最近，中国短剧在美国市场大受欢迎，一些三线演员的日薪甚至暴涨了7倍。短短一年，中国短剧在美总收入高达1.51亿美元，占海外市场近65%。

Chinese short dramas are making a surprising splash in the US entertainment market. According to recent industry data, Chinese short dramas generated a staggering $151 million in the United States alone over the past year, accounting for nearly 65 percent of their total overseas revenue. Some third-tier actors working on these productions have also seen their daily rates skyrocket by as much as sevenfold, as demand for localized versions continues to surge.

仅2024年，知名短剧平台ReelShort在美国市场下载量突破2500万次，成为现象级应用。

豪门恩怨、替嫁娇妻、狼人吸血鬼等短剧桥段俘获了大批北美观众的心。数据显示，50岁以上的美国女性为观看短剧，付费率高达50%，是国内同类观众的5倍。短剧《花花公子的替嫁娇妻》成本仅17万美元，却获得了200万美元收入。

Plots filled with feuding families, forced marriages, and supernatural creatures like werewolves and vampires are striking a chord, particularly among older viewers. In fact, women over 50 in the US have shown an unexpectedly strong appetite for these bite-sized dramas with a 50 percent paid subscription rate — five times higher than their counterparts in China.

据路透社报道，中国短剧之所以能大卖，关键在于剧情反转密集、节奏紧凑，观众通勤或排队时也能刷上几集。每集结尾常留下悬念，例如男主撞见女友劈腿，想知道接下来发生什么？那就得付费解锁下一集。

Key to the commercial success of these films are plot twists that keep people paying as they scroll while commuting or in line at a grocery store. Episodes often end with a hook — such as a boyfriend walking in on his partner with another man — and viewers have to pay for the next episode to find out what happened.

有观众在社交平台发帖：“剧情狗血得离谱，但我真的停不下来！”

中国短剧还成功带火了一批中文流行词汇：在TikTok上，北美粉丝们学着用蹩脚的汉语念出“霸总”、“替嫁”、“赘婿”等词汇，成了短视频里的新梗。

中国电影人高峰日前也公开表示，靠“抄中国作业”的方法在美国拍短剧，累计票房已经超过7000万美元。他称，1年能拍出45部短剧，“50%的演员是今天收工马上拿现金”，每天的工资发放额为7.5万美元。

Chinese filmmaker Gao Feng recently revealed that his short drama adaptations shot in the US have grossed more than $70 million in total. "We've produced 45 short dramas in one year," Gao said. "About 50 percent of our actors get paid in cash immediately after wrapping each day," with daily payouts totaling $75,000.

据报道，去年由高峰执导的短剧《离婚的亿万富翁女继承人》（

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress

One of Gao's biggest successes,

The Divorced Billionaire Heiress

界面新闻消息称，短剧自媒体“短剧自习室”创始人梁丽丽日前在介绍海外短剧发展现状时表示，在位列海外前20的短剧应用当中，有18款来自中国团队背景，其中头部效应明显，仅4%的平台就占了80%的市场收益。从海外市场的份额分布来看，欧美地区贡献最大，东南亚紧随其后，然后依次是拉美、日本和韩国。

DataEye数据显示，2025年第一季度，全球有超2.7亿人次下载中国短剧。截至3月，海外市场上的中国短剧App已增至237款，同比去年增长近4倍。

Data from DataEye shows that in the first quarter of 2025, Chinese short drama apps recorded over 270 million downloads globally. By March, the number of Chinese short drama apps active in overseas markets had reached 237, nearly four times more than the same period last year.

不过，针对中国短剧在海外爆火，也有业内人士提出了“冷思考”。STOREEL联合创始人张睿指出，基于 “最大公约数” 开发题材虽能降低风险，但也可能限制创新。因此，在短剧出海过程中，需平衡原创与本土化内容的比例，探索创新发展路径。

However, Zhang Rui, co-founder of production company STOREEL, warned that although relying too heavily on formulaic plots and universally familiar tropes may reduce risk, it also stifle innovation. He urged the industry to strike a balance between original storytelling and local market adaptation, calling for more creative exploration as Chinese short dramas go global.

来源：界面新闻 路透社 网络等

China Daily精读计划

每天20分钟，英语全面提升！