Warner Music Partners With Tencent on Joint Venture Record Label in China

Rebecca Davis editor“Godzilla vs. Kong” was once again muscled out of the top China box office slot by local drama “Sister” thanks to a $13.2 million third weekend cume that was no match for the latter’s $21 million.Its China tally was a touch less than its $13.4 million second weekend sales in North America.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken danced around the notion of a 2022 China Winter Olympic boycott Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, calling such talk “premature.”

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Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChina’s e-commerce and entertainment industry giant Alibaba Group has been hit with a fine of RMB18.23 billion ($2.8 billion) for alleged monopoly activities.The record punishment was announced Saturday morning local time by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, which accused Alibaba of abusing its market dominance.The SAMR opened a formal investigation into the company on Dec. 24, 2020.

Fife, using a number of different mobile phones.

In March of 2020, at the top of the pandemic, when former reality show host Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “China Virus” and “Kung Flu”, violence and harassment against Asians and Asian Americans started to surge.

Chinese movie mogul Wang Zhongjun, co-founder of Huayi Brothers Media, has stepped down as chairman of holding company Huayi Tencent Entertainment. Established in 2016, the firm, which is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange, has been used by Huayi Brothers, Tencent and its other investors as a vehicle to co-finance international films and buy stakes in companies listed outside China.

Godzilla vs Kong has turned out to be among the top earners amid the pandemic releases at the global box office. The film debuted with a collection of over USD 121.8 million at the foreign box office, as per Hollywood Reporter.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefTencent, the social media, games and entertainment colossus that is China’s largest corporation, announced annual profits of $24 billion or $2 billion per month for 2020, a stunning 67% leap. But investors’ eyes are largely focused on what China’s regulators have in store for the company.Two years ago, regulators sought to control the games industry component of Tencent.

Dua Lipa, Madonna and Ed Sheeran, made available across Tencent’s platforms as well as connected devices such as in-car audio systems.In a statement, the two companies said the deal will “[leverage] Warner Music’s global resources and experience in supporting artists’ careers, as well as [Tencent’s] massive influence in mainland China’s music and entertainment market”.Warner and Tencent have worked together previously, signing a licensing deal for recorded music in 2014.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTencent Music Entertainment Group, part of the massive China-based Tencent media company, and Warner Music have announced an expanded multi-year strategic licensing agreement that will also see the companies collaborating on a new joint venture record label.While Tencent became a 20% owner of Warner competitor Universal Music Group late last year, it and Warner have been working together since their original agreement more than a decade ago. As part of the expanded

James Cameron's Avatar again dominated China'sbox office over the weekend, adding $14.1 million to its record as the world's top-grossing film of all time. Over the past 10 days, the 2009 blockbuster has earned $41 million on rerelease, lifting its career total in China to $250.2 million.

Rebecca Davis editorLongstanding Alibaba executive and pop culture icon Gao Xiaosong has left his role as director of Alibaba Music, according to company data publicly available via the Chinese company information site Tianyancha.He exited Tuesday, the same day that the Wall Street Journal reported that the Chinese government has asked Alibaba Group to sell off or reel in its sprawling assortment of media assets.

Rebecca Davis editorTop Chinese director Feng Xiaogang will step in front of the camera alongside Chinese-American actor-director Joan Chen in a local adaptation of the 2009 Hollywood tearjerker “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale,” which began shooting Thursday.It is currently set to premiere on New Year’s Eve.Feng is best known for his work as a director on films such as “Youth,” “I Am Not Madame Bovary” and “Cellphone,” but he has also frequently taken on acting roles, with his most recent starring role in

Rebecca Davis editorLegendary documentarian Wang Bing is at HAF this year with his new project “I Come from Ikotun,” which follows two Nigerian families with a foothold in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou over the course of the pandemic.Known for his epically long, unflinching works that have previously tackled sensitive issues like China’s brutal re-education camps, Wang will this time turn his lens on a more cross-cultural subject.

Tencent Games, the video game division of China's media conglomerate Tencent, has partnered with Its Just Us Productions to expand cross-promotional opportunities inPlayerUnknown's Battleground Mobile. The Los Angeles-based Its Just Us, an independent production and finance company, will identify opportunities for PUBG Mobile'sin-game and offline platforms.

EXCLUSIVE: Euro producer and sales firm Anton is launching world sales on completed Eric Cantona movie Magic 7 from Heartbreaker, The Intouchables and The Death Of Stalin producer Nicolas Duval Adassovsky of Quad Productions.

Vivienne Chow Television Broadcasts, Hong Kong’s leading TV group, is set to boost its variety and music programs following a recent management reshuffle. It aims to bring back veteran entertainers who have experience and profile on the mainland Chinese market in order that the station can expand its foothold in the Greater Bay Area.The new appointments come after a difficult year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese indie sales agency Blossoms Entertainment returns to FilMart with a slate of large-scale commercial pictures sourced from a clutch of China’s biggest film studios.The agency, operated by former IM Global staffers Vicky Ding and Leslie Chen, is pre-selling “Railway Heroes,” a tale of heroism and wartime sabotage which is targeting a National Day release in October.