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China’s ‘Bad Kids’ Series Set for Film Remake in Japan – Global Bulletin - variety.com - China - city Seoul - Japan
variety.com
29.03.2023 / 12:35

China’s ‘Bad Kids’ Series Set for Film Remake in Japan – Global Bulletin

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-TV group Wowow.

Sumo Wrestling Drama ‘Sanctuary’ Set for Launch at Netflix, Trailer Unveiled - variety.com - Japan - city Sanctuary
variety.com
29.03.2023 / 08:35

Sumo Wrestling Drama ‘Sanctuary’ Set for Launch at Netflix, Trailer Unveiled

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Netflix will give a May launch to “Sanctuary,” a sports drama series set in the specialized world of Japanese sumo wrestling. Produced by the Slowtide company for the streamer, the show follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice. He soon finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret. Netflix pitches it as “a gritty look into the underbelly of professional sumo, a world full of young men with ambitions for money, women, fame, and power […] where some may find sanctuary with a history of more than 1,500 years in Japan’s traditional culture and as a religious ceremony.”

China’s Alibaba Unveils Corporate Restructuring - variety.com - New York - China - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong
variety.com
28.03.2023 / 12:57

China’s Alibaba Unveils Corporate Restructuring

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce and media group, unveiled a top to bottom corporate restructuring that it says is intended to “unlock shareholder value and foster market competitiveness.”  The group, which has a current market capitalization of $228 billion, will split itself into six divisions of differing sizes. Each unit will have a CEO and a board of directors and can pursue independent fund-raising or even IPOs, when they are ready. At present Alibaba has its shares and ADR shares listed in Hong Kong and New York. Some parts of its media business also have their own Hong Kong share listing Alibaba Pictures. (And there is a healthcare business with yet another share quote.)

China Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Japanese Animation Debuts With $50 Million, Year’s Biggest Non-Holiday Opening - variety.com - China - South Korea - Japan - Berlin
variety.com
27.03.2023 / 05:45

China Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Japanese Animation Debuts With $50 Million, Year’s Biggest Non-Holiday Opening

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animation film “Suzume” made just shy of $50 million on its opening weekend in mainland Chinese theaters. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, shows “Suzume” grabbing the top spot at the box office with $49.6 million (RMB342 million) between Friday and Sunday. That is the biggest opening score by any film this year outside of the Chinese New Year holiday week in late January. The next best is “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” which opened with $19.4 million in mid-February. Directed by Shinkai Makoto, “Suzume” was a hit in Japan where it was released late last year and has remained on screens for a $105 million total. It played in February at the Berlin Film Festival, where it came away largely empty-handed, but has subsequently performed strongly in the Asian territories where it has released. (In South Korea, where it is now the second highest grossing film released in 2023, its third weekend is its strongest to date.)

Five Series Pitched at Series Mania as Taiwan Strengthens its Claim in Chinese-Language TV Production - variety.com - China - North Korea - Taiwan
variety.com
24.03.2023 / 15:21

Five Series Pitched at Series Mania as Taiwan Strengthens its Claim in Chinese-Language TV Production

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taiwan has become a go-to destination for Chinese language series production over the past few years, as international streamers have taken the initiative and as the local content trend has become entrenched in Asia. While some of Taiwan’s advantage may have been handed to it as a result of regional political factors, the movement has led to greater interest in Taiwan stories, both historical and modern.Five Taiwan TV projects are being pitched at Series Mania, that are deemed to have international appeal according to Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), a government-backed agency that has become noticeably proactive over roughly the same period.

Annual Profits at Tencent Fall to $27 Billion Following China Slowdown - variety.com - China
variety.com
22.03.2023 / 16:29

Annual Profits at Tencent Fall to $27 Billion Following China Slowdown

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief It is becoming harder not to perceive Tencent, China’s tech and entertainment giant and the world’s largest games firm by revenue, as a utility. It is now too big to be a growth stock darling and too widely-spread to escape the gravity of China’s underlying economic trends. Revenues in calendar 2022 flatlined at RMB554 billion, while net profits dropped 16% to RMB188.2 billion ($27.0 billion). The decrease reflected China’s economic reversal that began in the second quarter of the year with the arrival of a new COVID strain and stricter government measures to combat it. Tencent’s advertising revenues fell slightly, costs rose somewhat, and subscriber number were mixed – rising in music, but falling in video.

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’ Mysteriously Pulled From Hong Kong Theaters Two Days Before Premiere - variety.com - China - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong - Macau
variety.com
21.03.2023 / 18:29

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey’ Mysteriously Pulled From Hong Kong Theaters Two Days Before Premiere

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The theatrical release of low-budget slasher movie “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” in Hong Kong has been abruptly canceled just two days before its scheduled outing. No explanation has been offered, but suspicions that the film may have crossed one of Hong Kong’s increasingly complicated political red lines are certain to be raised. That is because the Winnie the Pooh character is unflatteringly perceived to have a physical resemblance to China’s president, Xi Jinping. Online search for Winnie the Pooh is heavily censored within mainland China and Winnie the Pooh products are not distributed. China did not permit the import and release of Disney’s 2018 Winnie the Pooh film “Christopher Robin.”

Tencent Music Grows Profits and Subscriptions, as Revenues Fall - variety.com - New York - China - USA - Hong Kong
variety.com
21.03.2023 / 15:03

Tencent Music Grows Profits and Subscriptions, as Revenues Fall

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Tencent Music Entertainment grew its 2022 profits by 21% to $533 million (RMB3.68 billion), helped by cost cutting and a growing subscription base. It achieved this despite a 9% decrease in revenues to $4.1 billion (RMB28.3 billion). The group, which is backed by Chinese tech and entertainment giant Tencent and has stock market listings on the New York Stock Exchange and in Hong Kong, is China’s largest digital music outfit and controls large equity stakes in Spotify and (in a consortium with Tencent) Universal Music Group. Tencent Music’s own operations divide loosely into two clusters: mass market music streaming, with paid-for and free tiers; and “social entertainment,” including karaoke and other derivative products.

‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ Filmmakers Josh Gordon & Will Speck Ink First Look Deal With Sony - deadline.com - China - city Columbia
deadline.com
20.03.2023 / 19:43

‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ Filmmakers Josh Gordon & Will Speck Ink First Look Deal With Sony

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Gordon and Will Speck have signed a first look deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films. The news comes in the wake of their feature take of children’s book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile grossing over $104M WW.

Gina Noer’s Teen Sex Movie ‘Like & Share’ Wins Top Prize at Osaka Asian Film Festival - variety.com - China - Canada - Japan - Indonesia - Hong Kong - Taiwan
variety.com
20.03.2023 / 13:57

Gina Noer’s Teen Sex Movie ‘Like & Share’ Wins Top Prize at Osaka Asian Film Festival

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Like & Share” from Indonesia’s Gina S. Noer was named the best picture and collected the Grand Prix on Sunday at the Osaka Asian Film Festival. “All of us on the jury were struck by the film’s clear and powerful message, which affirms young women’s sexual curiosity and desire while clearly saying no to sexual violence. The style of the film is also original. The sweet, poppy feeling that fascinates the audience in the first half of the film becomes darker as the story progresses, making us shudder. “Like & Share,” with its strong message and brilliant direction, is a film that needs to be seen now more than ever,” said the jury in a statement.

China Box Office: ‘Shazam!’ and ‘M3gan’ Open Weakly - variety.com - China
variety.com
20.03.2023 / 08:27

China Box Office: ‘Shazam!’ and ‘M3gan’ Open Weakly

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hollywood’s new release titles fantasy action adventure “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and horror thriller “M3gan” made only modest impressions on the box office in mainland China in their opening weekends. The box office chart was led by “Post-Truth,” a Chinese comedy which probes the impact of social media in a story about a wronged small-time businessman. It earned $18.8 million (RMB130 million) in its second weekend of release, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was an increase of more than 10% on its opening frame. After ten days on release, “Post-Truth” has a cumulative of $51.2 million (RMB353 million).

FilMart Reveals Lower Participant Numbers, But Strong Buzz - variety.com - China - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong
variety.com
16.03.2023 / 16:25

FilMart Reveals Lower Participant Numbers, But Strong Buzz

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Hong Kong Trade Development Council said Thursday that 7,300 executives from 41 countries had attended its FilMart and Entertainment Pulse events this week (March 13-16). “The revived physical marketplace was as vibrant and active as in the past,” organizers claimed. In 2019, the last year that FilMart was held as an in-person event, the TDC reported “close to 9,000 visitors from 52 countries and regions.” For 2023, it reported “over 700 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions,” including a record Mainland China exhibitor tally exceeding 330. Those numbers compared with 888 exhibitors from 35 countries and regions in 2019, including 264 exhibitors from China.

‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Wins Unprecedented Five Awards at the HAF Project Market - variety.com - China - Japan - Hong Kong - Taiwan - county Lawrence
variety.com
15.03.2023 / 14:41

‘Fly Me to the Moon’ Wins Unprecedented Five Awards at the HAF Project Market

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Fly Me to the Moon,” a work-in-progress from Hong Kong, dominated the prizes presented at the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum project market. It collected five awards and was invited to continue its journey at Cannes in May. Directed by first-time feature maker Sasha Chuk and produced by the veteran Stanley Kwan, the film tells the tale of a pair of sisters moving from Hunan to Hong Kong in the 1990s. They are faced with an identity crisis, poverty and their father’s drug addiction. It entered the market with $640,000 of its intended $705,000 production budget in place, and more than filled the gap with the prizes announced on Wednesday.

John Chong on Making ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ an Authentic Dive into Notorious Kowloon Walled City and Yet Emblematic of Hong Kong’s New Wave (EXCLUSIVE) - variety.com - Britain - China - Berlin - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong
variety.com
15.03.2023 / 02:35

John Chong on Making ‘Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In’ an Authentic Dive into Notorious Kowloon Walled City and Yet Emblematic of Hong Kong’s New Wave (EXCLUSIVE)

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Kowloon Walled City — one of Hong Kong’s most famous landmarks, or infamous trouble spots, depending on your point of view — fell prey to the developers’ bulldozer 30 years ago. But it remains an icon of the territory’s gritty spirit and is being painstakingly re-created for action thriller feature “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.” The film is a beacon for how Hong Kong cinema is now evolving. Directed by hot-shot Soi Cheang, whose “Mad Fate” recently played in Berlin and is set for imminent local release, “Twilight” boasts leading stars Louis Koo, Sammo Hung and Richie Jen, plus emerging talents Philip Ng, Raymond Lau and Terrance Lau.

Imax China CEO Says China’s Cinema Revival Has a Long Way to Go - variety.com - China - California
variety.com
14.03.2023 / 19:17

Imax China CEO Says China’s Cinema Revival Has a Long Way to Go

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The recent reopening of the mainland Chinese box office, including a $1 billion Chinese New Year holiday season, has put a different complexion on the global theatrical industry. Few companies could be closer to that change in fortune than Imax China, a stock market-listed subsidiary of the Imax Corp. The company operates as both a supplier of screens, audio and projection equipment for premium cinemas and as a partner in making local Chinese films fit for exhibition in the giant format. During Chinese New Year, Imax was represented by “Avatar: The Way of Water” and four Chinese movies. Daniel Manwaring, CEO of Imax China, spoke to Variety in his first interview since taking on the top job in January.

China Film Industry Suffering From Long COVID, Says Bona Film COO – FilMart - variety.com - China - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong - Macau
variety.com
13.03.2023 / 14:09

China Film Industry Suffering From Long COVID, Says Bona Film COO – FilMart

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Despite a barnstorming address celebrating the re-opening of Hong Kong and China by Bona Film Group COO Jiang De Fu, it is clear that the film industry in China is still suffering its own version of long-COVID, with box office tracking at around half of 2018 levels. “The Chinese box office was RMB60.7 billion ($8.89 billion at current rates of exchange) in 2018. And 83 films made over RMB100 million. 16 films that made over RMB1 billion. Post-pandemic, in 2022, China’s box office was RMB29.9 billion. [Just] 41 films made over RMB100 million. [And] 8 films made over RMB1 billion. We are now only at 50% of the level in 2018,” said Jiang aty a presentation on the first day of Hong Kong’s FilMart.

China Box Office: ‘Post-Truth’ Wins Weekend With $17 Million Launch - variety.com - China - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong
variety.com
13.03.2023 / 13:27

China Box Office: ‘Post-Truth’ Wins Weekend With $17 Million Launch

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Post-Truth,” a Chinese comedy film about a cemetery plot salesman trying to salvage his reputation in the face of online assaults, topped the cinema box office in mainland China over the weekend, ahead of another new release title “Revival.” Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed that “Post-Truth” earned $17.0 million between Friday and Sunday. Including preview, it has a cumulative of $20.3 million. Crime drama, “Revival” earned $10.3 million over the weekend and has a running total of $11.4 million including previews. The two newcomers dominated the box office and relegated Hong Kong-produced courtroom drama “A Guilty Conscience” to a distant third place. “Guilty” took $2.3 million (RMB15.8 million) for a cumulative of $23 million since releasing on Feb. 24.

Adam Driver Sci-fi Film ’65’ Confirmed to Land in China Cinemas - variety.com - China - county Woods - city Columbia - county Bryan
variety.com
08.03.2023 / 12:59

Adam Driver Sci-fi Film ’65’ Confirmed to Land in China Cinemas

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Adam Driver-starring sci-fi adventure film “65” has been approved for theatrical release in mainland China. It will hit cinemas on March 31, some three weeks after the film began to release in other international territories. The film is branded as a Columbia Pictures title and will be released by the Sony label in most territories. In China, however, all revenue-sharing import titles are officially handled by a state-owned enterprise. The Hollywood studio’s Chinese office theoretically operates in an advisory capacity, though in practice it is likely to be involved in marketing strategy and p&a decisions. The film has a survival-quest narrative. After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Driver) quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth some 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.

‘The Woman King’ Approved for Release in Mainland China Cinemas - variety.com - China
variety.com
07.03.2023 / 07:43

‘The Woman King’ Approved for Release in Mainland China Cinemas

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief TriStar Pictures film “The Woman King” has been given official permission to release in cinemas in mainland China. It is expected to debut on April 14. The Viola Davis-starring fantasy action film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year and went into U.S. and international commercial release shortly after. The film has grossed $97.2 million worldwide, with $29.9 million coming from international markets and $67.3 million in North America. While the China release is significantly later than the rest of the world, potentially opening the film to online piracy, the launch date was communicated by Chinese authorities with some five weeks of advanced notice. That is more than many Hollywood films have received in China and gives the local marketing teams a reasonable chance to promote the film’s theatrical launch.

Netflix to Increase Asia Content Spending by 15% in 2023 as Revenue Growth Accelerates in the Region – Study - variety.com - Australia - China - South Korea - India - Thailand - Japan - Indonesia - Singapore - Philippines - region Asia-Pacific
variety.com
06.03.2023 / 09:15

Netflix to Increase Asia Content Spending by 15% in 2023 as Revenue Growth Accelerates in the Region – Study

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Global streaming operation Netflix is forecast to spend $1.9 billion on local content in the Asia-Pacific region this year as group revenue from the region accelerates to 12%, according to a new report. The content investment spending figure represents a 15% hike. Netflix will grow revenues this year by 12% year-on-year to exceed $4 billion compared with 9% growth in 2022, says a new report published on Monday by Media Partners Asia.

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