News

Well Go USA has snatched up North American distribution rights to the Chinese action movie Striking Rescue, starring Thai martial arts hero Tony Jaa. The film is produced by Chinese streamer Youku, which is releasing the film to its subscribers in China on Friday. It will be the first film from Youku to get a U.S. theatrical release. The project is a first step in Youku’s planned expansion into theatrical film production for international markets.

Directed by Cheng Siyi, the action revenge movie follows An Bai (Jaa), a veteran Muay Thai expert who goes on a take-no-prisoners mission of revenge after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered by mysterious forces. The film co-stars Chinese actors Hong Junjia and Shi Yanneng.

Striking Rescue is being shopped to international buyers at this week’s American Film Market by Beijing-based sales outfit Blossoms Entertainment. In addition to the North American agreement with Well Go,...

Du Jie, a seasoned Chinese cinematographer who has shot more than 20 films for directors including Chen Sicheng, Guan Ha, Ning Hao and Pema Tseden, has turned his hand to directing.

Japanese drama The Height Of The Coconut Trees marks his feature directorial debut and is premiering in Busan’s New Currents competition

You’ve been living in Japan since early 2020 and chose to direct a Japanese film there with a local cast and crew. How did it come about?

As a DoP, I got to travel to visit New York, Thailand and Japan to shoot the three Detective Chinatown films...

China’s Blossoms Entertainment will introduce Chen Sicheng-produced thriller Octopus With Broken Arms and Midi Z’s Tokyo competitor The Unseen Sister at Busan’s Acfm.

Octopus With Broken Arms is the third instalment of the hit Manslaughter franchise that includes Sheep Without A Shepherd and Fireflies In The Sun, which have grossed a combined $342m (RMB2.4bn) at the Chinese box office.

Xiao Yang returns in the lead role and the film is directed by Jacky Gan, who previously made kidnapping thriller Vortex. It has an original and unrelated story that continues to explore the themes about the...

China’s Rediance has acquired international sales rights to Chinese actor Dong Zijian’s directorial feature debut My Friend An Delie, which is set to premiere in the main competition at the upcoming Tokyo International Film Festival.

Dong began his career as an actor aged 17 and has since been active in both film and TV. He has starred in acclaimed films such as Jia Zhangke’s 2015 Cannes competitor Mountains May Depart and Liu Jie’s De Lan, which won the Golden Goblet Award for best film at Shanghai.

Dong also co-wrote the new film, inspired by the homonymous novel by famed writer Shuang Xuetao,...

China’s Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group and Hong Kong’s Media Asia Group announced a slate of new projects today at Filmart.

Among the new projects are Born Evil Seed by Time Still Turns The Pages director Nick Cheuk; crime thriller The Other One by Fung Chih Chiang (A Witness Out Of The Blue); and mystery thriller Behind The Scene, directed by David Lee Kwong Yiu and produced by Andrew Lau.

Alibaba Pictures president Li Jie and Media Asia Group CEO Yip Chai Tuck both attended the joint press conference held in Filmart’s Moonlight Theatre, which saw director Soi Cheang,...

Singapore has picked Ilker Anthony Chen’s coming-of-age Chinese drama The Breaking Ice as its submission to the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature category. The film made its world premiere in May in Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s critics later selecting it as one of the 20 best films screened at the prestigious French festival this year.

Made with a mostly Chinese cast and crew, The Breaking Ice tells the story of an unlikely, fleeting friendship formed between three restless young people in China’s far northeastern border city of Yanji. It is headlined by a star-studded ensemble of young Chinese talent, including Zhou Dongyu (Oscar-nominated Better Days), Liu Haoran (Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth). Described as a Generation Z drama, the film’s story follows the blossoming friendship of its three main characters as they discover warmth...

“Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” the first part of Wuershan’s big-budget “Fengshen Trilogy,” topped the mainland China box office for the second weekend and expanded its week-on-week haul by 35%.

‘Barbie’ also showed signs of resilience in a market where it opened a week earlier in a disappointing fifth place.

“Creation of the Gods I” grossed $57.6 million. according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That compares with $42.6 million in it opening frame and after 11 days in Chinese theaters, it has earned $156 million. Also, unlike its first weekend, “Creation of the Gods” was the winner on each day between Friday and Sunday.

The “Fengshen Trilogy” set out to be a mega scale blending of history, folklore and mythology from more than 3,000 years ago, that would be China’s answer to both “Lord of the Rings” and “Iron Man.” It counts of Barrie Osborne (“Lord of the Rings...

Strand Releasing has snatched up North American distribution rights to Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen’s recent Cannes favorite The Breaking Ice. The film made its world premiere in May in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, with The Hollywood Reporter‘s critics later selecting it as one of the 20 best films screened at the festival this year.

The Breaking Ice tells the story of an unlikely, fleeting friendship formed between three restless young people in China’s far northeastern border city of Yanji. It is headlined by a star-studded ensemble of young Chinese talent, including Zhou Dongyu (Oscar-nominated Better Days), Liu Haoran (the Detective Chinatown franchise) and Qu Chuxiao (The Wandering Earth).

Chen previously won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or award with his debut feature Ilo Ilo (2013), which was later submitted by Singapore as its entry to the Oscars’ best international film race. His second feature Wet Season premiered in Toronto and his English-language debut,...

Dalian Wanda Group is selling a 49% stake in its investment arm to local film and TV producer China Ruyi Holdings in an on-going effort to reduce debt.

Wanda is selling the stake in Beijing Wanda Investment for $315M (RMB2.26Bn) as part of fundraising efforts to repay debt of $400Bn due this past weekend.

Wanda Investment owns a 20% stake in the group’s Shenzhen-listed entertainment division Wanda Film, which operates a cinema chain in China, finances Chinese films and retains a stake in Dune producer Legendary Entertainment.

Earlier this month, Wanda Investment separately sold an 8.3% stake in Wanda Film for $306N (RMB2.2Bn). The buyer was Lu Lili, the wife of Shen Jun, controller of financial data platform East Money Information.

Tencent-backed Ruyi invests in movies including recent hit comedy Post Truth and the blockbuster Detective Chinatown franchise, as well as TV series including Nirvana In Fire.

Dalian Wanda, a...

While “Barbie” was romping to box office records in North American and scoring strongly in many international territories, the pink phenomenon could muster only fifth place in China, the world’s second largest movie market, on its opening weekend.

“Barbie” managed $8.2 million in its opening three days, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.

Local box office sources show the film trapped in that position on all three days of the weekend session, as the locally-produced titles jostled for leadership and swapped positions. Somewhat encouragingly, the daily score for “Barbie” had increased by Sunday as it was given more screening sessions by Chinese exhibitors.

“Barbie” joins a growing list of Hollywood films that have disappointed at the mainland Chinese box office this year. Others include “The Little Mermaid,” “Indiana Jones” and “Fast X.”

Hollywood titles are facing fewer structural impediments in China (import and certification delays) that they did in recent years.

Mystery drama has proved a massive hit at the China box office.

China’s Blossoms Entertainment has secured a pan-Asian and Cis release for sleeper box office hit Lost In The Stars as the Chinese film industry gets back on its feet in a dynamic summer season post-Covid.

The Chinese mystery drama is dated to open in Malaysia and Brunei on July 27, Singapore (August 3), Cambodia (August 18), all through Purple Plan, and Indonesia (August 31) through Encore Films.

In August, it is also set to open in Hong Kong and Macau (Intercontinental Films), Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Philippines (all through Encore Films...

Tom Cruise failed to do the seemingly impossible in China over the weekend: Revive Hollywood’s former box office muscle at the world’s second-biggest theatrical movie market.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One badly lost its opening weekend in China, debuting in third place behind a pair of holdover Chinese hits.

The Paramount and Skydance sequel opened to just $25.9 million from Friday to Sunday, a steep tumble from Mission: Impossible Fallout‘s $76 million opening back in 2018. Chinese martial arts drama Never Say Never, meanwhile, earned $46.1 million, followed by local animation hit Chang An with $43.9 million.

Never Say Never, written and directed by local comedy favorite Wang Baoqiang (Lost in Thailand, Detective Chinatown), has brought in a healthy $211.5 million since its July 6 opening. Chang An, the latest release from pioneering Beijing-based animation studio Light Chaser, launched July 8 and has a current total of $96.1 million.

Ticketing app Maoyan forecasts Mission: Impossible 7...

China’s box office weekend was marked more by the tussle for top spot between “Never Say Never” and “Chang An” than the entry of “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” The Tom Cruise-starring U.S. blockbuster was the highest new release title, but landed in third place with an opening score of $25.9 million.

The weekend’s top-ranked film was “Never Say Never,” a holdover title that scored $46.1 million. Lightchaser Animation-produced “Chang An San Wan Li” earned a shade less, at $43.9 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

After 11 days of official release (plus substantial previews), “Never Say Never,” written and directed by actor Wang Baoqiang has already become one of the biggest hits of the year. Its cumulative stands at $212 million. “Chang An” has accumulated $96.1 million in nine days.

Local data providers’ daily charts showed that “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” never rose above...

‘Lost’ Is Found

Specialty distributor, Trinity CineAsia is releasing China’s summer blockbuster “Lost in the Stars” in the U.K and Ireland on some 30 screens from Friday.

“I was fortunate to watch the film when it opened in China and once I saw it I just knew we had to have it,” said Cedric Behrel of Trinity CineAsia. “‘Lost In The Stars’ is a very clever, uncanny thrill of a ride that harks back to classic Hitchcock and any noteworthy thriller since – the master himself had in fact once optioned the rights to the same story. We organized the fastest turnaround premiere known to man and we’ve been delighted by the reactions to the early previews. It epitomizes the best of what new Chinese cinema can bring to audiences.”

The film – a suspense drama about a man who believes that his wife is an imposter – has been the...

Actor, director and screenwriter Chen Sicheng is one of the giants of contemporary Chinese cinema.

His three “Detective Chinatown” films have earned more than $1.2 billion of box office revenue, and Chen is the producing force behind another major franchise, “Sheep Without a Shepherd,” adapted from the Indian “Drishyam” films.

“Lost in the Stars,” Chen’s latest effort, this time as producer and screenwriter, is another megahit. Co-directed by Cui Rui and Liu Xiang, “Lost in the Stars” has grossed $430 million (RMB3.08 billion) in China – enough to make it the seventh-biggest film worldwide this year and the 14th biggest film of all time in China – all in the span of just 17 days.

The movie is a mystery drama, adapted from the ’90s Russian film “A Trap for the Lonely Man,” which itself was adapted from a Robert Thomas stage play. It sees a woman disappear while on holiday with her husband...

Local titles dominated at the mainland Chinese cinema box office over the latest weekend. “Never Say Never” overtook the previous sensation “Lost in the Stars” to lead another strong summer session.

“Never Say Never” (aka “Octagonal”) released officially on Thursday, ahead of China’s more normal Friday system. It earned $55.3 million (RMB384 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to verified data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. To that can be added some $9.6 million from Thursday and over $60 million previews and the film finished Sunday with a cumulative of $121 million.

Co-written and directed by actor Wang Baoqiang, the film tells a tale of a man who tries to teach orphans about martial arts. But he is publicly shamed after his efforts are misinterpreted.

According to local sources, however, “Lost in the Stars” was the top-scoring film on both Thursday and Friday, before “Never Say Never” dominated with Saturday and Sunday crowd.

“Lost in the Stars...

China’s first blockbuster of the summer of 2023, Lost in the Stars, is readying for release in North America, Australia and New Zealand later this week.

The film will launch on July 7 in approximately 60 locations across 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada, courtesy of China’s international distributor Cmc Pictures. The release in Australia and New Zealand, on July 6 and July 13, respectively, will be of a similar scale.

Lost in the Stars launched in China on June 22 and already has earned about $360 million there — more than what recent Hollywood hits like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($343.4 million) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($355 million) grossed at home in North America.

Chinese commercial blockbusters tend to play more like specialty releases in the West, however, primarily appealing to the Chinese diaspora market, while racking up earnings more in line with what breakthrough Asian arthouse titles earn. Well Go USA released...

‘Lost In The Stars’ proved the top grossing film in June.

China’s box office jumped 52.9% in the first six months of 2023 with ticket sales of $3.7bn (RMB26.3bn), marking the first such year-on-year increase since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It does not mark a complete recovery as the figures remain 15.7% down on the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. But robust growth was seen in June with takings of $581.8m (Rmb 4.13bn), up 115% on 2022 and down a mere 0.8% on 2019. The results almost equalled pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to data provided by Artisan Gateway.

The top grossing film in June was Lost In The Stars,...

‘Lost In The Stars’ proved the top grossing film in June.

China’s box office jumped 52.9% in the first six months of 2023 with ticket sales of $3.7bn (RMB26.3bn), marking the first such year-on-year increase since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It does not mark a complete recovery as the figures remain 15.7% down on the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. But robust growth was seen in June with takings of $581.8m (Rmb 4.13bn), up 115% on 2022 and down a mere 0.8% on 2019. The results almost equalled pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to data provided by Artisan Gateway.

The top grossing film in June was Lost In The Stars,...

Chinese mystery drama “Lost in the Stars” expanded in its second week on release and gave China its third biggest box office weekend of the year. That local success came as Hollywood tentpole “Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny” failed to land a top five place in the Middle Kingdom on its debut weekend.

“Indiana Jones” earned just $2.4 million in China, according to estimates from local data providers. It played some 25,000 screenings per day on Friday but earned less than $900,000. Exhibitors then slashed the number of sessions by half on Saturday. They further trimmed the number of playdates on Sunday when it slipped to seventh place. Consultancy, Artisan Gateway did not provide confirmed data for “Indiana Jones” in China.

“Lost in the Stars” earned $117 million, according to Artisan Gateway. That was significantly up from its opening weekend of $70.7 million (RMB502 million) a week earlier and enough to make it the...

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny may have opened soft in North America with $60 million, but it outright bombed in China, where filmgoers have little to no emotional connection to the classic adventure franchise.

Expectations for the Disney and Lucasfilm tentpole were always low in China, but the film’s $2.3 million opening from Friday to Sunday is on the far low end of most analysts’ already low forecasts. None of the first four films in the Indiana Jones franchise were distributed in China, so the country’s geriatric millennials — not to mention its Gen Zs and below — harbor no nostalgia for Harrison Ford’s octogenarian hero.

Dial of Destiny has been relatively well liked by those who have seen and rated it in China. It currently has respectable social scores of 8.8 from the ticketing app Maoyan, 8.9 on Alibaba’s Tao Piao Piao and 7.3 on Douban. Nonetheless, Maoyan projects the...