Chinese Streamer iQiyi Confirms Swing to Profits With $65 Million Third Quarter

Sebastián Yatra has made an announcement that disappoints both his fans and those of Aitana: their romantic relationship has come to an end, even though they still share a deep affection for each other. In his own words, “We have a lot of love for each other. We are, and will continue to be, great friends in life. At this point, we are both single, each of us forging our own paths. Nonetheless, I hold a great deal of care for her, and we’ve shared a beautiful story this year,” he confirmed during an interview with the Mexican channel Telediario.Currently, the ‘Red Heels’ singer is in Mexico, where Aitana, also has a loyal fan base.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese films “Trending Topic” and “The Invisible Guest” will be given theatrical releases in Malaysia and Singapore in the coming month. This step follows agreements between Chinese streamer iQiyi and Malaysian cinema chain GSC and Singaporean distributor Clover Films.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s nationwide annual box office passed the symbolic $7 billion and RMB 50 billion marks in recent days, confirming a decent, but still incomplete recovery of the theatrical cinema industry. According to consultancy Artisan Gateway, the running box office total to Nov. 26 was $7.15 billion.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” may not have conquered the top spot in North America, but it emerged victorious at the worldwide box office. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous French ruler, debuted to $78.8 million, including $46.3 million internationally — enough to stave off the competition on global charts.

Jordan Moreau Disney is wishing upon a box office star this Thanksgiving, as its latest animated movie “Wish” takes on Apple’s historical drama “Napoleon.” “Wish” is expected to come out on top this weekend, but “Napoleon” won the first box office battle in previews. “Napoleon” made $3 million in previews, which began on Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and “Wish” made $2.3 million. The family friendly animated movie about Disney’s iconic wishing star is expected to make $35 million over the typical weekend.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chen Shaojie, the chairman and CEO of leading Chinese gaming live-streaming platform Douyu, has been arrested. The NASDAQ-listed company confirmed the previously-reported news in a regulatory filing late on Tuesday. DouYu said that it was informed that Chen was arrested by police in Chengdu “on or about Nov. 16.” Reputable Chinese and international media previously reported that he had been missing for at least three weeks and had been away from public view since August. In China, suspects in criminal cases are often detained for weeks or months prior to their formal arrest.

Suki Waterhouse has shown off her growing baby bump after she announced her pregnancy during a performance at Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City. The Daisy Jones and the Six star, 31, took to Instagram following the concert, where she posed with pal Georgia May Jagger and proudly showed off her blossoming bump.

A swingers club with 18 bedrooms, a sauna, cinema room and dancefloor housed in an aquarium building has been approved by Bolton Council. The private members club now has permission to operate on the site of Dave’s Aquarium, Folds Road, Bolton.

There’s no denying “Big Little Lies” was a huge hit for HBO. Originally pitched as a limited series, the show with an all-star cast (including Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz, and more) was such a hit, HBO decided to pay a huge sum for a second season.

A swingers club with 18 bedrooms, a sauna, cinema room and dancefloor housed in an aquarium building has been approved by Bolton Council. The private members club now has permission to operate on the site of Dave’s Aquarium, Folds Road, Bolton.

John Oliver took a jab at Apple TV+ during the latest episode of his HBO show Last Week Tonight.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Local crime drama film “Last Suspect” returned to the top spot at the mainland China box office over the latest weekend, as “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” opened quietly in third place. Narrowly beaten last week by “The Marvels,” “Last Suspect” climbed one place while “The Marvels” fell out of the top five in China. In its third weekend of release, “Last Suspect” recorded $10.1 million (RMB76 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese authorities have banned artist and film director Guo Zhenming from traveling to Singapore for the world premiere of his documentary film “Tedious Days and Nights.” The film is scheduled to play at the Singapore International Film Festival on Dec. 4 in the festival’s Standpoint strand. It was advertised as including a Q&A session with the director.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Alibaba, China’s e-commerce and entertainment giant, revealed a 9% revenue improvement and a return to profits in the three months to the end of September, the second quarter of its financial year. The group, which is in the process of breaking itself up into six separate businesses, had revenue of RMB225 billion ($30.8 billion). Net income of RMB26.7 billion ($3.66 billion) compared with a net loss of RMB22.5 billion in the same period last year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Modest increases in its Chinese and international games sectors helped Chinese tech giant Tencent achieve respectable results for the three months from July to September, the third quarter of its financial year. Group revenues weighed in at RMB154 billion ($21.5 billion), an increase of 10% year on year and 4% quarter on quarter. Some analysts interpreted that as below their forecasts, but others saw it as beating China’s currently sluggish economy. Profit for the period was RMB36.8 billion ($5.14 billion), which was down 5% year on year, but a 38% improvement on the group’s second quarter. Moreover, Tencent claims that a non-IFRS treatment of its accounts better reflects core earnings.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Deep Sea,” an innovative Chinese-made animation film that has played the international festival circuit throughout this year, will release in North American theaters later this month. Theatrical rights were acquired by Viva Films from Netherlands-China sales outfit Fortissimo Films. Viva plans an outing on Nov.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Growing streaming subscriptions lifted the bottom line at Tencent Music Entertainment, in the third quarter of its financial year, despite a top line decrease in revenues. Net profits hit $173 million (RMB1.26 billion), representing a 16% year-over-year increase. Tencent Music, which is a major stakeholder in both Spotify and Universal Music Group, reported figures on Tuesday, for the three months from July to end September 2023.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Marvels” narrowly missed the top spot at the mainland China box office on its opening weekend. And its debut was far short of its blockbuster predecessor. Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway shows “The Marvels” earning RMB82.7 million or $11.5 million between Friday and Sunday in Chinese cinemas. Of that some $2 million or 17%, was earned in Imax theaters. The film’s debut weekend haul was a fraction below the RMB84.2 million ($11.7 million) earned by Chinese film “Last Suspect” in its second weekend of release.

Jordan Moreau “The Marvels” is getting ready to take flight at the box office, but it won’t be as sky-high as its predecessor “Captain Marvel” and many of its fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. The latest MCU adventure has made $6.6 million in previews at the box office. “The Marvels” is expected to make between $60 million and $65 million in its opening this weekend.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music After the long life of Dua Lipa’s 2020 sophomore album “Future Nostalgia” — which was pandemic dance therapy for so many — there’s been a hot remix album, a year-long world tour, a global hit single with Elton John and her effervescent single from “Barbie,” so it really doesn’t seem like Variety‘s 2022 co-Hitmaker of the Year been absent. Yet it’s been almost three years since “Nostalgia” dropped, and today we get the first look at her next chapter with “Houdini,” the lead single and video from her still-untitled third full-length album.