Former K-pop idol Kris Wu among 88 celebrities newly blacklisted in China

Rebecca Davis editorChinese action-adventure title “Schemes in Antiques” conspired to hold its own at the top of the China box office with a $14.7 million second weekend, having opened first last week with a solid $25.6 million three-day debut.Originally set to premiere in April, the tale of intrigue around real and counterfeit artifacts from Hong Kong director Derek Kwok Chi-kin (“Wukong”) has now grossed $52 million (RMB331 million) of a projected $66.6 million, according to data from Maoyan.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAction-adventure film, “Schemes in Antiques” grabbed the top spot at the mainland China box office with a solid $25.6 million debut.It deposed crime comedy “Be Somebody” which had topped the chart for the past three weekends and earned $13.3 million in its fourth weekend, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

After having been cleared by authorities in late November for an eventual China release, the market has now given Warner Bros/Village Roadshow’s highly-anticipated The Matrix Resurrections an official date — on January 14, 2022.

TheWrap awards reporter Joe McGovern spoke with the directors of these films and how they created their stories, which range from an animated Chinese horror tale to a feature on the struggle to make New York’s public transit system more accessible to physically disabled residents. Joe Hsieh brings us “Night Bus,” a story of a late-night commuter bus trip that goes awry over a suspected theft and an accidental collision with a monkey, leading to a chain reaction of distrust and violence.

UPDATE:  China has responded to the Women’s Tennis Association announcement on Wednesday that it is suspending all of its tournaments in that country. The WTA said it was taken the action because of  concerns about the treatment of tennis star Peng Shuai.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese video streaming company iQiyi is poised to impose massive job just on its workforce Chinese and financial sector media reported on Wednesday and Thursday. The layoffs could affect 20-40% of its workforce, the reports said.Contacted by Variety, iQiyi acknowledged the existence of the media reports, but offered no further response.On Wednesday the company announced a significant crop of original content at its Singapore-based international platform.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBruce Willis-starring sci-fi action film “Breach” is to receive an online release next week in China across five major streaming platforms.Leeding Media, which has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing, has finally secured Dec.

There are many familiar faces in the cast of Queen of the Universe!