China’s Disneyland shuts down following COVID-19 surge

Vivienne Chow Namewee, the controversy-courting Malaysian singer-songwriter, has been the victim of an unusual hacking attack. His YouTube channel was this week attacked, stripped of its content and renamed with a Russian obscenity.Given the degree of access necessary to achieve such a feat, the hacking suggests that Namewee (real name Wee Meng Chee) has upset some powerful people.In 2021, he deliberately taunted mainland China’s patriotic army of keyboard warriors, known as ‘little pinks’ with his song “Fragile” and was subsequently banned in China.

BTS.On the most recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, was released on April 6, the 41-year-old rapper discussed his thoughts about the K-pop boyband with co-hosts Ice, Ish and Parks Vallely, during which he said: “You can get mad at me… but I hate them BTS n***as.”When asked by his co-hosts to elaborate, Budden said: “Do I need a reason? … I hate them n****s. I don’t have to divulge my reason to you, I just hate them n****s.

Covid. The star took to Twitter to announce the sad news, and shared a photo alongside his post showing him kissing his late mum on the forehead. Writing on Twitter in the early hours of this morning (Monday, March 28), Douglas said: "My mum passed away tonight from covid.

Gemma Chan is making things happen for an Anna May Wong biopic.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefColumbia Pictures’ 2021 horror-thriller “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions” has been given official approval to release in cinemas in mainland China. It will launch on Saturday April 2, 2022.Directed by Adam Robitel, it is the sequel to the psychological thriller “Escape Room” that terrified audiences around the world in 2019. In the new installment, six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive.The film was released in many international markets and in North America in July last year.

After not airing the 2021 Oscar ceremony, China is believed to be sitting out this weekend’s event as well. The motivations behind last year’s move were understood to be related to specific films and filmmakers, and while China released fewer Hollywood movies than usual in 2021, the reasoning behind a decision to not to show the Oscars this year is somewhat unclear.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNet profits at Tencent climbed by 41% to $35 billion at Tencent, China’s social media, games and streaming giant, in the year to December. Revenues were up by 16% to RMB560 billion ($87.8 billion).Despite the profits surge, the company’s management described 2021 as a “challenging year.”They were not being disingenuous.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Studios is negotiating a feature deal on the Shipli Somaya Gowda novel Secret Daughter, with an impressive package that has Chinese helmer Anthony Chen (llo llo, Wet Season) attached to direct Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sienna Miller in the lead roles. Shruti Ganguly will adapt the novel.

After moving to reduced capacity earlier this month amid a surge in Covid cases, China’s Shanghai Disney Resort has opted to temporarily shutter beginning today.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Shanghai Disneyland theme park closed its doors from Monday in response to China’s growing number of COVID-19 cases. It offered no indication of when the park might reopen.“Due to the current pandemic situation, Shanghai Disney Resort, including Shanghai Disneyland, Disneytown and Wishing Star Park will be temporarily closed from Monday, March 21, 2022. We will continue to monitor the pandemic situation and consult local authorities, and will notify guests as soon as we have a confirmed date to resume operations.

Warner Bros/DC’s The Batman released in China today, getting off to an RMB 23.3M ($3.7M) start, including previews. The inauspicious bow was expected given that about 35% of the market’s cinemas have been temporarily shuttered amid a new Covid spike. The good news is that the film has a strong 9 score on platforms Tao Piao Piao and Maoyan. The latter is currently predicting an RMB 194.3M ($30.5M) final tally for the Caped Crusader’s full run.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“The Batman” flew to a worryingly slow start on Friday at the mainland China box office, where Hollywood films have struggled of late and where the latest coronavirus surge is threatening films of all origins.By 3.30pm on its first full day, the Warner Bros. noir had earned a lowly RMB12.1 million, or $1.90 million at prevailing currency rates, according to provisional data from ticketing agency Maoyan.

EXCLUSIVE: Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment has promoted Dana Cox and Quincie Li to managers in the literary department.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe shares of China’s largest entertainment and tech companies plunged for a second day on Tuesday as Russia’s war in Ukraine, regulatory warnings and China’s slowing economy all combined to signal tougher times ahead.Alibaba shares crashed 11.7% to reach an all-time low of HK$71.2 in Hong Kong, where they have a secondary listing. Tencent shares plunged by 10.2% to HK$298, their lowest in several years. Both companies have in the past held the title of China’s largest enterprise and are major components of the Hang Seng Index of leading equities.The Hang Seng Index fell by more than 1,000 points and by nearly 6% on Tuesday to close at 18,415.