(ECNS) -- American actor Marc Herrmann says he's finally able to call himself a full-time working actor — thanks to Chinese micro dramas. He's one of many Hollywood professionals finding opportunity as China's short drama platforms, like ReelShort and DramaBox, surge in the U.S. and reshape the global streaming market.
As Chinese short drama platforms rapidly expand across North America, more Hollywood professionals are joining the trend.
The Chinese firm Crazy Maple Studio owns ReelShort, while Dianzhong Tech backs DramaBox, another major player in the short drama space.
According to Sensor Tower data, in the first quarter of 2025, their overseas in-app purchase revenues reached $130 million and $120 million, respectively, ranking as the top two globally in short drama app revenue. In 2024 alone, ReelShort surpassed 25 million downloads in the U.S. market, becoming a phenomenon-level app.
Data from China Securities shows that among the world's top 50 short drama apps by revenue, Chinese developers occupy 41 spots, accounting for over 80% of the total.
Behind the boom is the fact that China's mini-drama industry has developed a complete ecosystem, reshaping the distribution of viewership in film and TV with its "short, fast, and catchy" features.
According to the 2024 White Paper on the Development of China's Short Drama Industry, the country's micro-short drama market reached 50.4 billion yuan (about $7.03 billion) last year, surpassing box office revenue for the first time.
Chinese platforms like ByteDance and iQIYI are accelerating the push of short dramas into Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.
In contrast, Hollywood's "halo effect" is fading. According to The Numbers, Hollywood's share of global box office revenue dropped from over 90% in 2009 to 69.5% in 2024.
Against the backdrop of tightened capital, reduced production capacity, and recurring strikes in Hollywood, Chinese short dramas are swiftly bridging the content gap with an industrialized, platform-driven approach.
The success of Chinese short dramas overseas is not about exporting domestic content, but about localized reinvention in themes, pacing, and visual language.
Xu Wensong, an associate professor at the School of Cultural Industry Management at the Communication University of China, told China News Network that Chinese short dramas are characterized by strong plotlines, high narrative density, frequent twists, and an ability to deliver high emotional value and instant entertainment. With improving production quality, these short dramas hold a certain competitive edge in international markets.
Chinese platforms are good at adjusting content to local tastes, Xu said, adding that fantasy elements like werewolves and vampires have been added to cater to Western audiences.
Micro drama production workflows have restructured the traditional logic of the film and television industry.
A ReelShort series shot in Los Angeles can wrap filming of 40–50 episodes in just eight days and go live within three months, with crews typically made up of film school graduates and Hollywood freelancers on a modest budget of around $250,000.
A Hollywood film editor said that an increasing number of micro dramas funded by Chinese companies, developed by Chinese creative teams, and starring Hollywood actors are being produced in Los Angeles. This, he said, has "rescued" many Hollywood professionals who were on the brink of unemployment.
In addition, the production and operational model is adapted locally to meet regional demand. ReelShort acquires popular IPs through its novel platform My Fiction and refines plot pacing and payment points based on behavioral data from its 55 million active users.
The success of Chinese short dramas overseas has been described by Reuters as "a rare instance of Chinese cultural exports finding traction in the West".
Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, noted that the overseas expansion of Chinese micro dramas represents a significant practice of "cultural export in the digital age."
Sun believes that micro dramas may become an important vehicle for China's cultural soft power, carving out a differentiated path in the global streaming competition.
(By Gong Weiwei)
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