Imax To Acquire Full Control Of China Subsidiary In $124M Deal

The FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia could be England's to lose after Tuesday's glittering display against the Chinese. Unfolding at Hindmarsh Stadium, the 16,500-capacity home of Adelaide United, manager Sarina Wiegman's superstars made a lightning-quick start to the match; Alessia Russo squeezing in the opener after just four minutes of play.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” the first part of Wuershan’s big-budget “Fengshen Trilogy,” topped the mainland China box office for the second weekend and expanded its week-on-week haul by 35%. ‘Barbie’ also showed signs of resilience in a market where it opened a week earlier in a disappointing fifth place. “Creation of the Gods I” grossed $57.6 million.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent French director Élise Girard’s “Sidonie in Japan” starring Isabelle Huppert as a French writer mourning her husband’s death while on a book tour of Japan, is among titles set to launch from the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Giornate Degli Autori. The section, also known as Venice Days, has unveiled its lineup comprising ten titles world premiering in competition – six of which first works – and films in other sections all displaying a wide range of genres and visual styles, but tied together by “A common discourse,” said the section’s artistic director Gaia Furrer.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief While “Barbie” was romping to box office records in North American and scoring strongly in many international territories, the pink phenomenon could muster only fifth place in China, the world’s second largest movie market, on its opening weekend. “Barbie” managed $8.2 million in its opening three days, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Local box office sources show the film trapped in that position on all three days of the weekend session, as the locally-produced titles jostled for leadership and swapped positions. Somewhat encouragingly, the daily score for “Barbie” had increased by Sunday as it was given more screening sessions by Chinese exhibitors.

Dalian Wanda Group is selling a 49% stake in its investment arm to local film and TV producer China Ruyi Holdings in an on-going effort to reduce debt. 

Return To Dust, an arthouse hit in China last summer before being pulled from release, opens Stateside this weekend with Film Movement presenting on two screens – NYC’s BAM Rose Cinema and the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, expanding to LA and Seattle next Friday.

Though Christopher Nolan was “nervous” to direct his first-ever sex scenes for “Oppenheimer”, the filmmaker felt they were “essential” to the film’s story, based on theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

Lester Holt is taking NBC Nightly News to Alaska next week for a special broadcast that will focus on the U.S. defense against foreign aircraft and missile threats amid tensions with Russia and China.

Banijay has taken full control of Endemol Shine India.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s box office weekend was marked more by the tussle for top spot between “Never Say Never” and “Chang An” than the entry of “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” The Tom Cruise-starring U.S. blockbuster was the highest new release title, but landed in third place with an opening score of $25.9 million. The weekend’s top-ranked film was “Never Say Never,” a holdover title that scored $46.1 million. Lightchaser Animation-produced “Chang An San Wan Li” (aka “Chang An 30,000 Miles”) earned a shade less, at $43.9 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. After 11 days of official release (plus substantial previews), “Never Say Never,” written and directed by actor Wang Baoqiang (“Lost in Thailand,” “Detective Chinatown”) has already become one of the biggest hits of the year. Its cumulative stands at $212 million. “Chang An” has accumulated $96.1 million in nine days.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Imax announced Wednesday that it plans to spend $124 million to get full ownership of Imax China. The subsidiary was listed on the Hong Kong exchange and was established in 2011 by Imax to oversee its business in Greater China, which has become a key market for the exhibition company. Imax creates wide-screen technology that enables theater owners to charge premium prices — it is also a favorite with big-budget filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan and Michael Bay, who use the company’s proprietary cameras to produce their movies. Since COVID, Hollywood films have struggled to attract the same level of business as they did pre-pandemic, but local-language titles such as “The Wandering Earth 2” and “Lost in the Stars” have been huge hits when they have screened in Imax.

Barbie won’t be banned in the Philippines after all, following a week-long review by local censors and government officials, although a scene with a controversial map of the South China Sea might be blurred for release.

Redbox parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment has set a deal with TikTok that will see the platform’s short-form videos stream on screens atop some 3,000 Redbox kiosks nationwide.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Redbox’s newest addition to its famous DVD kiosks: viral TikTok videos. Redbox, looking for a new way to turn heads and generate incremental revenue, signed a deal with short-form video platform TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance. Under the pact, TikTok will provide Redbox with “top content” curated from the app, which will be featured on more than 3,000 video screens on Redbox kiosks across the U.S. In addition, brands will have the opportunity to buy advertising that runs alongside the TikTok content. Redbox — founded in 2002, well before the video-streaming revolution — was acquired by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment last year in an all-stock deal valued at about $370 million. The Redbox network currently comprises approximately 31,000 kiosks across the U.S.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Local titles dominated at the mainland Chinese cinema box office over the latest weekend. “Never Say Never” overtook the previous sensation “Lost in the Stars” to lead another strong summer session. “Never Say Never” (aka “Octagonal”) released officially on Thursday, ahead of China’s more normal Friday system. It earned $55.3 million (RMB384 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to verified data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. To that can be added some $9.6 million from Thursday and over $60 million previews and the film finished Sunday with a cumulative of $121 million. Co-written and directed by actor Wang Baoqiang (“Lost in Thailand,” “Detective Chinatown”), the film tells a tale of a man who tries to teach orphans about martial arts. But he is publicly shamed after his efforts are misinterpreted.

The UN has said climate change is “out of control” after the world smashed its average daily temperature record for the third time this week. The planetary average reached 17.23C on Thursday according to unofficial data from climate scientists, the hottest since records began. It followed record-breaking heat days on Monday and Tuesday.

banned in Vietnam for apparently featuring a map showing China’s claims to the South China Sea that many say includes the territory of other nations.When asked about the controversy during a press conference on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was dismissive of Hanoi’s outrage.“China’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent,” the official said, adding that Vietnam “should not link the South China Sea issue with normal cultural exchange.”The nine-dash line shown on the map represents China’s claim to a vast section of the disputed waters, which are also being fought over by Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan.An international tribunal at The Hague found the Chinese Communist Party’s map illegal. Beijing dismissed the ruling at the time.The map’s inclusion in “Barbie” underscores the growing controversy over Hollywood’s reliance on China, which has rivaled the US for its biggest market in recent years.

Days after Vietnam banned Warner Bros’ upcoming Barbie due to a scene depicting a map of the South China Sea with the “nine-dash line” that is contested by its government, the Philippines is now weighing whether it will follow suit.

Barbie because the film includes the “nine dash line map” that depicts islands in the South China Sea as being controlled by Beijing.Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, announced that Barbie will not be allowed to commercially screen in the nation, as ruled by the National Film Evaluation Council.“We do not grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper stated, citing Thanh (via Variety).The move follows Vietnam banning previous films including Uncharted and Abominable over the same issue.In 2016 the UN ruled unanimously against the validity of the “nine dash line” map, however China responded by saying that it doesn’t recognise the UN’s decision.Meanwhile, in other recent Barbie news, Margot Robbie has revealed the one request she made to director Greta Gerwig before filming the new movie.Set for release on July 21, Gerwig’s film stars Robbie in the titular role, with Ryan Gosling as Ken.Speaking about the film in an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Robbie discussed how she fell in love with the character as a child when she was gifted a Barbie Dreamhouse for Christmas.Such was the impact the gift had on her, that she revealed she asked Gerwig to allow her to live out the real-life fantasy of the Dreamhouse in the film.“I’ll follow your vision. Whatever you want this Barbie movie to be, let’s do that,” she remembers telling the director.

"Barbie" fans in Vietnam may be out of luck, as the country has banned commercial screenings of the film. The Warner Bros. film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was set to be released there on July 21.