电影市场迎来强劲复苏******
记者 袁云儿
《阿凡达：水之道》凭借突出的视效走出逆转曲线，《想见你》依靠热门IP带来情怀和浪漫，《绝望主夫》负责营造新年伊始的喜庆氛围感……2023年元旦档（12月31日-1月2日）电影市场迎来关键性的强劲复苏。据灯塔专业版数据，截至1月2日19时，2023年元旦档电影总票房达5.38亿元。
元旦期间，许多观众前往影院观影。影院正在逐步恢复至疫情前状态。
元旦假期三天，全国影院恢复运营水平达到新高，为市场复苏提供了基础。根据灯塔专业版数据，元旦假期三天全国影业影院营业总数都达到10600家以上，且每天的数量都在增多。其中昨天全国营业影院总数为10657家，是去年2月27日以来近10个月的新高，营业率高达85%。随着疫情逐渐平稳，北京、西安、天津、郑州、沈阳、大连等城市《阿凡达：水之道》的元旦档票房反超了影片首周票房。由于影片已经上映一段时间，出现这种逆转，一定程度上说明北方、中部、西部等地区恢复速度较快，观众在逐步回归影院。
元旦档上映的影片中，《阿凡达：水之道》《想见你》《绝望主夫》分列单片票房前三位，这三部影片合计贡献了近95%的元旦档票房，头部效应非常明显。
已经上映超过半月的《阿凡达：水之道》在这个假期实现票房逆转，收获2.73亿元票房，勇夺档期票房冠军。尤其值得一提的是，该片IMAX和CINITY等特效厅票房占到了20%以上。另外，该片的平均票价也从上映首日12月16日的56元下降到50元以下。对于影片市场表现的“回春”，影评人阿甘觉得当在情理之中，因为导演詹姆斯·卡梅隆的作品向来走长线放映，后劲非常足。尽管该片在剧情上遭到太过俗套简单的批评，但在他看来，该片依然是这几年最值得看的电影之一。目前猫眼专业版对该片在内地的总票房预测已从此前的10亿元回升至14.87亿元。
如果说《阿凡达：水之道》是元旦档的大餐，那么爱情片《想见你》和喜剧片《绝望主夫》就是开胃小菜了。前者作为2019年现象级同名剧集的衍生电影，用小清新的风格叠加时空穿越元素，讲述了一个双向奔赴的感人爱情故事；后者则借助喜剧和幻想营造出一个“女尊男卑”的虚拟世界，对大男子主义进行了辛辣的批判与讽刺，呼吁男女平等、女性独立自强。灯塔专业版数据分析师陈晋透露，《想见你》的主要受众为年轻女性，占比接近七成，与《阿凡达：水之道》有明显的差异性。“值得一提的是，影片在跨年场的票房超过1500万元，排名第一，很多年轻观众选择在影院观看这部爱情片，携手跨年迈入2023。”这说明，七夕、元旦等有特殊纪念意义的档期，主打浪漫温馨的爱情片依旧是市场“刚需”。而《绝望主夫》作为元旦档唯一的喜剧片，档期票房也顺利破亿元。
元旦档市场表现可喜，让业内对还有不到三周就将到来的春节档充满期待。截至目前，2023年春节档已有《流浪地球2》《无名》《满江红》《熊出没·伴我“熊芯”》等四部新片待映，其中《流浪地球2》是国产科幻大片的续作，又有吴京、刘德华两位超级明星保驾护航；《满江红》作为张艺谋新作，演员星光同样夺目；程耳执导的谍战片《无名》由梁朝伟、王一博主演，这样的搭配令人耳目一新；而已经多年在春节档“闷声大发财”的“熊出没”系列IP今年又没缺席，且也是档期“硬通货”。未来可能还会有其他影片宣布进军春节档。
中新网评：美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后，美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕，众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录，将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图：美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素，众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中，美国民主党议员继续抱团，多轮投票中，一票不投麦卡锡，共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折，除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外，与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面，共和党党内反对者认为，麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱，无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府，另一方面，因为共和党的多数优势微弱，党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大，有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外，党内反对者也认为，自己的选票没有换取更多利益，希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步，比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物，众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任，选举几乎没有悬念。然而，麦卡锡此次为当选，不得不做出多个关键让步，其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制，使得众议长的权力被削弱，难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称，麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步，这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下，党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上，美国两党相互拆台，陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内，也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系，相互对抗，选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举，“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈，长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力，其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病，美国所谓的“民主”形象，让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举，变成了政客们利益置换的游戏，进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能，不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
