China’s Bona Film to Invest in ‘Avatar,’ ‘Deadpool’ Franchise Titles via Chip Seelig Deal

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its fourth weekend of release. Hong Kong-made action comedy “Rob N Roll” opened in second position. “Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $15 million (RMB106 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief First-time mainland Chinese director Lin Jianjie (aka JJ Lin) makes a splash this weekend with the premiere of his “Brief History of a Family.” Asking questions about family in the era since the end of China’s ‘One Child Policy,’ while also borrowing genre tropes such as the idea of the intruder and blood, it is a polished and ultra-modern fable that sees a teenage schoolboy ingratiate himself into another boy’s family.Variety spoke to biologist-turned-filmmaker Lin on the eve of his Sundance debut.How did you get from zero to making your first feature?[After graduating in biology] I did two short films at film school. I went to Tisch Asia, which had a campus in Singapore. We also had an exchange program with Tisch in New York.

Nico Parker is experiencing one of the most exciting moments of her career. The young actress is booked and busy, with “Suncoast” premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.

J. Kim Murphy Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler are reuniting once again, with both attached to an original genre film still shrouded in secrecy.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading Asian film directors including Josh Kim, Fukada Koji and Patiparn Boontarig line up to pitch their in-development projects at the March edition of the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF). Leading directors Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Lu will also be on the ground at HAF, operating as producers. So too will established producers Yamamoto Teruhisa (“Drive My Car”) and Michael J.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Netflix is kicking off its Milestone Movies: The Anniversary collection with films that are turning 50 in 1974 — a group that happens to include some of the medium’s all-time classics. The anniversary titles will stream on the platform in the U.S., along with in-person special screenings starting in March at New York’s Paris Theater and L.A.’s Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and Bay Theater in Pacific Palisades.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its third week of release. Two newcomers broke into the top five, comedy “Follow Bear for Action” and imported action title “The Beekeeper.” “Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $19.7 million (140 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was another strong hold after an opening weekend of $26.1 million (on Dec.

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Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Evil Does Not Exist” and Korean blockbuster “12.12: The Day” dominated the nominations for the 17th edition of the Asian Film Awards. Both picked up six nominations, including those in the best film category. The nominations were announced on Friday afternoon in Hong Kong, ahead of a ceremony on March 10, that will return to the city’s West Kowloon Cultural District and the Qiyu Centre.

Globally, including most everywhere overseas, 2023 box office was led by a mix of Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Oppenheimer, curious bedfellows who nevertheless proved that cultural phenomena can come in different forms and set turnstiles spinning.

Olivia Rodrigo is sharing details about her hopes and dreams for acting!

Keanu Reeves and British writer China Miéville will co-author a novel, The Book of Elsewhere, with Random House imprint Del Rey set to publish in July, the imprint announced today.

Olivia Rodrigo has teased that she may soon be returning to acting, saying she would “love” to star in a coming-of-age film.The singer got her start in acting, appearing in the Disney series Bizaardvark, alongside Jake Paul, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.She left the latter show to focus on her music career, but now in a new red carpet interview with Variety, Rodrigo has said that she is interested in returning to the acting sphere.“I love movies, I love telling stories,” she said. “I really want to do a coming-of-age thing, maybe before I’m actually of age.”“Maybe I am of age already,” added the 20-year-old.

Olivia Munn and John Mulaney are hitting the red carpet together for the very first time!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Once banned in China, Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption” had its much-anticipated debut as a stage play in the country’s tech capital Shenzhen on Jan. 4. Adding to its unusual status, the play is performed in Chinese by a cast of Western actors who are based in the Middle Kingdom.

There aren’t many true movie stars in Hollywood anymore. Sure, there are A-listers, but there aren’t many people who actually can lend their name to a film and watch it become a hit just based on name recognition alone.

Lawyers for Malaysia’s ex-prime minister Najib Razak are trying to get Netflix documentary Man On The Run taken off the platform due to what they describe as “sub judicial and contemptuous” content.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” climbed to the top of the mainland China box office in its second weekend on release. Previous winner, “Shining for One Thing” dimmed quickly and tumbled to fifth place. The first weekend of the new year and following a welter of Christmas-New Year releases, the latest weekend represented a reordering of holdover titles, rather than a session with an injection of significant fresh movies. “Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $22.4 million (RMB159 million) from Friday to Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer Taylor Swift is starting off 2024 with yet another historic milestone under her belt. Following the release of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” to United States theaters on October 13, Swift’s movie is officially the highest-grossing film in box office history among concert and documentary films with more than $261.6 million earned globally.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese director Huo Meng, Taiwanese actor Lee Hong-chi and Macau-based Maxim Bessmertny are among a dozen emerging East Asian talent who will present feature film projects and works in progress at the Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe). The inaugural edition of the festival, running Jan.