Netflix to Open Canadian Office, Hire Local Content Exec

Christopher Vourlias When Joel Phiri and his partners at Known Associates Entertainment began financing “uBettina Wethu,” the South African remake of the megahit Colombian telenovela that inspired the ABC series “Ugly Betty,” the Johannesburg-based producer says, “We talked to anybody that would listen.”That those talks would involve both local and global streaming services was a given.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMultinational streaming giant Netflix is positioning itself to be a dominant force in South Korean entertainment, a country where films, TV shows and K-pop music have become global successes.The company said Thursday that it will spend close to half a billion dollars on Korean content in the current year and expand its production slate.New elements include two stand-alone films: “Moral Sense” and “Carter.” The former, to be directed by Park Hyun-jin (“Like for

Danielle Turchiano Senior Features Editor, TVComedian Ronny Chieng has struck a deal with Netflix for three upcoming projects: two new stand-up specials and a docu-style comedy special, Variety has learned exclusively.The still-to-be-titled docu-comedy special is described as a “semi-scripted road trip comedy” in which Chieng and his fellow comedian David Fung journey through a one-of-a-kind tour of America’s Chinatowns to promote local businesses, explore Asian American culture and push “each

One of the world’s better known fans of mystery novels, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is now writing one.

according to the City of Winnipeg Complaints Department — an entirely fictional state agency — on Facebook. Recent images shared by the wacky watchdog group have featured snow men and women in a series of white-hot, sexually suggestive positions, including a pair found engaging in public fellatio on a bench near Winnipeg’s City Hall.

Chinese blockbusters Hi, Mom and Detective Chinatown 3 both sailed past the $600 million mark during their second weekend in cinemas — an unprecedented feat for two films competing head-to-head in a single market. Heartwarming comedy Hi, Mom, produced by Beijing Culture, has emerged as China's 2021 Lunar New Year champion despite beginning the holiday in distant second behind Wanda Pictures' comedy franchise hit Detective Chinatown 3.

Chinese New Year movies continued to drive the global and international box office this weekend, after their astonishing Covid-era debuts last frame. Leaders last session, Detective Chinatown 3 and Hi Mom, both crossed the RMB 4B mark locally, with each at an estimated RMB 4.02B ($621M) cume through Sunday. This is after just 10 days of play for each film, and boosts both up the all-time charts

With presumed Western blockbusters such as Black Widow, No Time to Die, and The Eternals delayed until later this year, the rambunctious Detective Chinatown franchise has leaped into the void in a very, very big way. Few, if any movies have ever raked in so much coin in so little time.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Beijing Culture-backed tear-jerking comedy “Hi, Mom” grossed $134 million this weekend to finally surpass Wanda Film’s record-breaking Chinese New Year holiday frontrunner “Detective Chinatown 3” in overall box office, having led the latter in single-day returns since Monday.It is now only the sixth film to ever have grossed more than RMB400 million ($62 million) in China, a feat achieved by “Detective Chinatown 3,” “Avengers: Endgame” and four other local titles.The

In the span of six days, the Chinese box office roared to a $1.2B Lunar New Year record, with Wanda Pictures’ Detective Chinatown 3 setting global benchmarks for the biggest opening day and weekend in a single market.

Rebecca Davis editorChina’s Lunar New Year holiday brought in a record $1.2 billion (RMB7.8 billion) in ticket sales, making a tenth of the global 2020 box office in just six days.It marked the first time in Chinese film history that the country’s single-day box office exceeded RMB1 billion ($155 million) for five consecutive days.

A comeback story is underway at China's booming theatrical box office. Beijing Culture's time-travel comedy Hi, Mom, which opened the Lunar New Year holiday in distant second place behind Wanda Picture's Detective Chinatown 3, has suddenly surged to the front of the pack.

EXCLUSIVE: Meaghan Rath, who has starred in BBC America’s Being Human and has featured in CBS’ Hawaii Five-O and The CW’s Supergirl, is to star in CTV comedy Children Ruin Everything.

Detective Chinatown 3 has broken Avengers: Endgame‘s record for the highest grossing opening weekend at the box office in a single market.The 2019 Marvel film made $357million (£256m) on its first weekend in the US, but it has now been eclipsed in China.Despite cinemas being closed in many parts of the world, Chinese film fans are now able to see new releases in theatres, and the third film in the Detective Chinatown franchise – released at the weekend in line with the Chinese New Year – has

What a difference a year makes. After a 12-month postponement caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Wanda Pictures' much anticipated comedy tentpole Detective Chinatown 3 finally opened in China Friday for the first day of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday.

Refresh for latest…: Chinese moviegoers ushered in the Year of the Ox with the colossal three-day debut of Detective Chinatown 3 grossing an estimated RMB 2.56B ($397M). This tops Avengers: Endgame’s 2019 five-day China bow of RMB 2.22B to make DC3 not only the biggest opener in Chinese history, but also giving it bragging rights to the biggest opening weekend ever in a single market — overtaking Endgame’s North American launch of $357M from April 2019.

Rebecca Davis editorChina made history this weekend with record sales of nearly $775 million (RMB50 billion) within the first three days of the Chinese New Year holiday, led by an incredible $424 million (RMB2.74 billion) debut from “Detective Chinatown 3.”This marked the first time the country’s national box office has ever broken RMB1 billion ($155 million) a day for three consecutive days, a feat achieved despite caps on max theater capacity at 75% in most of the country and 50% in areas

Also Read: China and Japan Delivered Half of 2020's Top 10 Box Office Hits for First Time EverWhile “Detective Chinatown 3” is not likely to challenge “Endgame”‘s all-time global record of $2.79 billion, it is well on pace to pass the Marvel blockbuster’s Chinese total of $679 million.

A year after Covid raged in China, the country’s box office is all sewn up and back together with Detective Chinatown 3 besting Avengers: Endgame‘s U.S./Canada all-time opening with a $394M weekend. But here in the states, we’re still trying to get the pandemic under control, and winter storms which impacted 100 million Americans according to the National Weather Service didn’t help over a four-day Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day weekend which is historically a lucrative time.

The new Chinese film Detective Chinatown 3 just broke the record for the biggest opening day in a single market.