Cinema Chain AMC Entertainment Buys Stake In Mining Company; Not An “Obvious” Investment, CEO Admits

Carson Burton Settebello Entertainment is expanding its scope within the industry to now include both lit and consulting. Byron Ashley’s company had previously only worked with talent.The lit side of the company will now focus on signing up-and-coming voices within the industry, straying away from established writers and directors.

Kat Von D has come forward with more details about her disturbing experiences at the Provo Canyon School.

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.

Rishi Sunak's wife has a £490 million stake in a company which is still operating in Moscow and has links to a major Russian bank.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAMC Networks isn’t satisfied with knowing you like “The Walking Dead,” “Better Call Saul” and “Killing Eve” — they want to know why you like those shows. The owner of AMC, BBC America and streaming service AMC Plus has signed a multiyear deal with entertainment-data-mapping company Katch to get the answer to that question, Variety has learned exclusively.Katch, which has previously provided data-driven insights to a variety of partners in the world of film, is entering into the television space with its AMC Networks deal.

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.

The United Kingdom continued a long tradition of anti-LGBTQ action as bans on gay marriage in the UK’s territories of the Cayman Islands and Bermuda were upheld by the country’s Privy Council, the highest appeals court for many UK Caribbean territories.The Privy Council upheld existing bans on marriage equality in both the Cayman Islands and Bermuda, citing the fact that same-sex nuptials are explicitly banned under their respective, independent constitutions.According to PinkNews, both the Cayman Islands and Bermuda have legalized — and subsequently re-criminalized — gay marriage.In the Cayman Islands, gay marriage was temporarily legalized in March 2019 after a lesbian couple sued to have their marriage recognized by the government. But authorities appealed the lower court’s decision, resulting in a reversal – although the appeals court said that the government had to provide “legal status equivalent to marriage” for same-sex couples.The couple then appealed to the Privy Council, which sided with the appeals court in upholding the ban.In Bermuda, the government legalized gay marriage in May 2017 in response to an ongoing legal battle, but the government later recriminalized the practice in 2018 before once again legalizing it that same year.

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.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterAMC Theatres, the biggest cinema chain in the world, is buying a 22% stake in Nevada-based gold and silver mining company Hycroft Mining Holding Corp.AMC’s $27.9 million cash investment in Hycroft is the company’s latest attempt to shore up its finances after COVID-19 forced movie theaters to close. After evading bankruptcy and embracing its status as a meme stock last year, AMC announced plans to expand its business outside of box office by selling popcorn in shopping malls around the country.“AMC is playing on offense again with a bold diversification move.

reported a $134 million net loss for the fourth quarter. “The strength of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and ‘The Batman,’ as well as 2022’s promising industry box office, heighten AMC Entertainment’s conviction that we are on a glide path to recovery,” he said.

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.

Reuters) based on comments by Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema, a government body in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films.Reps for Sony did not respond to a request for comment.Vietnam previously banned the 2019 animated film “Abominable” and asked Netflix to make changes to a series last year called “Pine Gap” for the same reason. “Uncharted” is scheduled to open in China on Monday.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMainland China’s theatrical box office slipped to its lowest weekend total of the year as the market suffered a combination of rising COVID cases and a lack of new releases.Nationwide box office between Friday and Sunday amounted to just $19.2 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. It was the fifth weekend of decline since the splashy opening of eight major titles on Feb.