China’s Box Office Hits $2 Billion, Overtakes North America

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s Kuaishou, one of the world’s most popular video sharing and live streaming apps, has filed for a share listing in Hong Kong.The company which is a direct rival to the Bytedance-owned Douyin and TikTok, claims 776 million monthly active users, in a regulatory filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLosses narrowed at the digital entertainment and media activities of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba in the second quarter of its financial year. Results at group level underline how far the China has already recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic and how far the rebound has favored the digital economy.Alibaba reported a group revenue increase of 30% in the three months to September, with total sales of $22.8 billion (RMB155 billion).

Paramount Pictures chairman Jim Gianopulos delivered a keynote address to Tokyo's TIFFCOM content market Wednesday, offering a detailed recap of how COVID-19 has reshaped the movie business in 2020. The veteran studio head's assessment, delivered via video, was sober-minded but also optimistic.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese state media gently trolled the U.S. on Wednesday as the presidential election ground its way into an inconclusive second day.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefPatriotic and gritty war film “The Sacrifice” topped the mainland Chinese box office for the second week. It earned $28.6 million over the weekend, lifting its ten-day cumulative score to $106 million, according to data from Artisan Gateway.Of that weekend score, some $1.6 million was earned from 670 Imax screens.

Donald Trump seeks to boost his anti-China credentials ahead of November’s election.The measures announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday target Yicai Global, Jiefang Daily, Xinmin Evening News, Social Sciences in China Press, Beijing Review, and Economic Daily by requiring them to register as foreign missions, a step that includes making them identify their employees.“They are all substantially owned or controlled by a foreign government,” Pompeo told reporters at a State

media reports). Artisan Gateway did not immediately respond to a request for comment.This time last year, the North American box office had brought in just about $9 billion of what would wind up being an $11.4 billion 2019, with China reaching $9.2 billion.

China is officially home to the world's biggest movie box office. Movie ticket sales in China for 2020 climbed to $1.988 billion on Sunday, surpassing North America's total of $1.937 billion, according to data from Artisan Gateway.

Chinese nationalists erupted in anger at South Korean boy band BTS after its leader thanked Korean War veterans for their sacrifices. The singer, who goes by RM, made the remark in a recorded acceptance speech for an award from the Korea Society for promoting U.S.-Korean relations.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: MTV Documentary Films has acquired North American rights to 76 Days, a raw and emotional look at the struggles of the people of Wuhan, China, in the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Directed by New York filmmaker Hao Wu (People’s Republic of Desire) and China-based journalists, Weixi Chen and “Anonymous,” 76 DAYS made its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

North Korean forces during their failed attempt to annex South Korea in the 1950-53 war. They accused RM of ignoring the role played by China in the war, which Chinese Communist Party propaganda blames on the United States, instead of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung's attack on South Korea.“Before, I thought some BTS songs were pretty good.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefCelebrated Korean director Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy,” “The Handmaiden”) will start production later this month on Korean-language drama film “Decision to Leave.” The cast is headed by China’s Tang Wei (“Lust, Caution,” “Black Hat”) and Korean actor Park Hye-il (“The Host,” “Memories of Murder”).The picture is produced by Moho Film and counts CJ Entertainment as its principal financial backer. CJ is also set as the distributor in its Korean home market.

BTS have faced a widespread backlash in China following a comment they made regarding the Korean War.In a recent speech, band leader RM spoke of South Korea’s shared “history of pain” with the US that stems from the conflict.The war lasted from 1950-53 and saw the UN, with large support from the US, backing South Korea in their fight against the North – who were backed by China and the USSR.Accepting an award which recognised the relationship between the two countries, RM said: “We will always

Rebecca Davis editorK-pop supergroup BTS has risen to become one of the world’s most popular musical acts, but just three days before its company Big Hit Entertainment’s big IPO, it was hit with an unexpected stumbling block in the Chinese market: a single sentence about world history that has sent brands fleeing.In a speech to accept a prize earlier this week from the Korea Society, a New York-headquartered non-profit that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S.

Rebecca Davis editorChina’s patriotic “My People, My Homeland” has grossed $325 million as of Monday evening local time, earning more money in less than two weeks than the $323 million that Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” has grossed globally in over a month, according to data from Maoyan and Box Office Mojo.This weekend, the total China box office hit $68 million, once again far surpassing sales in North America, where cinemas earned less than $9.5 million.

China's box office resurgence continued apace over the weekend as local anthology film My People, My Homeland brought in a healthy $38.2 million. China's weeklong National Day holiday period came to a close on Friday, which meant that Saturday was an official workday for most companies and state employees.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorRefresh for latest…: China’s National Day holiday officially ended last Thursday, with takings for the October 1-8 period at an estimated RMB 3.95B ($589M) as the market continues to close the 2020 gap with domestic. This weekend saw continued play for the key titles, led by patriotic pic My People My Homeland which added another $42M (-65% for the FSS) to bring the local cume to about $321M.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSingapore had a tough time with the coronavirus outbreak, which means the entertainment industry was hit hard. It was one of the first countries outside mainland China to confirm a COVID-19 case, recording its earliest case on Jan.