LGBTQ Cinema Comes Out on International Stage

Rebecca Davis editorReporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked China fourth to last out of 180 countries on its 2021 World Press Freedom Index on Tuesday, while warning that Hong Kong journalism is also now under “grave threat.”China ranked 177th in 2019, 2020 and 2021, down from a period at 176th from 2015 to 2018.

Rebecca Davis editorJapanese animation “Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet” led both “Godzilla vs.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese audiences have gotten used to hearing at the last minute that a film won’t be screened for “technical reasons,” and know that the phrase is usually a euphemism for state censorship.

Rebecca Davis editorUniversal Pictures officially announced Friday that “F9,” the latest entry in the “Fast & Furious” saga, will hit China on May 21, more than a month ahead of its June 25 debut in North America.It had passed Chinese censorship approvals and given permission for theatrical release last week.Along with China, “F9” will also debut in several foreign territories, including Russia, Korea, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam, throughout the month of May.

Refresh for latest…: Fuel-injecting some mega muscle into the international box office landscape, Universal’s F9 is revving up for a May 21 release date in China, a full five weeks before domestic. But China won’t be the only overseas market to release early, as I hear several other key hubs are also going throughout the month of May including Korea (which is expected to kick things off on May 19), Russia, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNews over the weekend of a record breaking $2.8 billion fine for Chinese tech giant Alibaba produced a huge relief rally.

With a confirmed, and late-breaking, re-release date, Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring has been scheduled to hit China’s movie theaters tomorrow (April 16). The second film, The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, will follow next Friday, April 23. The Oscar-winning New Line trilogy will play in a remastered 4K 2D version at IMAX cinemas and in other premium formats.

Rebecca Davis editorChinese fans breathed a sigh of relief Wednesday after Warner Bros.

Rebecca Davis editorChina’s internet regulator has launched a hotline for citizens to report online comments that defame the ruling Communist Party and its approved description of history ahead of the Party’s upcoming 100th anniversary.The new hotline will enable internet users to stop the spread of “mistaken opinions” and create a “good public opinion atmosphere” to pave the way for the July 1 occasion, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a notice.

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EXCLUSIVE: Shawn Xiang Yue, one of the producers of Chinese box office juggernaut franchise Detective Chinatown, is launching U.S. production banner Bamboo Curtain.

LONDON -- Chinese writer Can Xue and Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o, both long-favored contenders for the Nobel Prize for literature, are among nominees for the International Booker Prize for fiction.Can Xue’s “I Live in the Slums” and Ngugi’s “The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi” are among 13 books on the long list for the 50,000 pound ($69,000) prize.The list announced Tuesday features works from four continents, including “The War of the Poor” by France’s Eric Vuillard, “In Memory

XCOM: Chimera Squad hints that the game may come to the Nintendo Switch, alongside PS4 and Xbox One.According to the Pan European Game Information website, a new PEGI rating has been registered for XCOM: Chimera Squad, which indicates the game may be coming to Nintendo Switch.

Refresh for latest…: Warner Bros/Legendary’s Godzilla Vs Kong thrashed off to a $21.5M (RMB 140M) start in China today, good for the best opening day of a Hollywood title in the market since Covid began and portending a weekend in the high $60Ms. The film positively dominated the Middle Kingdom with an 88% share and played on 42,482 screens.