China’s ‘The Eight Hundred’ Grosses Nearly $90 Million

The controversy surrounding “Mulan” continues. Not only is the film at the center of the debate regarding the future of the film industry and how studios release films in a post-pandemic world, but the live-action remake of the 1998 animated classic now finds itself, once again, at the center of a debate over democracy and the atrocities alleged to have been committed by the Chinese government.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: Epic Chinese war drama The Eight Hundred has been acquired for UK theatrical after mining box office gold in its native China.The film became the first blockbuster-level hit in the pandemic era when it released in China on August 21, grossing $336M in the territory to date, which places it at no.2 on the global box office chart for this year behind only Bad Boys For Life.Now, Trinity Cine Asia has moved to acquire UK and Ireland rights and has set

Rebecca Davis editorChristopher Nolan’s “Tenet” has been hailed by the Western film industry as a savior of the in-person theatrical experience around the world, but this weekend in China it lost out repeatedly to the local savior of Chinese cinema, Huayi Brothers’ war film “The Eight Hundred.” The Chinese title bested “Tenet” each day of its three-day debut weekend.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticOf the dozen young women whom the Walt Disney Co.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTwo apartments in Beijing that are home to movie star Jackie Chan are being forcibly put up for auction. The reason appears to be an ownership dispute.The adjacent apartments in a residential compound in the capital city’s Dongzhimen district are where Chan and his family have lived since 2007.

, Disney's live-action adaptation of both their animated classic and the 6th century fable, Yifei Liu's Hua Mulan is the hero who saves China. But, as she recalled while promoting the movie, when she found herself in a potentially perilous spot on another shoot, it was co-star Jet Li who got down to business to save her.The movie in question is 2008's, which was notable for casting Li and Jackie Chan opposite each other for the first time.

When the Japanese Imperial Army laid siege to an innocuous warehouse in 1937’s Battle of Shanghai, the skirmish ultimately became a flashpoint that galvanized a nation. China lost that battle but won the war, and the resistance of the Eight Hundred Heroes earned the legendary status it retains to this day.

Believe it or not, we are just mere days away from the release of “Mulan” and perhaps the biggest studio gamble since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters in March. And though the discussion surrounding “Mulan” has revolved around the release strategy (going straight to Disney+ at a premium price), the release of the film also marks yet another milestone for diversity in Hollywood, with the film’s primarily Asian cast.

China's blockbuster war epic The Eight Hundred earned a healthy $69 million during its second weekend on Chinese screens, retaining the global box office crown over Christopher Nolan's Tenet. Tenet brought in $53 million-plus from 41 international markets, including Canada, according to Warner Bros.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese war film, “The Eight Hundred” was the highest scoring film in the world over the weekend.According to data from Artisan Gateway, “The Eight Hundred” grossed $69 million between Friday and Sunday, its second weekend on release in China.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorChristopher Nolan’s Tenet has begun its offshore rollout, and while Warner Bros is keeping a tight lid on grosses until fully reporting Sunday, some international box office information is available on the highly-anticipated title.In Korea, one of the key plays on Tenet, the Wednesday opening day was a little over $827K from 2,228 screens.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorWalmart stock is up more than 5% — a major move for the typically sleepy large-cap shares — on news that the retail giant is interested in teaming with Microsoft to make a bid for TikTok.Microsoft, along with Oracle and Twitter, has already been in the mix as a potential acquirer of the fast-growing social platform’s U.S. operations.Owned by ByteDance, a conglomerate founded by a Chinese entrepreneur, TikTok ran afoul of U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNeedless to say, this isn’t how Kevin Mayer expected his bold career move to go.Mayer, after just three months on the job as TikTok’s CEO and chief operating officer of Chinese parent company ByteDance, said Wednesday that he is resigning amid the tumultuous geopolitical climate battering TikTok — led by Donald Trump’s anti-China agenda — which ultimately will force ByteDance to sell the TikTok app business in the U.S. (and likely other countries).

Maggie Lee Chief Asia Film CriticFour days feels like an eternity in “The Eight Hundred,” mainland Chinese writer-director Guan Hu’s monumental, if sometimes unwieldy epic interpretation of the courageous defense of a warehouse by the Chinese Nationalist Army in October 1937. For those with little knowledge of the Sino-Japanese War, the bombardment of facts, action and characters in the 147-minute film can be too much to take in at one go.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorImax stock surged 9% Monday after the stellar debut in China for The Eight Hundred. The locally produced war epic took in $83 million over the weekend, the biggest Friday-to-Sunday tally for any international release in 2020.Multiple Wall Street analysts have also given Imax shares a boost, reaffirming their “buy” ratings on its shares and noting the company’s unique strategic position as theatrical moviegoing gets back on its feet.

Rebecca Davis editor“The Eight Hundred” has marched out ahead of all competitors at the China box office with earnings reminiscent of pre-COVID times, grossing $75.7 million over its opening weekend, according to data from industry tracker Maoyan.

IMAX theatres at the Chinese box office continues to exceed our expectations and reinforces our belief that audiences are eager to return to theatres where local guidelines allow,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX in a statement.

The box office blockbuster has returned. Over the weekend, the Chinese war epic The Eight Hundred opened to an estimated $107 million in China, including previews.