The new James Bond, British actor Daniel Craig, disappointed
some Chinese fans in Beijing as he walked down the red carpet to
attend Monday evening's Chinese premiere of Casino Royale,
the first 007 movie ever to be officially released in
China.?
Also in attendance were Bond girl Eva Green, producers Michael
Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and director Martin Campbell.
Although Craig talked with foreign reporters and shook hands
with others lining the red carpet, a number of fans were
disappointed that he didn't spend more time with them. The fact
that the actor doesn't speak Chinese seemed to matter little to his
fans.
"He disappointed me, I didn't get a greeting. All he did was
look left, center, and right in the direction of the cameras,"
complained Liu Tingting, a self-confessed Bond nut who said she
still intends to see Casino Royale, which will be the
first Bond film she's seen in a movie theatre.
Although none of the 20 other 007 films were officially released
in China, "Bond is no stranger to Chinese audiences," said Weng Li,
of the China Film Group Corporation, one of the movie's two
distributors in China.
Approximately 500 copies of Casino Royale will be
distributed across China beginning Tuesday, a record number for an
imported film. The movie is expected to bring in 100 million yuan
(US$12.8 million).
The Da Vinci Code, earning 105 million yuan (US$13.5
million), and King Kong, close behind with 102 million
yuan (US$13.1 million), were the third and fourth top grossing
films in China in 2006.
The movie is reported to have already taken in over US$540
million at the box office, making it the top-grossing Bond film of
all time.
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2007)
