Studio Ghibli President Hoshino Koji Resigns

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animated film “The First Slam Dunk” has taken a strong early lead at the mainland China box office, picking up $13.8 million on its Thursday opening day. Films mostly release in China on Fridays, but the Japanese hit was given previews on Wednesday and a full court release on Thursday, starting with widespread midnight screenings. Data from local firm Ent Group reveals that the film earned $3.16 million from some 14,000 preview screenings on Wednesday, followed by $13.8 million on Thursday from 184,000 screening sessions. That gives it a $17 million cumulative and positions it at the top of the box office chart even before the conventional Friday to Sunday weekend begins.

If you’ve been paying attention to the tragic case of the shooting of young Ralph Yarl — and politics over the past few years — you may not be too surprised by the latest development. For those who haven’t been following,

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Margo Price, Mickey Guyton, Kelsea Ballerini and dozens of other top Nashville musicians are calling for the Tennessee General Assembly to pass “common sense gun safety legislation” before lawmakers end their session a few days from now, according to a report in the Tennessean. (A complete list of signees is below.) The letter calls for extreme risk protection laws and legislation strengthening requirements around secure storage of firearms. The letter was drafted after of the deadly Covenant School shooting last month, in which three adults and three nine-year-old children were killed. It was the 19 th shooting at a school or university in 2023 alone — one of hundreds of mass shootings in a country with a government that, largely due to Republican obstruction, refuses to pass more-thorough gun-control laws.

Deadline has launched the streaming site for its 2023 Contenders Television award-season event, which wrapped over the weekend after a total of 40 scripted series showed off their wares in front of voters at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “John Wick: Chapter 4” easily outgunned Japanese animation film Suzume to claim top spot at the South Korean box office over the latest weekend. The American action title earned $4.05 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). That represented a nearly 50% market share, continuing a polarization or clustering around a single title that has become familiar of late in Korea, a market that formerly had greater diversity and width. Over the five days since its Wednesday opening, “John Wick 4” earned $5.87 million.

Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama attended Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour stop in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday night and were spotted by eagle-eyed fans. In one video, Biden is seen wearing a mask and getting into a black vehicle on his way to the show.

Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama attended Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour stop in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday night and were spotted by eagle-eyed fans. In one video, Biden is seen wearing a mask and getting into a black vehicle on his way to the show.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese electronics giant, Sony has opened a virtual production studio in Shanghai, China, that it says can be used for shooting film, TV and commercials. The studio opened last month and is jointly operated with Gwantsi, one of China’s largest commercials production companies. Virtual production involves the use of high-resolution screens that create a backdrop in front of which actors perform. This can reduce the need for location travel, cut set-up times, shorten post-production and provide a more life-like environment for performers than traditional green-screen environments. VP studios are also well adapted to motion capture production.

President Joe Biden plans to appoint producer Bruce Cohen and Lady Gaga as the co-chairs of the revived President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Competition reality TV format “Lego Masters” has been picked up by Tokyo Broadcasting System for adaptation in Japan. The deal is the 19th for the Banijay Rights-represented format and the third in Asia. Production is currently underway for the show, which will see pairs compete against each other to wow judges with inspiring designs and brick builds. “I am looking forward to working with Banijay Rights and not only learn about the production of the show, but also to closely examine the essence of creation behind it,” said Aso Kunihiro, producer, contents solution department at TBS in a prepared statement.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A growing range of Thai, Japanese and Chinese-language films and TV shows are reaching global audiences – joining the by-now well-established international viewership for South Korean shows.Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week April 3-10, sees made-for-streaming Korean title “Kill Boksoon” on top of the non-English-language films list, with 27.5 million hours watched in its second week of release. It is immediately followed by Thai film “Hunger,” about a young woman apprentice in an upmarket restaurant working under a tough boss. The film is directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri and stars “Bad Genius” breakout Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animation “Suzume” held on to top spot for a fifth consecutive weekend at the South Korean box office, as Korean-produced sports film “Rebound” proved to be misnamed. Arriving only in second place, “Rebound” failed to provide any bounce to the beleaguered cinema sector, leaving the weekend as the lowest scoring this year.

Matteo Berrettini had a disappointing showing at the Miami Open this year, but it gave him time to rest up for his next tournament!

Abigail Zwerner, a Virginia teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student earlier this year, is suing her school’s administrators for $40 million, claiming they failed to protect her against the violent child!

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” landed into second place at a depressed South Korean box office with a market share barely a fifth that of chart leader “Suzume.” The Japanese animation film earned $4.46 million in its fourth week of release, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). While that was a 26% week-on-week drop, its hold on the chart remained at over 60%. Since releasing on March 8, it has grossed $29.9 million, making it the second highest film of the year in Korea – behind another Japanese animation “The First Slam Dunk” on $35.1 million. “D&D” was the weekend’s top-placed new release and earned $958,000 for a 13% market share. Over the full five days since its opening on Wednesday, it achieved $1.36 million.

President Joe Biden is not expected to attend the coronation of King Charles III, according to a source familiar with the planning.The planning of King Charles' highly anticipated coronation is in full swing as the date creeps closer. Although the official guest list hasn't been revealed, it's known that US President Joe Biden is one of the few lucky people who were sent an invite to the event. However, it's now been reported by a source that the president, who paid tribute to the late Queen last year, might not attend the coronation himself, but might instead send his first lady, Dr Jill Biden, or his Vice President, Kamala Harris, instead.

Riley Keough, who began 2023 celebrating the awards season success of the biopic, but then shortly after dealt with the heartbreaking death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, and now is riding high on the success of her acclaimed Prime Video series, . However, the 33-year-old actress' grief over her mother's death has been complicated by budding legal drama between her and her grandmother, Priscilla Presley. In February, two weeks after Lisa Marie's death, Priscilla filed paperwork challenging a 2016 amendment to her daughter's will, which removed Priscilla and Lisa Marie's former business manager, Barry Siegel, as co-trustees and named Riley and her brother, Benjamin Keough, as the new co-trustees.

Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company is bringing back its barnstorming stage adaptation of famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s hand-drawn 1988 classic My Neighbour Totoro for a second season at London’s Barbican in November.

Matteo Berrettini leads the way on a jog with Melissa Satta in Miami, Fla., on Tuesday afternoon (March 28).

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK and Lady Gaga have been invited to perform for US president Joe Biden and South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol at an upcoming state dinner.According to a report by South Korean news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily, the pop stars have been invited to perform at an upcoming US state dinner between US president Biden and South Korean president Yoon.Yoon is set to make a state visit to the US on April 26, which will feature a joint cultural event at a state dinner with the US president. The dinner will reportedly begin with an opening ceremony, at which BLACKPINK and Lady Gaga have been invited to perform at.YG Entertainment has since confirmed that the girl group have received an invitation.