BBC China Correspondent John Sudworth Relocates to Taiwan

Rebecca Davis editorJapanese animation “Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet” led both “Godzilla vs.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese audiences have gotten used to hearing at the last minute that a film won’t be screened for “technical reasons,” and know that the phrase is usually a euphemism for state censorship.

Rebecca Davis editorUniversal Pictures officially announced Friday that “F9,” the latest entry in the “Fast & Furious” saga, will hit China on May 21, more than a month ahead of its June 25 debut in North America.It had passed Chinese censorship approvals and given permission for theatrical release last week.Along with China, “F9” will also debut in several foreign territories, including Russia, Korea, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam, throughout the month of May.

Refresh for latest…: Fuel-injecting some mega muscle into the international box office landscape, Universal’s F9 is revving up for a May 21 release date in China, a full five weeks before domestic. But China won’t be the only overseas market to release early, as I hear several other key hubs are also going throughout the month of May including Korea (which is expected to kick things off on May 19), Russia, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNews over the weekend of a record breaking $2.8 billion fine for Chinese tech giant Alibaba produced a huge relief rally.

With a confirmed, and late-breaking, re-release date, Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring has been scheduled to hit China’s movie theaters tomorrow (April 16). The second film, The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, will follow next Friday, April 23. The Oscar-winning New Line trilogy will play in a remastered 4K 2D version at IMAX cinemas and in other premium formats.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese fans breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday after Warner Bros.

Video: Chinese father dresses up as superhero to surprise son on his birthday (Newsflare)Unusually friendly wolf approaches man in Northern California wildernessPomeranian watches as cute prairie dog rides in front seat of carDogger playing frogger: Stray dog amuses motorists after pointlessly chasing vehicles on the roadPet dog patiently watches over a store while his owners are outCheeky wild lizard tries to steal woman’s face mask in ThailandScooter rider intentionally crashes two-wheeler to

Rebecca Davis editorChina’s internet regulator has launched a hotline for citizens to report online comments that defame the ruling Communist Party and its approved description of history ahead of the Party’s upcoming 100th anniversary.The new hotline will enable internet users to stop the spread of “mistaken opinions” and create a “good public opinion atmosphere” to pave the way for the July 1 occasion, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a notice.

EXCLUSIVE: Shawn Xiang Yue, one of the producers of Chinese box office juggernaut franchise Detective Chinatown, is launching U.S. production banner Bamboo Curtain.

Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment's Godzilla Vs.

Rebecca Davis editor“Godzilla vs. Kong” was once again muscled out of the top China box office slot by local drama “Sister” thanks to a $13.2 million third weekend cume that was no match for the latter’s $21 million.Its China tally was a touch less than its $13.4 million second weekend sales in North America.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken danced around the notion of a 2022 China Winter Olympic boycott Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, calling such talk “premature.”

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentPathe is relocating Guillaume Canet’s live-action movie “Asterix & Obelix” to France, instead of China where it was initially planned to shoot last year, and couldn’t do so due to the pandemic. Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has joined the cast in a cameo role.Now titled “Asterix & Obelix, the Middle Kingdom,” the movie is budgeted at 60 million Euros and marks the next installment of the blockbuster French comic book franchise.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBBC Studios, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation, has appointed Phil Hardman as senior VP and GM of its operations in India, South East Asia, Japan and Korea.The move is a streamlining of operations under Jon Penn, executive VP for the APAC region.

Marvel legend Stan Lee.The film will be an adaptation of Monkey Master, an unreleased comic book series that Lee and his longtime collaborator Sharad Devarajan created in 2016 loosely based on the Chinese legend of The Monkey King.According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will follow New York City archeologist Li Yong as he discovers an ancient prophecy about the Monkey King, which brings him to India where he uncovers a hidden power that transforms him into a modern-day superhero, The