Nike, Kindle, Airbnb Halting Online Operations in China

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese streaming service iQiyi is uploading a huge slate of drama series, films and variety shows for summer. Many were teased as part of a 213-title splurge in May.The drama series lineup includes new title “Dr. Tang,” “The Heart Of Genius,” “The Lord Of Losers” and “Love The Way You Are.”The list of variety shows includes “The Detectives’ Adventures” Season 2 and “The Rap of China 2022.” It is also adding animation “Deer Squad” Season 2 and film “Face’s Verb.”Women’s themes are to the fore.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPoppy Liu has been cast in a guest star role in the upcoming Disney+ series “American Born Chinese,” Variety has learned exclusively.Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang, the series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), a teenager juggling his high school social life with his immigrant home life. When Jin meets foreign exchange student Wei-Chen (Jim Liu) on the first day of school, their worlds collide as Jin becomes entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSentimental local drama film “Lighting up the Stars” topped the mainland China box office with a solid $31.8 million opening weekend. It underlined the cinema reopening and industry recovery process that has been underway since the beginning of June.The film tells the tale of an ex-con funeral director who has a chance meeting with an orphaned girl. The encounter changes both of their lives.Produced by Lian Ray Pictures, it is directed by Liu Jiangjiang and stars Zhu Yilong as the man and Yang Enyou as the girl.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorHollywood producer Janet Yang was feted on Tuesday evening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with a pillar named in her honor.Yang, who worked alongside Steven Spielberg on “Empire of the Sun,” and produced Netflix’s “Over the Moon” and “The Joy Luck Club,” became the first Asian American woman to have a pillar at the museum. She called it “a symbol of how communities can come together.”Some of the most prominent Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Hollywood came out to celebrate the historic moment, including legendary actor James Hong, journalist Lisa Ling, singer Katherine Ho, Gold House CEO and co-founder Bing Chen, actor Daniel Dae Kim and California State Treasurer Fiona Ma.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Jurassic World Dominion” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office despite a 57% drop and the expected challenge from local newcomer “One Week Friends.”The dinosaur franchise movie picked up $23.3 million (RMB156 million) in China between Friday and Sunday, giving it a healthy cumulative score of $92.4 million after ten days in theaters, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The film’s performance was a steep decline from its opening weekend, but the competition from new release Chinese youth drama film “One Week Friends” was weaker than had been anticipated.Released only on Saturday, “One Week Friends” earned $5.8 million (RMB38.9 million) from its first two days in Chinese theaters.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentHBO Max’s animated prequel series “Gremlins: Spirit of the Mogwai,” which world premiered on June 16 at France’s Annecy Animation Festival, begins with a hint of “The Sound of Music.”A young Gizmo stands in his bucolic grassy homeland, hidden down a huge hole in snowbound high Himalayas, chanting from a circular stone dias, replete with mysterious engravings. As his fellow Mogwai chant back, positioned on grassy knolls around him, suddenly the hills are alive with the sound of Mogwai.Then a shadow falls out of the sky – a huge heinous eagle plummeting towards the Mogwai.

EXCLUSIVE: Julia Chan (Archive 81) has been cast as a series regular opposite Michaela McManus and Parker Young in Criminal Nature, ABC’s drama pilot from Rashad Raisani, 20th Television and A+E Studios. Ian Duff also stars.

An unusual 50p coin has sold for almost 270 times its face value on eBay, with thousands more still in circulation.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA powerfully impressive opening by “Jurassic World Dominion” and a partial reopening of cinemas gave China its biggest box office weekend in more than three months. The dinosaur franchise movie earned $53 million (RMB355 million) in three days in China, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The film chewed off a massive 88% share of the total weekend market.

Refresh for latest…: Universal/Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World Dominion is putting its dino-print out in an additional 57 overseas markets this weekend after stomping into 15 early hubs last session. Through Thursday, the Colin Trevorrow-directed threequel has grossed $95.1M at the international box office. When including Friday’s China start, that rises to $110.4M.

Johnny Depp visit. The 58-year-old dined out at Varanasi in the city's Broad Street on Sunday night.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“My Blue Summer,” a local romance led the Chinese box office higher over the latest weekend with a modestly respectable $7.2 million (RMB48.2 million) opening session. But the trend is hard to discern due to continually changing COVID conditions in China and the country’s uncertain economic direction.The nationwide Friday to Sunday box office total was $26.7 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The total was more than double the $11.5 million achieved the previous weekend.The performance was goosed by the Dragon Boat Holiday weekend, operating June 3-5.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s e-commerce and media giant Alibaba recorded lower profits in the 12 months to March 2022, following a year of turmoil for tech companies, a weakening Chinese economy, a COVID revival and Russia’s war in Ukraine..Group revenues increased by 19% in the year to March, reaching $135 billion (RMB853 billion). In the fourth quarter, revenues grew 9% to $32.2 billion (RMB204 billion).Net profits bore the brunt of the difficult conditions and the market value of some of its investments in other companies reduced by some $7 billion.