Variety’s 2021 Cannes Preview: The State of the International Biz, the Digital Marketplace, Buzz Titles

It’s July 2021, and instead of talking about “F9,” “Black Widow,” or any of the summer blockbusters from this year, The Playlist Podcast is going back to the ‘80s to talk about two cult classic summer films, “Escape From New York” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” Why? Because they’re both celebrating big anniversaries. Oh, and because John Carpenter is one of the best filmmakers of all time and Kurt Russell is a national treasure.

Tim Dams One of the biggest conundrums for many working in the fledgling XR sector is how to make money in the medium.As part this week’s Cannes XR program, Jingshu Chen, co-founder of VR entertainment platform VeeR will deliver a keynote that seeks to address the issue.Beijing-based VeeR distributes, produces and invests in narrative VR content, and also operates the ZeroSpace VR cinema chain in China.Chen’s July 9 keynote, titled “Cinematic VR content distribution and monetization,” comes at

Endeavor China, which just named a new group CEO, Thursday announced the acquisition of Shanghai-based Mailman Group, a digital agency for sports brands and rights holders.

Ashton Kutcher has a strong opinion about China's influence via social media. The 43-year-old actor recently appeared on the American Optimist YouTube channel and spoke about protecting children from various crimes on the internet.

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Rebecca Davis editorChina’s two new propaganda films topped the box office over their first weekend in theaters, but it appears that the politically correct content may not prove popular enough to drive sales at blockbuster levels.Most of the biggest local blockbusters set to hit China over the rest of the year are propaganda titles.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“F9” has the box office in overdrive. The ninth installment in Universal’s action-packed “Fast and Furious” franchise has surpassed $500 million in global ticket sales, solidifying its place as Hollywood’s biggest theatrical hit of the pandemic era.Other than “Hi, Mom” ($822 million) and “Detective Chinatown 3” ($686 million), which were both produced in China, “F9” is the only movie to cross the $500 million milestone since 2019.

Refresh for latest…: Universal’s F9 is gearing up to hit the $500M mark globally, a milestone it will cross on Monday as it becomes the first Hollywood movie to do so during the pandemic era, and the first since any studio film originally released during 2019. The Justin Lin-helmed title will also join China’s Hi, Mom and Detective Chinatown 3 as only the third film of any provenance to get there in 2020 and 2021. The worldwide cume through Sunday is $491.5M.

Rebecca Davis editorStar-powered propaganda flick “1921” hit number one at the Chinese box office this week, bringing in $11.6 million from pre-screenings ahead of its July 1 debut, according to Maoyan data. The historical drama debuted earlier this month as the opening night title of the Shanghai Intl.

Rebecca Davis editorDespite an unprecedentedly difficult year, the Chinese film industry has come roaring back.

Rebecca Davis editor“Moneyboys,” the China-set first feature from up-and-coming helmer C.B. Yi, dropped its first trailer Wednesday.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Anthony Hopkins-starring Oscar winner “The Father” debuted in China to a $1.21 million opening weekend, coming in eleventh despite a slow box office weekend, according to data from the Maoyan platform.The first feature from helmer Florian Zeller received six Academy Award nominations and two wins — one for Hopkins as best actor and one for best adapted screenplay.

EXCLUSIVE: UK sales company Parkland Pictures has picked up worldwide sales rights to feature documentary Never Forget Tibet about the Dalai Lama.

Dr. Ei-ichi Negishi was a scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work, which paved the way for new medicines and OLED televisions.Negishi shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with two other scientists, all of whom worked to create new organic molecules by linking carbon atoms in a technique known as palladium-catalyzed cross coupling.

Rebecca Davis editorColumbia Pictures’ “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” hopped up to second in China this weekend, but was unable to scurry past local sports drama “Never Stop” despite an extra day’s lead.“Peter Rabbit 2” grossed a relatively unremarkable $969,000 (RMB6.2 million) on opening day Friday but managed to pull in $7.8 million from 10,500 screens over the three-day holiday weekend.

Rebecca Davis editorOne of the most prominent Chinese propaganda films of the year is set for a flashy, state-sanctioned premiere as the opening night selection of the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival on Friday.

Haley Bosselman editor“Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu sees his error in casting brown actors in subservient roles.While promoting his new film “In the Heights,” Chu told Insider that he should have made the South Asian characters in “Crazy Rich Asians” “more human” and that he “totally gets” the criticism.The 2018 rom-com hit centers on the relationship between Chinese American professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and history professor Nick Young (Henry Golding).