Hollywood Pillared By PEN America For Playing Ball With China’s Censorship Demands; “Troubling Compromises On Free Expression,” Report Exclaims

At a time when American moviegoers’ concerns are firmly focused on domestic issues, or on international players like Russia and China, it may seem odd to have two documentaries come out in the same week about events that happened decades ago in Iran. But Taghi Amirani’s “Coup 53” and Barbara Kopple’s “Desert One,” which open in select markets and in virtual cinemas on Aug.

Rebecca Davis editorPeter Chan’s hotly anticipated biographical sports drama “Leap” is set to hit China on Sept. 30, becoming the first of the Chinese New Year blockbusters canceled due to COVID-19 to set a theatrical outing.Local animation “Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification,” which was also originally scheduled to premiere over the lunar new year, will premiere the day after.

Rebecca Davis editorSome moviegoers feel China’s exhibition sector has been unfairly targeted by prolonged closures and excessive COVID-19 prevention measures, Variety found in a WeChat-based survey of cinema patrons.Survey respondents, who participated on the condition of anonymity, felt the protective measures required of cinemas helped to lower the risk of movie-going, but that the exhibition sector had been subject to overly cautious treatment.The vast majority of the 36 respondents —

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese war action film “The Eight Hundred” will open in theaters in North America, Australia and New Zealand at the end of the month, a week after it becomes the biggest local film this year to open in Chinese cinemas..Handled by Huayi Bros., the controversial film will release in China on Aug. 28.

“Hollywood’s most prolific actor” — has accrued more than 600 acting credits and inspired countless careers, yet he still doesn’t have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Now, a growing group of fans is actively trying to change that for Hong, 91, whose diverse projects include “Seinfeld,” “Big Trouble in Little China” and “Blade Runner.”“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: James Hong deserves a Star on the #Hollywood Walk of Fame. I’ve already started the nomination process.

Sam Mendes' harrowing World War I movie 1917 debuted at the top of China's box office this weekend, as the country's theatrical business still deals with pandemic-related restrictions on operations. China's cinemas are now into their third week of reopening after a novel coronavirus enforced lockdown in January, and theatrical companies are operating with limits on the number of screens and with strict social distancing measures in place.

Lost actor Daniel Dae Kim (nearly £40,000) towards a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for prolific Asian-American actor James Hong.Hong, now 91, has appeared in well over 600 credited roles in a career spanning nearly 70 years.Most famously, he's starred in movies like Chinatown, Big Trouble In Little China, Blade Runner and Airplane!He's also had prominent voice roles in the likes of the Kung Fu Panda movies (playing Po's father Mr.

Rebecca Davis editorSam Mendes’ World War I saga “1917” took the top spot at China’s box office this weekend with a $5.3 million debut, according to data from industry tracker Maoyan, as overall nationwide ticket sales dipped down from the week before.Meanwhile, the China premiere of the 20th Century Fox’s racing drama “Ford V. Ferrari” flopped and came in fifth with just $1.2 million.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorCould a Twitter-TikTok tie-up transpire?The social network and TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, have engaged in “preliminary” discussions about merging TikTok’s U.S. operations with Twitter, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous individuals.Twitter declined to comment.

enough.Tucker spent the first nine minutes or so detailing various containment measures that blue states have implemented, specifically calling out contact tracing efforts and economic shutdowns — things China did to contain its outbreaks.

Hollywood is guilty of censoring its films to placate China and avoid losing access to the country’s hugely lucrative box office market, a report has claimed.

Rebecca Davis editorNonprofit PEN America on Wednesday issued a moral clarion call to Hollywood to step up its efforts to resist Chinese censorship and increase transparency, singling out the MPA for appearing to defend free speech at home only when financially convenient.The New York-headquartered free speech advocacy group detailed the mechanisms by which China influences decision-making in Hollywood and offered recommendations for how to mitigate pernicious complicity with the world’s most

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAs the future of TikTok hangs in the balance, the general manager of the Chinese-owned app’s operations in North American said she wanted to “dispel any disinformation” — saying that none of TikTok’s businesses are based in China itself.“For the U.S.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorWhile Universal’s Dolittle and Warner Bros’ reissue of Interstellar were the big kahunas in China this weekend, Russell Crowe-starrer Unhinged hit the road in 19 new markets over the session. Among them, the UK, Australia, Netherlands and New Zealand where the Solstice Studios pic was No.

Rebecca Davis editorLocal content is proving more of a draw than Hollywood films as China’s cinemas get back on their feet.

Rebecca Davis editorA portion of Chinese cinemas have been ordered to program an intermission for films that exceed two hours as a coronavirus prevention measure, Chinese reports said Friday. The requirement will affect a number of upcoming Hollywood films that run over 120 minutes, including a re-run of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” set to hit screens on Sunday, as well as “Ford V Ferrari,” which will Aug.