Gemma Chan is making things happen for an Anna May Wong biopic.
07.03.2022 - 19:15 / deadline.com
Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania: Transformania has been granted an April 3 theatrical release date in China. Sony last summer licensed the fourth installment in the successful franchise to Amazon worldwide, but retained China rights.
With the date now confirmed, Sony gets a month’s lead time on promotion and marketing in China where the previous films have grossed a combined $63M, including over $32M from 2018’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
Although April 3 is a Sunday, it falls at the start of the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, which can be a lucrative box office period. Still, Transformania will arrive in China nearly three months after it was released on Amazon Prime Video in 240 other countries and territories.
The Hotel Transylvania franchise has grossed $1.36 billion worldwide, with each pic making more than its predecessor. Sony opted to go the Amazon route with this one to avoid a head-to-head matchup with Addams Family 2 last fall.
The latest and final outing for the Fang gang is directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon. It features voice work by Selena Gomez, Brian Hull, Jim Gaffigan, Andy Samberg, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Fran Drescher, Brad Abrell and Asher Blinkoff.
In this installment, Van Helsing (Gaffigan) has perfected his mysterious invention, the Monsterfication Ray. When it goes haywire, Drac (Brian Hull, replacing Adam Sandler) and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny (Samberg) becomes a monster. In their new mismatched bodies, Drac and his exuberant son-in-law must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late.
Here’s the new China poster:
New and returning
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.
There is more to the story of Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead’s meet-cute than we realized — and there’s a surprising amount of sadness in their love story!
A trio of studio movies has received China release date confirmations for next month, including new films Ambulance and The Bad Guys, as well as last summer’s Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions.
SEVENTEEN are set to release an English-language single in April, ahead of their full-length album in May.Today (March 24), the boyband’s agency Pledis Entertainment announced in a statement to South Korean media outlet OSEN that the K-pop group would unveil a pre-release single next month.Notably, the upcoming single will be their first English-language track performed by all 13 members of the boyband. Prior to this, sub-units and solo members of the group have released songs in English, including Vernon and Joshua on ‘2 Minus 1’ from group’s most recent mini-album ‘Attacca’ released in May, and Woozi with his solo mixtape ‘Ruby’.The as-yet-untitled song will come ahead of SEVENTEEN’s upcoming full-length album, which arrives in May.
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.
Drivers are being warned part of the M56 near Manchester Airport will be closed all weekend due to roadworks. Junction 5 on the westbound M56 will remain open, but long diversions will be in place for those travelling from Cheshire, Wales and the Midlands.
Paramount has dated Spyglass Media’s Scream sequel for March 31, 2023 and its untitled Bob Marley movie starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the reggae legend for Jan. 12, 2024.
Roland Emmerich’s big-budget sci-fi disaster pic Moonfall has been set for a March 25 release in China (check out the new poster below). The movie, which released via Lionsgate domestically on February 4, is heavily backed by China’s Huayi, so this is an important piece of its recoupment prospects. The China date falls one week after the PRC start of Warner Bros/DC’s The Batman.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHollywood franchise movies “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania” and “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” have both secured April theatrical release dates in mainland China.“Transylvania” will open in Chinese cinemas on Sunday April 3, 2022, a couple of days ahead of the Qingming or Tomb Sweeping holiday on April 5. “Beasts” will open, more conventionally, on Friday, April 8.Sony missed out on a China release for “Spider Man: No Way Home,” which was the biggest film worldwide in 2021. But the confirmation represents the studio’s second Hollywood film this year to receive approval from the Chinese authorities (after “Uncharted,” set for March 14 ).
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief‘The Battle at Lake Changjin II’ headed the mainland Chinese box office for the fifth successive weekend as cinemas await significant new content. “Changjin II” earned $7.5 million over the latest weekend, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The increment expanded the film’s aggregate to $626 million since release on Feb.
In a move that was expected to happen, Universal has announced that they’re halting their theatrical releases in Russia given the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Katie Price and her fiancé Carl Woods jetted off to Thailand a few days ago to enjoy a romantic break in the sun – and OK! online can reveal that they may have checked in to the city's fancy £64 a night Conrad Hotel. The pair were seen at the airport in London earlier this week before boarding a flight to Bangkok, and eagle-eyed fans think they sussed out where they are staying thanks to the couple's Instagram pictures.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAcclaimed Japanese animated film “Poupelle of Chimney Town” will release in North American home entertainment markets from May.The rights in the U.S. and Canada are controlled by Eleven Arts which has appointed Shout! Factory to handle distribution.
Disney is taking their own stand against Russia as the invasion of Ukraine continues.
Hollywood hasn’t been the most bullish about taking an action that would dent its bottom line, but Disney today has taken the bold move of pulling its theatrical releases from Russia temporarily in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ellise Shafer The Walt Disney Company announced on Monday that they will be pausing all theatrical releases in Russia, including that of “Turning Red,” which premieres March 11.“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming ‘Turning Red’ from Pixar,” a company spokesperson said in a statement. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation.
Disney has set the release date for “Haunted Mansion,” its new film starring Tiffany Haddish based on the popular Disneyland and Disney World attraaction, to hit theaters in little over a year. “Haunted Mansion” will now open in theaters on March 10, 2023.
Partner Content The ongoing pandemic has inevitably changed the workings of the global film industry in a variety of ways. Throughout these ups and downs, one thing has yet to waver, and that’s the demand for new content.
Bill Maher zeroed in on China during the latest edition of “Real Time”, targeting the winter Olympics in Beijing during the “New Rules” segment.