‘The Eight Hundred’ Controversial War Film Finally Given China Release Date

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorAfter pulling in $33.5M across five days of previews at the Chinese box office, local war epic The Eight Hundred overwhelmingly stormed theaters today, its first official day of release. Adding roughly $20M across the country on Friday — the biggest single-day box office since cinemas resumed operations — the Middle Kingdom cume is now north of $53M.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese war film, “The Eight Hundred” achieved a cumulative box office score of more than $40 million by late afternoon on its opening day, Friday.By 5pm local time, the film had notched up RMB62.7 million or $9.04 million, according to data from China Box Office and Ent Group. That added to $31.8 million of previews earned on Friday last week and the days between Monday and Wednesday this week.The film enjoyed an 86% market share.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorSony and Tencent’s Oscar-nominated A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood has been cleared for China and will open there on Sept. 18.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTom Hanks-starring drama “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” will join a thickening crowd of local and international films heading for Chinese movie theaters in the next six weeks.The film, about beloved U.S. TV host Mr.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorChina was the big breakout this past weekend, leading the international box office for the fourth frame in a row and powered by the reissue of Warner Bros’ Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone in a 4K 3D restoration that conjured $13.6M on 16,000 screens over the three-day frame.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBig-budget Chinese war epic “The Eight Hundred” is on course to be the first blockbuster film of the year in the Middle Kingdom, after super-strong Monday previews confirmed audience willingness to return to theaters.The film earned $7.24 million from 17,200 screenings on Monday, according to data from local analysis firm Ent Group.

Rebecca Davis editorPeter Chan’s hotly anticipated biographical sports drama “Leap” is set to hit China on Sept. 30, becoming the first of the Chinese New Year blockbusters canceled due to COVID-19 to set a theatrical outing.Local animation “Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification,” which was also originally scheduled to premiere over the lunar new year, will premiere the day after.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorHarry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone worked some magic in China on Friday with Warner Bros’ 3D reissue conjuring $4.6M. This is by far the biggesst single-day gross since cinemas resumed operations, overtaking the opening of WB’s earlier re-release of Chirstopher Nolan’s Interstellar by 66% (though that film bowed on a Sunday).

We’ve said it time and time again, the release of “Mulan” in Chinese theaters is probably more important than the release in North America. With a story steeped in China’s folklore and starring an entirely Asian cast, it’s clear that Disney intended for its live-action “Mulan” remake to be a big hit in Asia.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese war action film “The Eight Hundred” will open in theaters in North America, Australia and New Zealand at the end of the month, a week after it becomes the biggest local film this year to open in Chinese cinemas..Handled by Huayi Bros., the controversial film will release in China on Aug. 28.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterMulan may be eschewing cinemas in most of the world, but audiences in China will be able to watch the film on the big screen, Disney revealed today.Posting on its Weibo account, the studio confirmed that the film had been cleared for release in the Middle Kingdom, writing that “the magnolia blossoms live up to expectations and come as promised” and “the theater is about to bloom”.No release date was confirmed.

Rebecca Davis editorDisney confirmed Monday that its live-action “Mulan” has been approved to release in Chinese cinemas “soon,” making China the most significant territory where the film will receive a theatrical outing. It has not yet been granted an official release date in the Middle Kingdom.The U.S.

Rebecca Davis editorU.S. President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order that will effectively ban TikTok, unless the app is sold to a U.S.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterJimmy Lai, the influential Hong Kong businessman who runs the listed media company Next Digital and the tabloid-style paper Apple Daily, has become one of the most high-profile arrests under the controversial new security law imposed by China.Lai’s newspaper offices were also raided by more than 200 police officers, according to the BBC, with several other arrests taking place, citing “suspicion of collusion with foreign forces”.Lai is a UK citizen.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterSony has secured a China release for Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-winning Little Women, with the film set to bow in the Middle Kingdom on August 25.The movie, a re-telling of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel starring Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen as the March sisters, alongside Timothée Chalamet, has been a hit in international markets, grossing north of $100M since it rolled out in January.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorChristopher Nolan’s highly anticipated Tenet has been set for a September 4 release date in China. This will come on the heels of Warner Bros launching the event picture’s rollout in a host of offshore markets beginning on August 26 and in the U.S.

It has been a long wait for Christoper Nolan but it seems like TENET is finally going to debut on the big screen. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has delayed the release of TENET across the world but the film is going ahead with international releases in countries that are safe for theatres to reopen.

Late-night stars are making fun of U.S. President Donald Trump’s apparent obsession with video-sharing app TikTok.