China Mulls Lifelong Ban for Actors Who Have Used Drugs

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies are headed back to China's cinemas. The beloved fantasy trilogy has been scheduled for a staggered rerelease in China throughout April, according to local media reports.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese director Zhang Yimou’s stylish, snowy spy thriller “Impasse” is set to debut in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, joining what will be an unusually competitive line-up.“Impasse” was supposed to hit screens last year, but its release was pushed back to this upcoming April 30 due to the pandemic.

Rebecca Davis editorThe “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy will be re-released successively in Chinese theaters throughout April in restored 4K, Imax and 3D versions, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the first movie’s China debut.The re-runs come just after James Cameron’s 12-year-old “Avatar” returned to Chinese screens on March 12 for an unexpected box office boost that has allowed it to regain its title as the highest-grossing film in movie history, stealing the crown back from

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“The Six,” a documentary film shining a searchlight on the little-known Chinese aspects of the familiar Titanic story is headed for theatrical release next month in the Middle Kingdom.

Yufan Lu. She’s discussing her new photo project, Make Me Beautiful – a brutal and devastating deep dive into cosmetic surgery culture in her home country.

Warner Music and Tencent Music Entertainment Group said Tuesday that they have expanded their long-running licensing relationship while also partnering on a new joint venture record label targeting the China market. A dominant player in digital music in China, Tencent Music has been licensing songs from Warner Music for over a decade.

Meghan McCain apologized on Monday after John Oliver singled out past remarks she made on The View in aLast Week Tonight segment on anti-Asian violence and the shootings in Atlanta. "I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community," The View co-host said in a tweet after the Sunday episode of Oliver's HBO show excerpted her past comments.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTencent Music Entertainment Group, part of the massive China-based Tencent media company, and Warner Music have announced an expanded multi-year strategic licensing agreement that will also see the companies collaborating on a new joint venture record label.While Tencent became a 20% owner of Warner competitor Universal Music Group late last year, it and Warner have been working together since their original agreement more than a decade ago. As part of the expanded

Meghan McCain has apologized after John Oliver called her out for saying she had “no problem” with Donald Trump calling COVID-19 the “China virus”… and then tweeting “Stop Asian Hate” a year later. The View co-host wrote March 22 on Twitter, “I condemn the reprehensible violence and vitriol that has been targeted towards the Asian-American community. There is no doubt Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric fueled many of these attacks and I apologize for any past comments that aided that agenda.”

James Cameron's Avatar again dominated China'sbox office over the weekend, adding $14.1 million to its record as the world's top-grossing film of all time. Over the past 10 days, the 2009 blockbuster has earned $41 million on rerelease, lifting its career total in China to $250.2 million.

Rebecca Davis editorJames Cameron’s “Avatar” once again led the China box office this weekend, with sales of $14 million over the three-day period.The 2009 film has held its own as the top title every day since its March 12 re-release in China. It has grossed a total of $44 million so far, ten days into its re-run.

Refresh for latest…: James Cameron’s Avatar held the top spot at the global and international box office this weekend with $14.1M in China for the Friday-Sunday frame. The 2009 sci-fi epic re-released in the Middle Kingdom last weekend — when it reclaimed the title of all-time highest-grossing movie worldwide from Avengers: Endgame — and now counts an overseas cume of $2,073.2M for $2,833.7M global (all releases included).

inaccurate, Americanized version of one of the most beloved tales in Chinese culture.

Rebecca Davis editorTop Chinese director Feng Xiaogang will step in front of the camera alongside Chinese-American actor-director Joan Chen in a local adaptation of the 2009 Hollywood tearjerker “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale,” which began shooting Thursday.It is currently set to premiere on New Year’s Eve.Feng is best known for his work as a director on films such as “Youth,” “I Am Not Madame Bovary” and “Cellphone,” but he has also frequently taken on acting roles, with his most recent starring role in

Rebecca Davis editorLegendary documentarian Wang Bing is at HAF this year with his new project “I Come from Ikotun,” which follows two Nigerian families with a foothold in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou over the course of the pandemic.Known for his epically long, unflinching works that have previously tackled sensitive issues like China’s brutal re-education camps, Wang will this time turn his lens on a more cross-cultural subject.

Sharon Osbourne is being accused of using racist and homophobic language against her  co-hosts in a new report.The latest allegations came in a story published by journalist Yashar Ali on Tuesday.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese indie sales agency Blossoms Entertainment returns to FilMart with a slate of large-scale commercial pictures sourced from a clutch of China’s biggest film studios.The agency, operated by former IM Global staffers Vicky Ding and Leslie Chen, is pre-selling “Railway Heroes,” a tale of heroism and wartime sabotage which is targeting a National Day release in October.

You know it’s a good week on Real Time when the two stories that have consumed the week’s news — the accusations against Andrew Cuomo and the accusations against the Royal Family — take a backseat to weightier topics such as crony capitalism and the hegemony of China.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefImax China, the supplier of giant screen cinema facilities and services in Greater China, is one of the purest plays on the mainland Chinese movie exhibition market available to investors.