China’s Wanda Film Warns of Return to Losses in First Half

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese sci-fi comedy “Moon Man” held station at the top of the mainland China box office, albeit at a lower orbit. After ten days in cinemas its cumulative total is a fraction of a degree short of $300 million, and it operated at a higher elevation than new launch sci-fi actioner “Warriors of Future.”The strong figures came despite some cinemas remaining closed in key cities and capacity limitations remaining in place in others. Hainan Island went into lockdown over the weekend as a cluster of COVID cases emerged.

K.J. Yossman Bryan Cranston, Blair Underwood and Jennifer Morrison will lead the jury for this year’s Hollyshorts Film Festival.They will be joined by Stephanie Lang, Joanna Quinn, David Dastmalchian, Adaku Ononogbo and Jeremy Swift.Set to open Aug. 11 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the BITPIX platform, the festival will screen a number of short films including Steve McQueen’s prostate cancer documentary “Embarrassed,” starring Idris Elba, Ben Proudfoot’s “Mink!” about the first woman of color elected to the U.S.

Clayton Davis Hollywood producer Janet Yang has been named the new president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization’s Board of Governors. Yang, who is of Chinese descent, is the first Asian person ever to hold the position and the fourth woman behind Fay Kanin (1979-1983), Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013-2017) and Bette Davis (Davis resigned after two months in 1941).Yang is beginning her first term as president and her second term as a Governor-at-Large.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBona Film Group, one of China’s most consistently successful private sector movie studios, is in the final stages of launching an IPO on the Shenzhen stock exchange. The company was behind last year’s “The Battle of Lake Changjin,” the highest grossing film of all time in China.The IPO move represents a return to public company status for a firm that has frequently been ahead of its time.Bona was in the early wave of Chinese companies to list their share in the U.S. and achieved an IPO on the NASDAQ exchange in 2010, in the hope that U.S.

A lost chain of British steakhouses, known for serving signature prawn cocktails, steaks and Black Forest gateau was "a proper treat back in the day" for families across Greater Manchester.

After a three-year hiatus on the big screen, Matthew McConaughey will make his return and is set to star in soccer movie “Dallas String” for Skydance, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.Kari Skoglund, who most recently directed the six episodes of Marvel Studios “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” is attached to direct the project.According to Deadline, which first reported the news, “Dallas String” is “the fact-based story of how a group of Dallas high school girls headed to China in 1984 as the ultimate underdog and beat some of the best women’s teams from China, Australia and Italy.”McConaughey was last seen on the big screen in 2019, when he starred in “The Gentlemen,” “Beach Bum” and “Serenity.” He had a starring voice role in “Sing 2” last year. The “Dallas String” script is written by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch (“GLOW”).

EXCLUSIVE: Matthew McConaughey is set to star in Dallas Sting, the fact-based story of how a group of Dallas high school girls headed to China in 1984 as the ultimate underdog and beat some of the best women’s teams from China, Australia and Italy. The film was developed by Skydance and Berlanti Schechter Productions. Apple, which has an overall deal with Skydance, has first bite at the film and I expect a deal to happen before production begins this fall in New Orleans.

Blonde, Marilyn Monroe is having another huge moment in popular culture. And most recently, she's been re-imagined digitally, with a virtual rendering gracing the cover of CR Fashion Book China, dressed in the latest collections from Balenciaga, Fendi, Prada and other major fashion houses. De Armas isn't the only star to be breathing new life into Marilyn Monroe's legacy.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefJapanese electronics and entertainment group, Sony Group Corp. revealed JPY2.31 trillion of revenue ($17.5 billion) in the three months between April and June, representing the first quarter of its financial year. Group profits JPY218 billion ($1.65 billion) in the quarter were.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Satan’s Slaves: Communion,” from genre-film meister Jojo Anwar is poised to be the first film from Indonesia to release in the large screen Imax format.Anwar himself took to Instagram to make the announcement and tout the film’s release on Saturday.“Confirmed. Bigger.

Skip City International D-Cinema Festival in outer Tokyo wrapped its 19th edition on Sunday with prizes going to “Softie, by French director Samuel Theis, and “Double Life,” by female Chinese director Enen Yo in the separate Japanese film competition.The festival, long a launch pad for emerging Japanese and world filmmakers, held in-person screenings July 16-24, 2022, at venues in Kawaguchi, and an online segment July 21-27.“Softie” received the Grand Prize in the international competition. “Magnetic Beats,” directed by Vincent Mael Cardona, won the best director, while “Utama,” directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi, received Special Jury Prize in the same section.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHong Kong-produced crime action film “Detective Vs Sleuths” again took top honors at the mainland China box office with a $14.2 million weekend gross. The film was in its second weekend at the top and its third week of release. Consultancy firm, Artisan Gateway reported that the film has now advanced to a 17-day cumulative score of $85.3 million (RMB580 million).“Lighting Up the Stars,” which enjoyed three weekends at the top of the chart before falling to third place, bounced back to second.

Wilson Chapman editorThe “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” cast is officially stacked. The prequel series just announced a whole new line-up of celebrity voice talent at their San Diego Comic-Con panel including the return of original Billy, Zach Galligan.Galligan surprised fans on stage revealing that he will have a recurring guest role on the HBO Max series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.” But that’s not all, the panel also announced a truly iconic list of guest stars for the new series including: Sandra Oh, Randall Park, George Takei and Bowen Yang.  The series had already announced a roster of Hollywood icons before including, James Hong, BD Wong, Ming-Na Wen and Matthew Rhys.“Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” is set in 1920s Shanghai in East China, and focuses on Sam Wing (Izaac Wang), an ordinary 10-year-old boy who meets Gizmo (A.J.