HONG KONG (Yonhap) ― South Korea’s CJ E&M Corp. said Wednesday its Chinese joint venture has brought the curtain down on the Chinese version of the global hit musical “Mamma Mia!” after successfully running for the last six months in China.
United Asia Live Entertainment Co., a joint venture established among CJ E&M, China Arts and Entertainment Group, and Shanghai Media Group, staged the Chinese version of “Mamma Mia!” in the six Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing and Xian, starting in July.
The final show of the Chinese version of “Mama Mia!” was performed Thursday in Shanghai after 200 hundred performances during the six-month run, attracting a total of 250,000 theatergoers.
A scene from the Chinese-language version of musical “Mamma Mia!” (Yonhap News)
The show has posted 20 billion won (US$17.8 million) in sales and 3 billion won in net profit.
CJ E&M officials attributed the success to the well-executed localization by the Chinese staff both on stage and backstage, enhancing the show’s appeal to the local market.
The show’s success was also attributable to the rise of the middle class amid China’s robust economic growth, fueling the demand for cultural goods and services.
According to recent Chinese government statistics, per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in both Beijing and Shanghai exceeded $12,000 in 2011, compared to an estimated nationwide per capital GDP of around $5,000.
The admission fee charged for the Chinese version of “Mamma Mia!” was around 500 yuan ($79), which is almost on par with ticket prices in developed countries.
CJ E&M said the joint venture will give encore performances of the musical this year and will introduce the show in additional cities, such as Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore.
United Asia Entertainment plans to showcase the Chinese version of another musical hit “Cats” in China this September, the South Korean company said.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
