Gong Li Drama ‘Leap’ Opens to $8.2 Million in China

Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s live-action “Mulan” was supposed to be a huge win for under-represented groups in Hollywood. The $200 million-budgeted film is among the most expensive ever directed by a woman, and it features an all-Asian cast — a first for productions of such scale. Despite well-intentioned ambitions, however, the film has exposed the difficulties of representation in a world of complex geopolitics.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: MTV Documentary Films has acquired North American rights to 76 Days, a raw and emotional look at the struggles of the people of Wuhan, China, in the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak. Directed by New York filmmaker Hao Wu (People’s Republic of Desire) and China-based journalists, Weixi Chen and “Anonymous,” 76 DAYS made its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorEXCLUSIVE: STXtv has sold docu-drama series Rise of Empires: Ottoman to Youku for China, Viasat World for Central & Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Baltics, Russia and CIS, and SIC for Portugal.The six-hour English-language production, narrated by Charles Dance (Game Of Thrones), tells the story of Mehmed II, who at 21 years-old became known as Mehmed the Conqueror, chronicling his fabled rise from 13-year-old Child Sultan to toppling Constantinople and becoming

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefIQIYI’s drama series “The Bad Kids” has landed a slot on Japanese pay-TV platform Wowow, a first for a contemporary, mainland Chinese show. It is expected to play out from early 2021.Where many Chinese dramas run for between 40 and 80 episodes, “The Bad Kids” comprises 12 50-minute episodes, structred as a suspense series that tells the story of three youngsters in a small coastal town.

Also Read: Inside the 'Mulan' Flameout in China and Why Hollywood Can't Seem to Bridge the Culture GapIn total, Bailey says the footage from those location shoots “comprised 78 seconds” of the final cut of the film.“The decision to film in each of these locations was made by the film’s producers in the interest of authenticity, and was in no way dictated or influenced by state or local Chinese officials,” Bailey stated.As for the Turpan Bureau’s involvement, Bailey said that foreign film

The live-action remake of “Mulan” has not been the wide success anyone expected, especially Disney. Not only did the film get a lukewarm critical reception, but the film was met with political controversy nearly as soon as “Mulan” debuted on Disney+ last month, when viewers noticed the end credits included “special thanks” to several government entities in the Xinjiang region in China, which has been the site of several human rights abuses.

As North America's box office crumples, China's theatrical film business is back in an enormous way. A collection of high-profile local films released in China over the past week to coincide with the country's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday period, which lasts eight days.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorRefresh for latest…: Christopher Nolan’s Tenet dipped a slight 29% at the international box office this weekend to add $11.5M from 57 markets. Offshore, the Warner Bros release has now grossed $262M.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorA lucrative period for Chinese cinemas, the National Day holiday officially got underway today with the release of Jiang Ziya: Legend Of Deification. The highly-anticipated follow-up to 2019 smash Ne Zha set a new single-day record for animation in the Middle Kingdom with an estimated RMB 359M ($53M).

Rebecca Davis editorWith U.S. studio tentpoles dropping out of the theatrical calendar, Chinese blockbusters may find a rare opportunity to gain some traction abroad.

Rebecca Davis editorPeter Chan’s volleyball drama “Leap” has jumped above its competition in China this weekend with a $24.6 million three-day debut, highlighting Chinese audiences’ continued preference for well-crafted local titles, according to data from the Maoyan industry tracker. The score is higher than the $23 million opening of Disney’s “Mulan” the weekend of Sept.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorThe first major blockbuster of the pandemic era, The Eight Hundred this week became the No. 1-grossing movie of 2020 worldwide, jumping ahead of Bad Boys For Life ($430.3 million global, per Sony).

Holdover local war epic The Eight Hundred dominated Mulan over the weekend in China, as the Disney tentpole continued its precipitous decline in its most important theatrical market. The Eight Hundred, which has been in cinemas for a month, earned $17.7 million, lifting its total gross to $423.2 million, according to data from local box office tracker Artisan Gateway.

Emiliano Granada After having premiered at the First International Film Festival in Xining, China, “Slow Singing” now plays at San Sebastian’s prestigious New Directors section, its main sidebar. The debut film of Dong Xingyi is, as its title promises, a slow paced observation of the life of Junsheng, a former prison inmate who, after release, struggles to readjust to life in his hometown.

Rebecca Davis editorDisney’s “Mulan” made only $6.47 million over its second weekend in China, allowing it to be handily defeated once again by the local war epic “The Eight Hundred,” according to data from industry tracker Maoyan.As of Sunday evening, the Disney title has earned a cumulative $36.5 million (RMB 247 million) in the key territory.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorRefresh for latest…: Christopher Nolan’s Tenet handily passed $200M overseas this weekend with a $25M offshore frame to bring the overseas box office to $214M. Including domestic, the global cume is now $250.1M.

Rebecca Davis editorWarning: This report contains multiple spoilers.Even though Disney bent over backwards to create a live-action “Mulan” that would appeal to China, disgruntled Chinese viewers have dubbed it “the worst ‘Mulan’ in history,” saying that it feels “wooden” and offensively inauthentic.The poor reception means that the $200 million Disney blockbuster will gain little traction in its most critical territory — one of the only major markets where the otherwise straight-to-Disney Plus

Disney's Mulan malfunctioned in its China box office debut with a disheartening $23.2 million. The $200 million tentpole was made with both Chinese and American audiences top of mind.