu Chao, deputy general manager of Capital Cinema, one of Beijing's oldest film theaters, said China, the world's second-largest movie market, has garnered more attention from international players.

A clean market with reliable box office numbers will attract more foreign studios and raise China's reputation in the global market, Yu said.

xufan@chinadaily.com.cn