A new funding initiative is being launched at this year’s Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (Filmart) that leans on the commercial nous of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to help guide the fortunes of emerging Chinese-language filmmakers.
Labeled the Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative, or Hcc, this collaboration between the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) and CAA China supplies funds to “support and facilitate the growth and progress of Chinese-language genre projects.”
“Project markets were a European invention that were transplanted to this part of the world, Asia, where there wasn’t a tradition of subsidies,” explains Jacob Wong, the Hkiff’s industry director. “They were traditionally focused on arthouse films but here in Hong Kong we are more open to adapting to the business environment and that’s why we are keen to work with corporate or private entities.”
Hcc comes with two $20,000 prizes, and...
Labeled the Hkiff Industry-caa China Genre Initiative, or Hcc, this collaboration between the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) and CAA China supplies funds to “support and facilitate the growth and progress of Chinese-language genre projects.”
“Project markets were a European invention that were transplanted to this part of the world, Asia, where there wasn’t a tradition of subsidies,” explains Jacob Wong, the Hkiff’s industry director. “They were traditionally focused on arthouse films but here in Hong Kong we are more open to adapting to the business environment and that’s why we are keen to work with corporate or private entities.”
Hcc comes with two $20,000 prizes, and...
- 3/10/2024
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Andy Lau starrer The Movie Emperor and romantic drama Viva La Vida have had their releases cut short in China amid stiff competition, while Yolo and Pegasus 2 are among four local breakout hits that contributed to a record-breaking $1.1bn box office over Chinese New Year.
Satirical comedy The Movie Emperor earned just $11.1m (RMB80m) after one week following its release on the first day of Chinese New Year (February 10), which also saw the opening of a string of hot local titles.
Chinese producer Huanxi Media issued a statement on social media to say it would be pulled from...
Satirical comedy The Movie Emperor earned just $11.1m (RMB80m) after one week following its release on the first day of Chinese New Year (February 10), which also saw the opening of a string of hot local titles.
Chinese producer Huanxi Media issued a statement on social media to say it would be pulled from...
- 2/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chinese director Ning Hao has flown directly from Busan film festival in South Korea to China’s Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) with his latest film, The Movie Emperor, starring Andy Lau.
After premiering in Toronto, the satirical comedy played as the closing film in Busan; one of two ‘Pingyao Surprise’ films at Pyiff, and will next screen at Tokyo International Film Festival. It will receive a wide theatrical release in China and international territories, including North America, on November 17.
In a thinly veiled satire of China’s film industry, Lau plays an old school movie star trying to regain relevance in the TikTok era by playing a pig farmer in a ‘serious’ Chinese drama aiming for film festival exposure. In order to get into character, he immerses himself in rural life, while still madly schmoozing to bring in investment, and insists on doing all his own stunts. Ning also...
After premiering in Toronto, the satirical comedy played as the closing film in Busan; one of two ‘Pingyao Surprise’ films at Pyiff, and will next screen at Tokyo International Film Festival. It will receive a wide theatrical release in China and international territories, including North America, on November 17.
In a thinly veiled satire of China’s film industry, Lau plays an old school movie star trying to regain relevance in the TikTok era by playing a pig farmer in a ‘serious’ Chinese drama aiming for film festival exposure. In order to get into character, he immerses himself in rural life, while still madly schmoozing to bring in investment, and insists on doing all his own stunts. Ning also...
- 10/18/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The latest film from the director of ‘Farewell My Concubine’ will be released in China in late September.
Fortissimo Films has secured international rights to Chinese war epic The Volunteers: To The War by Chen Kaige, the acclaimed director of Farewell My Concubine and The Battle At Lake Changjin.
The Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company will launch sales on the feature at the Asian Contents and Film Market in Busan next month, following its release in China on September 28. The international sales agreement excludes North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The film, previously known as The Great War, is the...
Fortissimo Films has secured international rights to Chinese war epic The Volunteers: To The War by Chen Kaige, the acclaimed director of Farewell My Concubine and The Battle At Lake Changjin.
The Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company will launch sales on the feature at the Asian Contents and Film Market in Busan next month, following its release in China on September 28. The international sales agreement excludes North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The film, previously known as The Great War, is the...
- 9/25/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
“No More Bets,” the smash hit Chinese crime thriller that has earned more than half a billion dollars in its home market, is hurriedly adding new territories to release.
It will release in the U.K. and Ireland from Friday through distributor Trinity Cine Asia. It will release in Hong Kong, on Sept. 21, through Haven Productions, Mandarin Entertainment and Intercontinental. It was given a limited release in the U.S. on Sept. 1.
Said to be based on actual events, the story involves a computer programmer and a model who are lured abroad by a job offer that turns out to be a scam. Instead, they are prevented from leaving and are obliged to work as online scammers, ripping off other unknowing victims.
The film was released in China in early August and spent three weeks at the top of the box office chart. It has amassed $547 million in 31 days of release,...
It will release in the U.K. and Ireland from Friday through distributor Trinity Cine Asia. It will release in Hong Kong, on Sept. 21, through Haven Productions, Mandarin Entertainment and Intercontinental. It was given a limited release in the U.S. on Sept. 1.
Said to be based on actual events, the story involves a computer programmer and a model who are lured abroad by a job offer that turns out to be a scam. Instead, they are prevented from leaving and are obliged to work as online scammers, ripping off other unknowing victims.
The film was released in China in early August and spent three weeks at the top of the box office chart. It has amassed $547 million in 31 days of release,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
If you ask any Chinese indie auteur for their own favorite film festival, expect to be directed to the city of Xining, China’s historic gateway to the vast Tibetan Plateau. Here, in a now-teaming city in the foothills of the world’s tallest mountains, the First International Film Festival has carved out a reputation that regularly earns it comparisons to Sundance — it is China’s preeminent indie event, where exciting new cinematic talent is most likely to be discovered.
This year’s festival, running July 23-31, features a selection of 98 films, including 27 features and 71 shorts — many of them made by first or second-time directors. Former financier-turned-producer, writer and director Song Wen, co-founded Fiff in 2006 and has shepherded the event through 17 years of tumultuous growth and change in the Chinese industry. Along the way, he and the festival have nurtured the careers of some of China’s most distinctive new cinematic voices,...
This year’s festival, running July 23-31, features a selection of 98 films, including 27 features and 71 shorts — many of them made by first or second-time directors. Former financier-turned-producer, writer and director Song Wen, co-founded Fiff in 2006 and has shepherded the event through 17 years of tumultuous growth and change in the Chinese industry. Along the way, he and the festival have nurtured the careers of some of China’s most distinctive new cinematic voices,...
- 7/22/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmaker Lu Chuan, perhaps the most prominent Chinese commercial filmmaker visiting Cannes this year, will touch down on the Côte d’Azur Saturday to shop three new projects — one finished documentary, one nearly complete sci-fi thriller in need of a global distributor, and an all-new drama feature seeking a U.S. co-production partner.
Lu is best known to the industry for his acclaimed early features Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) and City of Life and Death (2009), as well as adventure blockbuster Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (2015) and the big-budget documentary he made for Disney and China Film Group, Born in China (2016).
He’ll arrive in Cannes with an early cut of Beijing 2022, the official documentary of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games that he directed with Chinese industry titan Zhang Yimou as executive producer. For the film, Lu was given unprecedented access to Beijing officials as they deliberated how to hold the Games...
Lu is best known to the industry for his acclaimed early features Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) and City of Life and Death (2009), as well as adventure blockbuster Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (2015) and the big-budget documentary he made for Disney and China Film Group, Born in China (2016).
He’ll arrive in Cannes with an early cut of Beijing 2022, the official documentary of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games that he directed with Chinese industry titan Zhang Yimou as executive producer. For the film, Lu was given unprecedented access to Beijing officials as they deliberated how to hold the Games...
- 5/20/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The project is to be produced by Wen Muye’s General Dream Studio.
At the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Tibetan director Phakpa and producer He Bin have revealed further details about romance film Dark Eyes, produced by Wen Muye’s General Dream Studio.
Wen’s mainland China box office hit Dying To Survive also started out as a Haf project and the director has been supporting younger filmmakers through his production company.
Based on author Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s Japanese novel Hell Screen and Phakpa’s own experiences, the film tells the story of a young man who is...
At the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Tibetan director Phakpa and producer He Bin have revealed further details about romance film Dark Eyes, produced by Wen Muye’s General Dream Studio.
Wen’s mainland China box office hit Dying To Survive also started out as a Haf project and the director has been supporting younger filmmakers through his production company.
Based on author Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s Japanese novel Hell Screen and Phakpa’s own experiences, the film tells the story of a young man who is...
- 3/14/2023
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
Released in China during the Chinese New Year, this family drama and director Wen’s second feature film about a young entrepreneur was a local film industry favorite and went on to become China’s sixth box office hit grossing around 1.38 billion yuan, over 206 million. Consequently it was also China’s submission as the Best International Feature Film to the Academy Awards.
In Shenzhen, the third most populated and one of the richest cities in southern China, a young man Jing Hao (Jackson Yee Yang Qianxi) lives with and takes care of his six-year-old sister Jing Tong (Chen Halin) after their mother passed away due to her heart condition, while earlier on, their father also left them. Jing runs a small mobile phone repair shop named “Nice View” and earns just enough to maintain a decent living for both of them. Unfortunately, Jing Tong has inherited her mother’s illness...
In Shenzhen, the third most populated and one of the richest cities in southern China, a young man Jing Hao (Jackson Yee Yang Qianxi) lives with and takes care of his six-year-old sister Jing Tong (Chen Halin) after their mother passed away due to her heart condition, while earlier on, their father also left them. Jing runs a small mobile phone repair shop named “Nice View” and earns just enough to maintain a decent living for both of them. Unfortunately, Jing Tong has inherited her mother’s illness...
- 1/26/2023
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
Director Geng Jun regroups his dream team for his latest film, “Manchurian Tiger”, a follow up (or sort of) to his previous “The Hammer and Sickle Are Sleeping” and “Free and Easy”, set once again in and around Hegang, Heilongjiang, the director’s hometown in the cold Northeast of China, and based on everyday quirky characters of the area.
“Manchurian Tiger” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
Before the plot takes shape, we see a few sketches introducing the characters. Xu Dong (Zhang Yu) is an excavator machine operator in a mine of this constantly cold Chinese Northeast, and between a cigarette and an excavation, he enjoys the regular visits of his lover Xiaowei (Guo Yue) who is not the first one as we will discover later! Despite her insistence, he is firmly and melancholically convinced that his marriage is the only thing he has left in his life.
“Manchurian Tiger” is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
Before the plot takes shape, we see a few sketches introducing the characters. Xu Dong (Zhang Yu) is an excavator machine operator in a mine of this constantly cold Chinese Northeast, and between a cigarette and an excavation, he enjoys the regular visits of his lover Xiaowei (Guo Yue) who is not the first one as we will discover later! Despite her insistence, he is firmly and melancholically convinced that his marriage is the only thing he has left in his life.
- 4/24/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Update (3/14): Michelle Zauner joined in on the joke about Japanese Breakfast’s 2021 Jubilee cover art and Machine Gun Kelly’s Mainstream Sellout album art’s loose similarities. “2022’s feud of the year,” she tweeted, sharing the article below. She also discussed the story in an interview with Pitchfork. “I don’t actually think it looks anything like my album cover at all,” she said, “but I think it’s very funny that Rolling Stone put up an article about it just because there’s a circular fruit in the foreground.
- 3/15/2022
- by Angie Martoccio
- Rollingstone.com
Chinese patriotic war epic ’The Battle At Lake Changjin II’ topped the global chart with $153.5m from its first six days.
Worldwide box office February 4-6 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (World) Cume (World) 3-day (Int’l) Cume (Int’l) Territories 1. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m 2 2. Too Cool To Kill (various) $111.4m $111.5m $111.4m $111.5m 1 3. Nice View (various) $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m 1 4. Boonie Bears: Back To Earth (various) $38.9m $40m $38.9m $40m 1 5. Jackass Forever (Paramount) $28.7m $28.7m $5.2m $5.2m 10 6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $25.2m $1.7bn $15.6m $1bn 64 7. Sniper (various) $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m 1 8. Moonfall...
Worldwide box office February 4-6 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (World) Cume (World) 3-day (Int’l) Cume (Int’l) Territories 1. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m 2 2. Too Cool To Kill (various) $111.4m $111.5m $111.4m $111.5m 1 3. Nice View (various) $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m 1 4. Boonie Bears: Back To Earth (various) $38.9m $40m $38.9m $40m 1 5. Jackass Forever (Paramount) $28.7m $28.7m $5.2m $5.2m 10 6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $25.2m $1.7bn $15.6m $1bn 64 7. Sniper (various) $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m 1 8. Moonfall...
- 2/7/2022
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
“The Battle at Lake Changjin II” lived up to its blockbuster billing with a more than $75 million box office haul by lunchtime on Tuesday, its opening day in mainland Chinese theaters.
The film, aka “Watergate Bridge” had grossed RMB487 million ($76.5 million) by 1.30 pm, according to online ticketing agency Maoyan and Alibaba’s Beacon data service. At this pace a $100 million opening day is possible.
State media has forecast that the film may propel the Chinese New Year week to over $1 billion and that the 149-minute film could eventually become the highest-grossing film of all time in China.
To do that, it would have to surpass “The Battle at Lake Changjin” which was released on Oct. 1, 2021 and, over a prolonged run in cinemas, earned $913 million to become the second biggest film worldwide in 2021, behind “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Despite the short interval between the two outings, there is a reasonable chance...
The film, aka “Watergate Bridge” had grossed RMB487 million ($76.5 million) by 1.30 pm, according to online ticketing agency Maoyan and Alibaba’s Beacon data service. At this pace a $100 million opening day is possible.
State media has forecast that the film may propel the Chinese New Year week to over $1 billion and that the 149-minute film could eventually become the highest-grossing film of all time in China.
To do that, it would have to surpass “The Battle at Lake Changjin” which was released on Oct. 1, 2021 and, over a prolonged run in cinemas, earned $913 million to become the second biggest film worldwide in 2021, behind “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Despite the short interval between the two outings, there is a reasonable chance...
- 2/1/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
After being forced to sit out the annually lucrative Chinese New Year period as the Covid crisis was just beginning in 2020, Chinese box office blasted to an all-time high during the comparable 2021 session. This week, the Year of the Tiger will be ushered in with eight movies beginning February 1, and with potential new records on the horizon. Last year in the world’s biggest box office market, the week-long holiday reached Rmb 7.8B ($1.2B at historical rates).
The first full weekend of this Lunar New Year’s festivities dovetails with the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. It’s likely that Friday’s opening ceremony will be widely watched at home, but tickets to the Games are not being sold to the general public in an attempt to avoid further Covid flare-ups. Box office could still see some impact.
The first full weekend of this Lunar New Year’s festivities dovetails with the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. It’s likely that Friday’s opening ceremony will be widely watched at home, but tickets to the Games are not being sold to the general public in an attempt to avoid further Covid flare-ups. Box office could still see some impact.
- 1/31/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
China’s cinema box office trod water in the weekend ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays and an imminent surge of new release titles. These mean that the next few days could add up to the biggest week in Chinese movie history.
Over the latest weekend, though, the nationwide aggregate was a paltry $21.4 million, the lowest weekend this year, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
“Fireflies in the Sun,” a Wanda Pictures-backed thriller, said to be a remake of “John Q,” climbed back to first place with a $4.1 million take. It was first released in mid-December and has now built a cumulative of $174 million.
Patriotic pandemic film “Embrace Again” slipped to second place with $3.9 million, giving a running total of $148 million. Comedy, “Another Me” took $2.9 million for a $73 million cumulative since release on Jan. 1, 2022. Chinese crime thriller “G Storm” earned $2.8 million over the weekend for a total...
Over the latest weekend, though, the nationwide aggregate was a paltry $21.4 million, the lowest weekend this year, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
“Fireflies in the Sun,” a Wanda Pictures-backed thriller, said to be a remake of “John Q,” climbed back to first place with a $4.1 million take. It was first released in mid-December and has now built a cumulative of $174 million.
Patriotic pandemic film “Embrace Again” slipped to second place with $3.9 million, giving a running total of $148 million. Comedy, “Another Me” took $2.9 million for a $73 million cumulative since release on Jan. 1, 2022. Chinese crime thriller “G Storm” earned $2.8 million over the weekend for a total...
- 1/31/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Eight local titles come out in China on February 1
The Battle At Lake Changjin II looks set to conquer the China box office when it hits cinemas on February 1, which marks the first day of the highly lucrative Chinese New Year holiday.
At time of writing, the action sequel has clocked up more than $40m (RMB258m) in advance ticket sales for its opening day alone, according to real-time box-office data from the country’s leading online ticketing platform Maoyan.
The release of the 1950s-set patriotic war epic was only officially announced less than three weeks ago as a late...
The Battle At Lake Changjin II looks set to conquer the China box office when it hits cinemas on February 1, which marks the first day of the highly lucrative Chinese New Year holiday.
At time of writing, the action sequel has clocked up more than $40m (RMB258m) in advance ticket sales for its opening day alone, according to real-time box-office data from the country’s leading online ticketing platform Maoyan.
The release of the 1950s-set patriotic war epic was only officially announced less than three weeks ago as a late...
- 1/30/2022
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
“The Battle at Lake Changjin 2: Water Gate Bridge,” the sequel to China’s highest grossing film of all time, will debut on Feb. 1, the first day of the lucrative Chinese New Year holiday.
The weeklong vacation is typically China’s biggest box office period of the year and thus is subject to intense competition. This year, “Lake Changjin 2” is set to go up against 10 other hotly anticipated titles. The sequel currently ranks third in popularity based on votes from the “want to watch” metric from the Maoyan database.
Its top competitor is “Nice View,” the next feature from “Dying to Survive” director Wen Muye, which currently has the highest number of people indicating they “want to watch” the film on the Maoyan platform, with 447,000 votes.
Trailing “Nice View” in popularity is director Han Han’s “Only Fools Rush In,” with 389,000 votes. The comedy “Too Cool To Kill” from director...
The weeklong vacation is typically China’s biggest box office period of the year and thus is subject to intense competition. This year, “Lake Changjin 2” is set to go up against 10 other hotly anticipated titles. The sequel currently ranks third in popularity based on votes from the “want to watch” metric from the Maoyan database.
Its top competitor is “Nice View,” the next feature from “Dying to Survive” director Wen Muye, which currently has the highest number of people indicating they “want to watch” the film on the Maoyan platform, with 447,000 votes.
Trailing “Nice View” in popularity is director Han Han’s “Only Fools Rush In,” with 389,000 votes. The comedy “Too Cool To Kill” from director...
- 1/13/2022
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Although not exactly that most exported genre towards the West, comedy still holds a significant part in the industries of Asian countries, even the style of humor can occasionally be described as “too local”. Nevertheless, there are movies whose style of comedy can be perceived as universal, with Korean titles being closer to the US style of comedy, Japanese being as weird and extreme as possible, Chinese following deadpan paths for the most part and Indian ones indulging in crudity on occasion. To be as inclusive as possible, we also included some romantic comedy titles, with the focus, as always, being on diversity
Without further delay, here are 25 great Asian comedies, from 2000 onwards, in alphabetical order
1. Boomerang Family
Song Hae-sung creates a rather entertaining narrative, whose base lies with the characters of the three siblings, who are all so immature, that essentially do not differ at all from their 15-year-old,...
Without further delay, here are 25 great Asian comedies, from 2000 onwards, in alphabetical order
1. Boomerang Family
Song Hae-sung creates a rather entertaining narrative, whose base lies with the characters of the three siblings, who are all so immature, that essentially do not differ at all from their 15-year-old,...
- 11/17/2021
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Chinese actor Zhang Ziyi will make her directorial debut with a short titled “Poem,” part of a high-profile patriotic omnibus blockbuster set for release on Oct. 1, China’s National Day.
The film does not yet have an official English name — unsurprising, given that it will not find an audience beyond the China market — but its Chinese name translates to “My People, My Forebears.” Produced by China Film Group, it is the third installment of the patriotic “National Day” trilogy, which includes 2019’s seven-part anthology “My People, My Country” — a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China — and 2020’s five-part “My People, My Homeland.”
Zhang, who holds Hong Kong citizenship, is best known abroad for her star turns in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and Zhang Yimou’s “House of Flying Daggers” and “Hero,” as well as “Memoirs of a Geisha...
The film does not yet have an official English name — unsurprising, given that it will not find an audience beyond the China market — but its Chinese name translates to “My People, My Forebears.” Produced by China Film Group, it is the third installment of the patriotic “National Day” trilogy, which includes 2019’s seven-part anthology “My People, My Country” — a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China — and 2020’s five-part “My People, My Homeland.”
Zhang, who holds Hong Kong citizenship, is best known abroad for her star turns in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and Zhang Yimou’s “House of Flying Daggers” and “Hero,” as well as “Memoirs of a Geisha...
- 9/10/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese pop singer and actor Jackson Yee, who starred in the Oscar-nominated drama “Better Days,” will anchor a new blockbuster from Chinese director Wen Muye, whose “Dying to Survive” is China’s 12th highest grossing film of all time.
The film, scheduled for a 2022 release, does not yet have an official English title, but its Chinese name translates to “Miracle.” It will be produced by Ning Hao and his Dirty Monkey Films.
The plot is described in current reports: “Twenty-year-old Jing Hao brings his sister with him to go live in Shenzhen, where the siblings lead comfortable but difficult lives. By chance, he gets an opportunity and thinks that a better life is on its way, but then unexpectedly suffered huge losses. Through enormous perseverance, he stubbornly struggles on until he finally succeeds.”
The film will be the second collaboration between Wen and Ning, following their first picture together “Dying to Survive,...
The film, scheduled for a 2022 release, does not yet have an official English title, but its Chinese name translates to “Miracle.” It will be produced by Ning Hao and his Dirty Monkey Films.
The plot is described in current reports: “Twenty-year-old Jing Hao brings his sister with him to go live in Shenzhen, where the siblings lead comfortable but difficult lives. By chance, he gets an opportunity and thinks that a better life is on its way, but then unexpectedly suffered huge losses. Through enormous perseverance, he stubbornly struggles on until he finally succeeds.”
The film will be the second collaboration between Wen and Ning, following their first picture together “Dying to Survive,...
- 8/6/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Audiences will be rooting for a working-class family to get away with manslaughter in “Sheep Without a Shepherd,” a gripping Chinese crime thriller set in small-town Thailand. Centered on an ordinary guy whose extraordinary film knowledge holds the key to keeping his family out of jail, this cleverly scripted item marks an auspicious feature debut for Malaysia-born, Taipei-based director Sam Quah. After grossing a stellar $191 million domestically in late 2019 and mid-2020 rerelease, “Sheep” ought to attract plenty of viewers in limited U.S. cinemas from July 30 and on streaming from Aug. 6.
Setting what must be some sort of record for the most remakes in the shortest time, “Sheep” is the sixth version of “Drishyam” (2013), a Malayaman-language Indian hit written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. Remakes in Kannada, Telegu, Tamil and Hindi have followed in India, along with a Sinhalese production in Sri Lanka. With its punchy depiction of ordinary people...
Setting what must be some sort of record for the most remakes in the shortest time, “Sheep” is the sixth version of “Drishyam” (2013), a Malayaman-language Indian hit written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. Remakes in Kannada, Telegu, Tamil and Hindi have followed in India, along with a Sinhalese production in Sri Lanka. With its punchy depiction of ordinary people...
- 7/27/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
The Anthony Hopkins-starring Oscar winner “The Father” debuted in China to a $1.21 million opening weekend, coming in eleventh despite a slow box office weekend, according to data from the Maoyan platform.
The first feature from helmer Florian Zeller received six Academy Award nominations and two wins — one for Hopkins as best actor and one for best adapted screenplay. It has grossed $12.6 million so far globally, according to Box Office Mojo, with France its biggest market so far with a $3.11 million gross and N. America coming in second at $2.12 million.
Meanwhile, local drama “On Your Mark” came in first with $8.8 million, according to the consultancy Artisan Gateway. Produced by Maoyan Media, the emotional story of a father and his blind son was directed by Malaysia’s Chiu Keng Guan (“Ola Bola”) and stars Wang Yanhui (“Dying to Survive”) and Zhang Youhao.
In second was the Taiwanese romantic drama “Man in Love,...
The first feature from helmer Florian Zeller received six Academy Award nominations and two wins — one for Hopkins as best actor and one for best adapted screenplay. It has grossed $12.6 million so far globally, according to Box Office Mojo, with France its biggest market so far with a $3.11 million gross and N. America coming in second at $2.12 million.
Meanwhile, local drama “On Your Mark” came in first with $8.8 million, according to the consultancy Artisan Gateway. Produced by Maoyan Media, the emotional story of a father and his blind son was directed by Malaysia’s Chiu Keng Guan (“Ola Bola”) and stars Wang Yanhui (“Dying to Survive”) and Zhang Youhao.
In second was the Taiwanese romantic drama “Man in Love,...
- 6/21/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Columbia Pictures’ “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” hopped up to second in China this weekend, but was unable to scurry past local sports drama “Never Stop” despite an extra day’s lead.
“Peter Rabbit 2” grossed a relatively unremarkable $969,000 (RMB6.2 million) on opening day Friday but managed to pull in $7.8 million from 10,500 screens over the three-day holiday weekend, according to data from ticketing agency Maoyan. Monday marks the national Chinese holiday of the Dragon Boat Festival, and will likely bringing further sales for the family-friendly film. Based on early estimates, Sony projects that it will gross $11.1 million by the end of the extended four-day weekend — putting it 15% ahead of recent comp “Raya and the Last Dragon.”
Its total performance may not, however, be enough for the sequel to best the first film’s $26.3 million China cumulative back in 2018. Maoyan currently predicts “Peter Rabbit 2” will gross a total of $18.9 million in the territory.
“Peter Rabbit 2” grossed a relatively unremarkable $969,000 (RMB6.2 million) on opening day Friday but managed to pull in $7.8 million from 10,500 screens over the three-day holiday weekend, according to data from ticketing agency Maoyan. Monday marks the national Chinese holiday of the Dragon Boat Festival, and will likely bringing further sales for the family-friendly film. Based on early estimates, Sony projects that it will gross $11.1 million by the end of the extended four-day weekend — putting it 15% ahead of recent comp “Raya and the Last Dragon.”
Its total performance may not, however, be enough for the sequel to best the first film’s $26.3 million China cumulative back in 2018. Maoyan currently predicts “Peter Rabbit 2” will gross a total of $18.9 million in the territory.
- 6/13/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf) today unveils the lineup for its 19th edition (HAF19), with 29 projects from established Asian directors and producers such as Hur Jin-Ho, Kawase Naomi, Ning Hao, Ogigami Naoko, Wang Bing, Yee Chih-Yen, emerging filmmakers like Cai Chengjie, Oliver Chan, Roya Sadat, Yang Mingming, as well as nine first-feature directors.
Returning to its regular March slot, HAF19 will run concurrently with the 25th Hong Kong Filmart (Filmart) from 15 to 17 March. It will again take place online following Haf’s first-ever virtual edition held in August 2020.
“Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Haf remains strongly committed to filmmakers,” Haf director Jacob Wong said. “We will have our dedicated online meeting platform this year for accredited Haf and Filmart participants to schedule and conduct meetings directly. It’s hassle-free and user-friendly, requiring no download or additional log-on.”
HAF19 selected the 29 projects, including nine documentaries,...
Returning to its regular March slot, HAF19 will run concurrently with the 25th Hong Kong Filmart (Filmart) from 15 to 17 March. It will again take place online following Haf’s first-ever virtual edition held in August 2020.
“Despite the challenging circumstances brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, Haf remains strongly committed to filmmakers,” Haf director Jacob Wong said. “We will have our dedicated online meeting platform this year for accredited Haf and Filmart participants to schedule and conduct meetings directly. It’s hassle-free and user-friendly, requiring no download or additional log-on.”
HAF19 selected the 29 projects, including nine documentaries,...
- 1/19/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
“Wisdom Tooth”, a directorial debut by the actor Liang Ming (seen in a leading role in Zhao Dayong’s “Shadow Days”), might prove to be the next big festival hit that comes from the ranks of Asian cinema. After bagging the awards on the national stage, from its world premiere at Pingyao (both Jury and Best Director prizes) on to Macao and Chinese Young Generation Film Forum, the film premiered internationally at the Bright Future competition of Rotterdam, and the tour continues.
“Wisdom Tooth” is Screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
Gu Xi, played by Lyu Xingchen (seen in a number of Chinese films last year), is a girl on the brink of adulthood. Her older brother Gu Liang (Wu Xiaoling) is not just the only family member, but basically all she has in life. They both struggle to survive, living in a shack next to a wreck of...
“Wisdom Tooth” is Screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
Gu Xi, played by Lyu Xingchen (seen in a number of Chinese films last year), is a girl on the brink of adulthood. Her older brother Gu Liang (Wu Xiaoling) is not just the only family member, but basically all she has in life. They both struggle to survive, living in a shack next to a wreck of...
- 12/5/2020
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
The directing debut of Chinese screenwriter Cao Jinling, the film is premiering at Cairo film festival next week.
Fortissimo Films has picked up worldwide rights, excluding China, to Anima (Moerdaoga), the debut feature of Chinese screenwriter Cao Jinling.
The film, which stars Wang Chuanjun and Qi Xi, is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival on December 8, with the director in attendance.
Filmed on location in the Moerdaoga National Forest in Inner Mongolia, the film is set in the 1980s when China had just launched its programme of economic opening and development.
The coming-of-age story follows a young man,...
Fortissimo Films has picked up worldwide rights, excluding China, to Anima (Moerdaoga), the debut feature of Chinese screenwriter Cao Jinling.
The film, which stars Wang Chuanjun and Qi Xi, is scheduled to have its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival on December 8, with the director in attendance.
Filmed on location in the Moerdaoga National Forest in Inner Mongolia, the film is set in the 1980s when China had just launched its programme of economic opening and development.
The coming-of-age story follows a young man,...
- 12/2/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Local war epic Sacrifice held on to the top spot and has reached a cume of $134.2m since opening on October 23.
Local war epic Sacrifice held on to the top spot at the China box office over the weekend (November 6-8), grossing $14.3m, according to figures from Artisan Gateway, while Li Xiaofeng’s Back To The Wharf came in second with $7.1m in its opening three days.
Sacrifice, was produced to celebrate the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean War, has grossed a cumulative total of $134.2m since opening on October 23.
Executive produced by leading actor-producer Huang Bo,...
Local war epic Sacrifice held on to the top spot at the China box office over the weekend (November 6-8), grossing $14.3m, according to figures from Artisan Gateway, while Li Xiaofeng’s Back To The Wharf came in second with $7.1m in its opening three days.
Sacrifice, was produced to celebrate the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean War, has grossed a cumulative total of $134.2m since opening on October 23.
Executive produced by leading actor-producer Huang Bo,...
- 11/9/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
China had a relatively quiet box office weekend, in which holdover Korean War-set title “Sacrifice” led for the third week in a row thanks to $14.4 million in sales, according to data from industry tracker Maoyan.
This week’s most notable new release was the blood-stained, tear-soaked, seaside-set local crime thriller “Back to the Wharf,” which came in second with a $7.09 million debut. It stars Zhang Yu and was directed by Li Xiaofeng. His first feature, the 2014 period drama “Nezha,” premiered in the New Currents section at the Busan International Film Festival that year but made just $82,130 in Chinese theaters.
Patriotic omnibus film “My People, My Homeland,” now well over a month in theaters, came in third with $4.86 million. It has now grossed a cumulative $416 million (RMB2.75 billion), making it one of the world’s biggest films of the year and the 21st highest grossing film of all time in China.
This week’s most notable new release was the blood-stained, tear-soaked, seaside-set local crime thriller “Back to the Wharf,” which came in second with a $7.09 million debut. It stars Zhang Yu and was directed by Li Xiaofeng. His first feature, the 2014 period drama “Nezha,” premiered in the New Currents section at the Busan International Film Festival that year but made just $82,130 in Chinese theaters.
Patriotic omnibus film “My People, My Homeland,” now well over a month in theaters, came in third with $4.86 million. It has now grossed a cumulative $416 million (RMB2.75 billion), making it one of the world’s biggest films of the year and the 21st highest grossing film of all time in China.
- 11/8/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The China box office bounced back this weekend to its pre-pandemic levels, figures from its National Day holiday weekend show — proving that the right mix of competitive new local titles can entice viewers in, what this year is very much on track to be, the world’s largest movie market.
The news comes as other major markets flounder, with Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld Group announcing the temporary suspension of its U.S. and U.K. operations due to an insufficient pipeline of Hollywood studio tentpoles, causing its shares to plummet more than 40% on Monday.
China’s week-long vacation period to celebrate the Oct. 1 founding of the People’s Republic is one of its busiest moviegoing periods of the year. That is particularly true this year, after Covid-19 shut down cinemas and wiped out the prospects of the strong Lunar New Year release window. Three of the top five titles this...
The news comes as other major markets flounder, with Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld Group announcing the temporary suspension of its U.S. and U.K. operations due to an insufficient pipeline of Hollywood studio tentpoles, causing its shares to plummet more than 40% on Monday.
China’s week-long vacation period to celebrate the Oct. 1 founding of the People’s Republic is one of its busiest moviegoing periods of the year. That is particularly true this year, after Covid-19 shut down cinemas and wiped out the prospects of the strong Lunar New Year release window. Three of the top five titles this...
- 10/5/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The fourth annual Pingyao International Film Festival will run as an in-person event from Oct. 10 to 19 in the central Chinese province of Shanxi.
Chinese director Diao Yinan, who won the 2014 Golden Bear for his gritty thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice” and premiered his latest neo-noir “Wild Goose Lake” at Cannes last year, will act as “festival mentor,” hosting special screenings of his own works and a masterclass.
In a video message, Diao complimented Pingyao on being “unique and professional,” a place that “gathers people like a bonfire, with everyone chatting around.” He praised the festival for its support of young talent, saying that it has “provided a platform for [young people] to join each other, to discuss openly and explore freely.”
Founded by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke (“A Touch of Sin”) and Marco Muller, the former director of the Venice Film Festival who serves as Pingyao’s artistic director, the festival unfolds...
Chinese director Diao Yinan, who won the 2014 Golden Bear for his gritty thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice” and premiered his latest neo-noir “Wild Goose Lake” at Cannes last year, will act as “festival mentor,” hosting special screenings of his own works and a masterclass.
In a video message, Diao complimented Pingyao on being “unique and professional,” a place that “gathers people like a bonfire, with everyone chatting around.” He praised the festival for its support of young talent, saying that it has “provided a platform for [young people] to join each other, to discuss openly and explore freely.”
Founded by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke (“A Touch of Sin”) and Marco Muller, the former director of the Venice Film Festival who serves as Pingyao’s artistic director, the festival unfolds...
- 9/29/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Li’s third film premiered in competition at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival.
Beijing-based sales agent Rediance has picked up international rights to Li Xiaofeng’s Back To The Wharf, which premiered in competition at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival.
Executive produced by leading actor/producer Huang Bo, the film revolves around a former top high school student returning to the hometown he left 15 years ago following an accident. After meeting an old classmate, he decides to face the wounds of the past and take back control of his life.
Starring Zhang Yu (An Elephant Sitting Still...
Beijing-based sales agent Rediance has picked up international rights to Li Xiaofeng’s Back To The Wharf, which premiered in competition at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival.
Executive produced by leading actor/producer Huang Bo, the film revolves around a former top high school student returning to the hometown he left 15 years ago following an accident. After meeting an old classmate, he decides to face the wounds of the past and take back control of his life.
Starring Zhang Yu (An Elephant Sitting Still...
- 9/28/2020
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
Human: China’s HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ Production Slate at FilMart
URL: HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ at FilMart
Seo Head: HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ at FilMart
Key phrase: HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ at FilMart
By Vivienne Chow
China’s HiShow Entertainment has unveiled a slate of new productions ahead of the first online edition of Hong Kong FilMart. Its lineup includes the highly-anticipated series “Game Changer.”
Scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter this year, “Game Changer” is one of a handful of mainland Chinese drama series that tells a contemporary urban story, with “fast-paced American-style” storytelling that is intended to appeal to overseas audiences, according to Wang Haiyi, HiShow’s head of the international business.
Starring heartthrob Huang Xiaoming as a journalist-turned-publicist alongside Tan Zhuo, Cai Wenjing and Zhang Bo, the 40-episode series dives into the world of public relations with stories revolving around the crisis management arm of a PR firm.
URL: HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ at FilMart
Seo Head: HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ at FilMart
Key phrase: HiShow Unveils ‘Game Changer’ at FilMart
By Vivienne Chow
China’s HiShow Entertainment has unveiled a slate of new productions ahead of the first online edition of Hong Kong FilMart. Its lineup includes the highly-anticipated series “Game Changer.”
Scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter this year, “Game Changer” is one of a handful of mainland Chinese drama series that tells a contemporary urban story, with “fast-paced American-style” storytelling that is intended to appeal to overseas audiences, according to Wang Haiyi, HiShow’s head of the international business.
Starring heartthrob Huang Xiaoming as a journalist-turned-publicist alongside Tan Zhuo, Cai Wenjing and Zhang Bo, the 40-episode series dives into the world of public relations with stories revolving around the crisis management arm of a PR firm.
- 8/26/2020
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Trinity Cine Asia is proud to be first in bringing back Asian cinema to the UK with Sheep Without A Shepherd, recent #1 box office hit in China, to be released on Friday, 21 Aug 2020 across the UK.
Sheep Without A Shepherd is a remake of 2015 Indian Thriller Drishyam. The film was directed by Malaysian Chinese director Sam Quah and executive produced by Chen Sicheng, director of top-grossing franchise Detective Chinatown. Sheep Without A Shepherd features an outstanding performance from lead actress Joan Chen and became an instant box office hit after its release in China in December 2019, grossing 187 million Usd.
Packed with ubiquitous cinephilic references, it is the perfect choice for film-lovers to resume their cinema-going in the UK. Sheep Without A Shepherd was the last box office hit in China, before the whole country went into lockdown. It is currently leading the Chinese box office after cinema reopening.
Synopsis
Lee...
Sheep Without A Shepherd is a remake of 2015 Indian Thriller Drishyam. The film was directed by Malaysian Chinese director Sam Quah and executive produced by Chen Sicheng, director of top-grossing franchise Detective Chinatown. Sheep Without A Shepherd features an outstanding performance from lead actress Joan Chen and became an instant box office hit after its release in China in December 2019, grossing 187 million Usd.
Packed with ubiquitous cinephilic references, it is the perfect choice for film-lovers to resume their cinema-going in the UK. Sheep Without A Shepherd was the last box office hit in China, before the whole country went into lockdown. It is currently leading the Chinese box office after cinema reopening.
Synopsis
Lee...
- 8/13/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Chinese moviegoers can expect to see Dante Lam’s “The Rescue,” Jackie Chan film “Vanguard” and two titles involving helmer Zhang Yimou this year, says a top Chinese distribution executive. He also confirmed National Day releases for two propaganda films — the first concrete information on upcoming theatrical debuts for new titles in months.
China’s cinemas shuttered in late January to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. A bevy of blockbusters expecting to see record box office returns over the Lunar New Year holiday were pulled at the eleventh hour and have not been given new release dates.
But new information from Fu Ruoqing, chairman of major state-owned distributor Huaxia, says audiences will be able to catch the delayed Chinese New Year films “The Rescue,” Dante’s epic actioner about the Chinese coast guard, and Stanley Tong’s “Vanguard” in the second half of 2020, as well as Zhang’s new spy thriller “Impasse.
China’s cinemas shuttered in late January to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. A bevy of blockbusters expecting to see record box office returns over the Lunar New Year holiday were pulled at the eleventh hour and have not been given new release dates.
But new information from Fu Ruoqing, chairman of major state-owned distributor Huaxia, says audiences will be able to catch the delayed Chinese New Year films “The Rescue,” Dante’s epic actioner about the Chinese coast guard, and Stanley Tong’s “Vanguard” in the second half of 2020, as well as Zhang’s new spy thriller “Impasse.
- 5/18/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Fest was scheduled to take place in mid-April; Shanghai film fest still on schedule to take place in June.
Beijing International Film Festival (Bjiff), which was originally scheduled to run April 19-26, is moving online with Chinese streaming service iQiyi over the upcoming May Day national holidays.
The festival will run throughout the five-day public holiday (May 1-5), traditionally one of China’s key box office periods, with a programme of “new blockbusters”, award-winning and library titles from both China and overseas. However, specific details of the programme have yet to be revealed.
Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine...
Beijing International Film Festival (Bjiff), which was originally scheduled to run April 19-26, is moving online with Chinese streaming service iQiyi over the upcoming May Day national holidays.
The festival will run throughout the five-day public holiday (May 1-5), traditionally one of China’s key box office periods, with a programme of “new blockbusters”, award-winning and library titles from both China and overseas. However, specific details of the programme have yet to be revealed.
Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine...
- 4/29/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The Beijing International Film Festival will run an online fest on streamer iQIYI over China’s May 1 Labor Day holiday, typically one of the busier times of year for cinemas, which are still struggling with coronavirus-imposed shutdowns.
Fifth Generation helmer Chen Kaige, actor Tong Dawei and actress Tan Zhuo will serve as specially invited curators.
The tenth edition of the annual Beijing International Film Festival was supposed to have taken place from April 19-26, but the event was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. It is now offering up the “Spring Online Film Festival” from May 1-5 as a stopgap measure for cinema fans thirsty for new content but unable to return to theaters just yet.
In an announcement, the festival said it remains “postponed,” without directly using the word “canceled.”
The move comes as film festivals worldwide are getting canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. On Monday, YouTube...
Fifth Generation helmer Chen Kaige, actor Tong Dawei and actress Tan Zhuo will serve as specially invited curators.
The tenth edition of the annual Beijing International Film Festival was supposed to have taken place from April 19-26, but the event was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. It is now offering up the “Spring Online Film Festival” from May 1-5 as a stopgap measure for cinema fans thirsty for new content but unable to return to theaters just yet.
In an announcement, the festival said it remains “postponed,” without directly using the word “canceled.”
The move comes as film festivals worldwide are getting canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. On Monday, YouTube...
- 4/28/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“Wisdom Tooth”, a directorial debut by the actor Liang Ming (seen in a leading role in Zhao Dayong’s “Shadow Days”), might prove to be the next big festival hit that comes from the ranks of Asian cinema. After bagging the awards on the national stage, from its world premiere at Pingyao (both Jury and Best Director prizes) on to Macao and Chinese Young Generation Film Forum, the film premiered internationally at the Bright Future competition of Rotterdam, and the tour continues with Göteborg.
Gu Xi, played by Lyu Xingchen (seen in a number of Chinese films last year), is a girl on the brink of adulthood. Her older brother Gu Liang (Wu Xiaoling) is not just the only family member, but basically all she has in life. They both struggle to survive, living in a shack next to a wreck of a bus in a provincial coastal town in Northern China,...
Gu Xi, played by Lyu Xingchen (seen in a number of Chinese films last year), is a girl on the brink of adulthood. Her older brother Gu Liang (Wu Xiaoling) is not just the only family member, but basically all she has in life. They both struggle to survive, living in a shack next to a wreck of a bus in a provincial coastal town in Northern China,...
- 2/11/2020
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
The largest film studio on the planet, China’s Hengdian World Studios, has announced it will shut down indefinitely, as productions in other parts of the country also announce they are closing up shop in light of the worsening coronavirus epidemic.
On Monday, the local government management committee in charge of the experimental industrial zone where Hengdian is located in the coastal province of Zhejiang, south of Shanghai, announced that it was shutting down “in light of the current severe situation of prevention and control of the novel coronavirus and the request of various government departments to ‘cancel activities involving gatherings.’”
“Shoots are a personnel-intensive activity, which is likely to contribute to infections,” it said, saying that to ensure the safety of staff and crew, it was immediately shutting down all indoor and outdoor shooting locations and studios.”
The visitor-heavy shooting base had already announced Saturday that all its tourism sites would be temporarily closed.
On Monday, the local government management committee in charge of the experimental industrial zone where Hengdian is located in the coastal province of Zhejiang, south of Shanghai, announced that it was shutting down “in light of the current severe situation of prevention and control of the novel coronavirus and the request of various government departments to ‘cancel activities involving gatherings.’”
“Shoots are a personnel-intensive activity, which is likely to contribute to infections,” it said, saying that to ensure the safety of staff and crew, it was immediately shutting down all indoor and outdoor shooting locations and studios.”
The visitor-heavy shooting base had already announced Saturday that all its tourism sites would be temporarily closed.
- 1/28/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” completely fizzled in its second weekend in China, setting it on track to become the least successful installment of the franchise by far in the world’s second largest film market.
By Monday, “Skywalker” ranked seventh at the box office behind a pack of local Chinese action films and dramas. After opening with the weakest debut of any recent “Star Wars” films in the country, it made just $2 million in its second weekend and accounted for less than 3% of China’s total screenings.
Since last week, online ticketing platform Maoyan has lowered its prediction for the lifetime gross for “The Rise of Skywalker” down to just $19.7 million, far below the $126 million grossed by “The Force Awakens” in 2015, the $69.4 million for “Rogue One” in 2016 and the $42.6 million for “The Last Jedi” in 2017.
Instead, historical martial arts film “Ip Man 4: The Finale” continued to lead...
By Monday, “Skywalker” ranked seventh at the box office behind a pack of local Chinese action films and dramas. After opening with the weakest debut of any recent “Star Wars” films in the country, it made just $2 million in its second weekend and accounted for less than 3% of China’s total screenings.
Since last week, online ticketing platform Maoyan has lowered its prediction for the lifetime gross for “The Rise of Skywalker” down to just $19.7 million, far below the $126 million grossed by “The Force Awakens” in 2015, the $69.4 million for “Rogue One” in 2016 and the $42.6 million for “The Last Jedi” in 2017.
Instead, historical martial arts film “Ip Man 4: The Finale” continued to lead...
- 12/30/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Taiwanese films “A Sun” and “Detention” were the big winners of Taipei’s Golden Horse Awards on Saturday. Wang Xiaoshuai’s “So Long, My Son” was the standout title at mainland China’s rival Golden Rooster Awards, held the same evening.
The two events collided because of a pro-Taiwanese independence acceptance speech at last year’s Golden Horse Awards, which are usually considered the most prestigious film prizes in Chinese-language film. That prompted Beijing to ban mainland industry players from attending this year’s ceremony in Taiwan, threaten to cut off access to China’s enormous movie market for any others who chose to participate, and schedule its Golden Rooster ceremony for the same evening.
The rival events offered a revealing contrast both in their choice of winners and the comments by some of the winners, who at the Golden Horse ceremony felt free to make politically oriented statements that...
The two events collided because of a pro-Taiwanese independence acceptance speech at last year’s Golden Horse Awards, which are usually considered the most prestigious film prizes in Chinese-language film. That prompted Beijing to ban mainland industry players from attending this year’s ceremony in Taiwan, threaten to cut off access to China’s enormous movie market for any others who chose to participate, and schedule its Golden Rooster ceremony for the same evening.
The rival events offered a revealing contrast both in their choice of winners and the comments by some of the winners, who at the Golden Horse ceremony felt free to make politically oriented statements that...
- 11/24/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Big budget Chinese sci-fi The Wandering Earth took home the best picture prize at this year’s Golden Rooster Awards. Scroll down for the full list of winners.
The ceremony, which was held today in Xiamen, in China’s southeastern Fujian province, was preceded by an announcement earlier this week that the state-backed awards would begin to be held annually after this year, rather than the biennial slot it has had since 2005.
The move has been viewed as part of an effort to establish the Roosters as the primary awards ceremony of the Chinese-speaking movie world, ahead of Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, which have routinely been referred to as the ‘Chinese Oscars’ and were also held today, though there were no nominees from mainland China due to a government boycott.
The Wandering Earth has been a box office smash in its domestic market, grossing $691m. It has also taken $5.9m from its U.
The ceremony, which was held today in Xiamen, in China’s southeastern Fujian province, was preceded by an announcement earlier this week that the state-backed awards would begin to be held annually after this year, rather than the biennial slot it has had since 2005.
The move has been viewed as part of an effort to establish the Roosters as the primary awards ceremony of the Chinese-speaking movie world, ahead of Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards, which have routinely been referred to as the ‘Chinese Oscars’ and were also held today, though there were no nominees from mainland China due to a government boycott.
The Wandering Earth has been a box office smash in its domestic market, grossing $691m. It has also taken $5.9m from its U.
- 11/23/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
This weekend sees a showdown between two of the Chinese-speaking film world’s major awards events, with both the Golden Rooster Awards, held on the China mainland, and Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards taking place on Saturday (November 23).
Ahead of the ceremonies, it was announced this week that the state-approved Golden Roosters will be held annually from this year, moving from the biannual schedule it has operated since 2005.
The move will be viewed as part of an effort to establish the Roosters as the primary awards ceremony of the Chinese-speaking movie world, ahead of the Golden Horses, which have routinely been referred to as the ‘Chinese Oscars.’
Earlier this year, China’s authorities put the blockers on Chinese actors, directors and producers submitting to this year’s Golden Horses, significantly restricting the ceremony’s nominations pool.
The decision was made after the political fallout from last year’s Golden Horses,...
Ahead of the ceremonies, it was announced this week that the state-approved Golden Roosters will be held annually from this year, moving from the biannual schedule it has operated since 2005.
The move will be viewed as part of an effort to establish the Roosters as the primary awards ceremony of the Chinese-speaking movie world, ahead of the Golden Horses, which have routinely been referred to as the ‘Chinese Oscars.’
Earlier this year, China’s authorities put the blockers on Chinese actors, directors and producers submitting to this year’s Golden Horses, significantly restricting the ceremony’s nominations pool.
The decision was made after the political fallout from last year’s Golden Horses,...
- 11/21/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
After two battles with Chinese censors, edgy Chinese youth drama “Better Days” came out on top this weekend as the highest-grossing film in the world with a $81.5 million three-day debut, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
Globally, “Better Days” bested the worldwide haul of Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” by a few million dollars and Warner Bros.’ “Joker” by about $20 million, according to Comscore.
In China, “Better Days” obliterated all other titles, earning 10 times more than “Maleficent,” its closest competitor, which grossed $8.6 million this past weekend. In just three days, “Better Days” has not just scored double the total China gross of the Angelina Jolie-starring title, but also out-earned the Disney flick’s $65 million North American haul so far.
“Better Days” was helped by the fact that two of the biggest contenders set to debut alongside it had their Friday openings canceled. Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood...
Globally, “Better Days” bested the worldwide haul of Disney’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” by a few million dollars and Warner Bros.’ “Joker” by about $20 million, according to Comscore.
In China, “Better Days” obliterated all other titles, earning 10 times more than “Maleficent,” its closest competitor, which grossed $8.6 million this past weekend. In just three days, “Better Days” has not just scored double the total China gross of the Angelina Jolie-starring title, but also out-earned the Disney flick’s $65 million North American haul so far.
“Better Days” was helped by the fact that two of the biggest contenders set to debut alongside it had their Friday openings canceled. Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood...
- 10/28/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
China Censorship Casualty ‘Better Days’ Finally Gets Local Release Date; Well Go Working On U.S. Bow
Exclusive: Another casualty of China’s crackdown on potentially sensitive local films this past summer has been given a lifeline. Derek Tsang’s Better Days will release this Friday in the Middle Kingdom after being okayed just this week. Well Go USA has the movie domestically and was forced to postpone the release this summer when Better Days was shelved by the Chinese authorities. Well Go says it is now finalizing plans for a U.S. date, but nothing is confirmed as yet.
The youth drama, which was also previously pulled from the Berlin Film Festival, focuses on issues of suicide, bullying and sexual abuse. A synopsis calls it a “melodramatic thriller” that “paints a bleak picture of an oppressive society, in the guise of a gripping fairy-tale love story.”
When it was originally kiboshed, we reported that among the vast number of ministries required to approve its release, there...
The youth drama, which was also previously pulled from the Berlin Film Festival, focuses on issues of suicide, bullying and sexual abuse. A synopsis calls it a “melodramatic thriller” that “paints a bleak picture of an oppressive society, in the guise of a gripping fairy-tale love story.”
When it was originally kiboshed, we reported that among the vast number of ministries required to approve its release, there...
- 10/22/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The first Hollywood blockbusters to hit China after the country’s big National Day holiday have, as expected, swept away holdover patriotic titles that had previously ruled the box office. “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” edged out another new release, “Gemini Man,” to lead the pack with a $22.5 million opening weekend.
While Disney’s “Maleficent” arrived in China day-and-date with the U.S., the Ang Lee-directed “Gemini Man” hit theaters stateside a week before on Oct. 11. It grossed $21 million in its mainland opening, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
Chinese user reviews for “Maleficent” were mixed, giving the film a 9.1 and 8.8 rating out of 10 on the Maoyan and Taopiaopiao ticketing platforms, respectively, but just 6.2 on the more discerning Douban site. Opinions of “Gemini Man” were less polarized, with users according it an 8.0, an 8.1 and a 7.1 score on the three platforms.
On Maoyan, most “Maleficent” commenters expressed admiration for Angelina Jolie...
While Disney’s “Maleficent” arrived in China day-and-date with the U.S., the Ang Lee-directed “Gemini Man” hit theaters stateside a week before on Oct. 11. It grossed $21 million in its mainland opening, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.
Chinese user reviews for “Maleficent” were mixed, giving the film a 9.1 and 8.8 rating out of 10 on the Maoyan and Taopiaopiao ticketing platforms, respectively, but just 6.2 on the more discerning Douban site. Opinions of “Gemini Man” were less polarized, with users according it an 8.0, an 8.1 and a 7.1 score on the three platforms.
On Maoyan, most “Maleficent” commenters expressed admiration for Angelina Jolie...
- 10/21/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The social and economic pressures felt by China’s “leftover women” — referring to those older than 26 and unmarried — are examined in “Send Me to the Clouds,” a rewarding dramedy about a 30-ish journalist seeking financial reward and sexual fulfillment after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Bold by mainland standards for presenting a positive portrayal of a woman who’s chosen neither motherhood nor marriage, “Clouds” marks an impressive feature debut for female writer-director Teng Congcong, whose editing credits include “Reign of Assassins.” Starring and co-produced by popular actress Yao Chen (“Journey to the West: The Demon Strikes Back”), this timely pro-feminist tale grossed a respectable $4 million in limited domestic release in August, and has the warm heart and wry humor to attract art-house audiences when it opens theatrically in North America on Sept. 20.
Following similarly themed documentaries such as “Leftover Women” and 2019 Sundance prize winner “One Child Nation,” From the...
Following similarly themed documentaries such as “Leftover Women” and 2019 Sundance prize winner “One Child Nation,” From the...
- 9/17/2019
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
Perth, Australia-based production company Legend Media is preparing a slate of three feature films to be produced with partners in China.
The company styles itself as one that recognizes the opportunities for Asian engagement that have fallen to Australia, through geography, trade and culture. The company aims to make use of the bilateral film co-production treaty that came into effect in December 2008 between Australia and China and has been used on average by nearly one film per year.
Operations are headed by Camille Chen, a writer-director-producer with relevant co-production (“Little Sparrows”). The company is backed by mining executive Bronwen Barnes, property developer Paul Lakey, and banking and property executive Darren Cooper.
First up, and aiming to shoot from late January 2020, is “Outback Dragon,” an action-adventure-comedy in the vein of “Lost In Thailand” and “Chinatown Detective,” that is set in gold mining territory around Kalgoorlie, and in Chinese mega-city Shenzhen. Lead...
The company styles itself as one that recognizes the opportunities for Asian engagement that have fallen to Australia, through geography, trade and culture. The company aims to make use of the bilateral film co-production treaty that came into effect in December 2008 between Australia and China and has been used on average by nearly one film per year.
Operations are headed by Camille Chen, a writer-director-producer with relevant co-production (“Little Sparrows”). The company is backed by mining executive Bronwen Barnes, property developer Paul Lakey, and banking and property executive Darren Cooper.
First up, and aiming to shoot from late January 2020, is “Outback Dragon,” an action-adventure-comedy in the vein of “Lost In Thailand” and “Chinatown Detective,” that is set in gold mining territory around Kalgoorlie, and in Chinese mega-city Shenzhen. Lead...
- 9/17/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
China has had a roller-coaster year so far at festivals worldwide, with high-profile wins and accolades but also more instances of highly disruptive censorship than ever before. In 2019, five international film festivals around have so far ended up tangling with China’s content overlords, who are on unusually high alert ahead of a particularly sensitive political anniversary for the ruling Communist Party in October — the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic.
The year kicked off with a bang in February at the Berlin Intl. Film Festival, which became a showcase of both the country’s highs and lows. China was the best-represented non-European country at the festival, with three entries in the main competition; two in the Panorama section (Lou Ye’s “The Shadow Play” and Xiang Zi’s “A Dog Barking at the Moon”); and Chinese film producer, director and screenwriter Vivian Qu on the jury for First Feature Film.
The year kicked off with a bang in February at the Berlin Intl. Film Festival, which became a showcase of both the country’s highs and lows. China was the best-represented non-European country at the festival, with three entries in the main competition; two in the Panorama section (Lou Ye’s “The Shadow Play” and Xiang Zi’s “A Dog Barking at the Moon”); and Chinese film producer, director and screenwriter Vivian Qu on the jury for First Feature Film.
- 9/12/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
A moneymaking scheme turns into a life-changing crusade in “Dying to Survive,” a dramedy loosely based on the true story of a Chinese man whose illegal importation of affordable generic drugs vastly improved the lives of many leukemia patients. Director and co-writer Wen Muye’s feature debut is a classy crowd-pleaser and an interesting example of a Chinese film that shows public protests and casts officialdom in a frequently unflattering light yet still received the stamp of approval from state censors.
This 2018 production grossed a staggering $450 million domestically and is just now opening in Western markets following a stellar run on the festival circuit. Released Aug. 9 in the U.S., “Survive” could conceivably increase its North American footprint with word-of-mouth and social media buzz, but was placed in theaters too far removed from tastemakers to hit the mainstream. It opens in Australia and New Zealand on Aug. 29.
The events depicted...
This 2018 production grossed a staggering $450 million domestically and is just now opening in Western markets following a stellar run on the festival circuit. Released Aug. 9 in the U.S., “Survive” could conceivably increase its North American footprint with word-of-mouth and social media buzz, but was placed in theaters too far removed from tastemakers to hit the mainstream. It opens in Australia and New Zealand on Aug. 29.
The events depicted...
- 8/16/2019
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
Hints of autumn are unspooling this weekend with stars fronting Specialty fare opening in theaters. Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Billy Crudup and Abby Quinn headline Sundance ’19 opener After The Wedding, starting in New York and L.A. today via Sony Pictures Classics. The film by Bart Freundlich is based on the 2006 Oscar-nominated original by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier. Shia Labeouf and Dakota Johnson join newcomer Zack Gottsagen in Roadside Attractions’ modern-day Huck Finn-style adventure Peanut Butter Falcon, opening in seven markets this weekend. Doc awards hopeful One Child Nation from Amazon Studios begins its theatrical with exclusive runs in Los Angeles and New York today, while non-fiction title This Changes Everything, featuring a slew of veteran actors and public figures, heads out to three theaters in both cities from Good Deed Entertainment. Following screenings at recent Lgbtq festivals Frameline and Outfest, Samuel Goldwyn Films rolls out Mexican period drama...
- 8/9/2019
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
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