When Scarlett Johansson strode across the screen in "Iron Man 2," she was wearing a form-fitting outfit made by Semir, a Chinese brand and an official sponsor of the blockbuster movie this spring. In last year's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," a highway billboard featured another Chinese sportswear company, Metersbonwe.
Product placement is just one example of China's new love affair with Hollywood. Chinese production companies are looking to partner with Hollywood firms for everything from making films to managing China's growing number of theaters.
Following recent co-productions such as "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," China and Hollywood collaborated this year on the hugely successful "The Karate Kid," starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, and "Shanghai," with John Cusack, Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat (which premiered in Beijing in June to lackluster reviews).
The American company Hollywood MovieWorks has teamed with Beijing entrepreneur Sheng Boyu, 30, to make "Double Lives," a film about a modern-day treasure hunt for two ancient Chinese swords. The film will star Pierce Brosnan and will be directed by "The Mummy's" Rob Cohen, who first became enamored with China when he directed "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story." (Source: Keith B. Richburg, and Zhang Jie, Washington Post, Sep 3. 2010).