Avatar 2 Leads The Global 10 In The Post-Covid Era & Here’s Where Barbie & Oppenheimer Is At On The List. (Photo Credit – IMDb)
The Covid-19 pandemic shook the world, and the entertainment world also suffered. People were getting scared to go to the cinema halls to watch movies, but things changed eventually, and people adapted to the new normal. Movie lovers went to the theatres to show their love for their favorite stars, filmmakers, and anticipated films, reflected in their box office collections. Avatar: The Way of Water or Avatar 2 by James Cameron is at the top of Box Office Global Top 10 in the post-covid era. Check out the rest of the list below.
Cameron’s most-awaited sci-fi film was released in 2022 and was the sequel to his 2009 movie. The film features Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, and others in titular roles. The filmmaker’s Titanic star Kate Winslet joined...
The Covid-19 pandemic shook the world, and the entertainment world also suffered. People were getting scared to go to the cinema halls to watch movies, but things changed eventually, and people adapted to the new normal. Movie lovers went to the theatres to show their love for their favorite stars, filmmakers, and anticipated films, reflected in their box office collections. Avatar: The Way of Water or Avatar 2 by James Cameron is at the top of Box Office Global Top 10 in the post-covid era. Check out the rest of the list below.
Cameron’s most-awaited sci-fi film was released in 2022 and was the sequel to his 2009 movie. The film features Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, and others in titular roles. The filmmaker’s Titanic star Kate Winslet joined...
- 5/15/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
“Jaw-droppingly epic” Digital Spy
“The mother of all blockbusters” Filmhounds Magazine
“A stunning sci-fi epic” Eastern Film Fans
“Hugely entertaining” Invincible Asia
“A nail-biting and thrilling ride” Morning Star
Boasting incredible and epic visuals, this stunning interstellar blockbuster is a fresh prequel to one of the highest grossing films of all time, a $700m box office success, and Netflix global smash hit. Based on the popular novella by science fiction author Liu Cixin, The Wandering Earth II is a true sci-fi blockbuster, directed by Frant Gwo (The Sacrifice) and starring Andy Lau and Wu Jing.
In the near future, the sun is rapidly expanding and will engulf the earth within 100 years. To ensure the survival of humankind, nations join hands to form an unprecedented, ambitious global project to build powerful engines on the earth’s surface and propel the planet away from impending doom. Meanwhile, protests have broken out to...
“The mother of all blockbusters” Filmhounds Magazine
“A stunning sci-fi epic” Eastern Film Fans
“Hugely entertaining” Invincible Asia
“A nail-biting and thrilling ride” Morning Star
Boasting incredible and epic visuals, this stunning interstellar blockbuster is a fresh prequel to one of the highest grossing films of all time, a $700m box office success, and Netflix global smash hit. Based on the popular novella by science fiction author Liu Cixin, The Wandering Earth II is a true sci-fi blockbuster, directed by Frant Gwo (The Sacrifice) and starring Andy Lau and Wu Jing.
In the near future, the sun is rapidly expanding and will engulf the earth within 100 years. To ensure the survival of humankind, nations join hands to form an unprecedented, ambitious global project to build powerful engines on the earth’s surface and propel the planet away from impending doom. Meanwhile, protests have broken out to...
- 11/7/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
The latest film from the director of ‘Farewell My Concubine’ will be released in China in late September.
Fortissimo Films has secured international rights to Chinese war epic The Volunteers: To The War by Chen Kaige, the acclaimed director of Farewell My Concubine and The Battle At Lake Changjin.
The Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company will launch sales on the feature at the Asian Contents and Film Market in Busan next month, following its release in China on September 28. The international sales agreement excludes North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The film, previously known as The Great War, is the...
Fortissimo Films has secured international rights to Chinese war epic The Volunteers: To The War by Chen Kaige, the acclaimed director of Farewell My Concubine and The Battle At Lake Changjin.
The Amsterdam and Beijing-based sales company will launch sales on the feature at the Asian Contents and Film Market in Busan next month, following its release in China on September 28. The international sales agreement excludes North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The film, previously known as The Great War, is the...
- 9/25/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
A movie about the United States’ entry into the Atomic Age might not seem like a straightforward sell in an increasingly nationalistic China, but “Oppenheimer” got off to a strong start there, earning $39 million in 10 days.
That’s amid solid word of mouth (an 8.9 from Douban) and a local press tour by director Christopher Nolan. His in-person promotional visit marked the first such event for a Hollywood film since pre-covid times.
The puzzle now is whether Nolan’s popularity in China is a one-of-a-kind factor or if there’s a broader lesson about what can make for a blockbuster in the country. It’s a crucial question about a once-lucrative market for Hollywood superhero movies and other action-driven tentpoles that has lately proven far more challenging for film marketers.
Robert Pattinson and John David Washington star in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ The Nolan factor
“Christopher Nolan has a strong following among Chinese moviegoers,...
That’s amid solid word of mouth (an 8.9 from Douban) and a local press tour by director Christopher Nolan. His in-person promotional visit marked the first such event for a Hollywood film since pre-covid times.
The puzzle now is whether Nolan’s popularity in China is a one-of-a-kind factor or if there’s a broader lesson about what can make for a blockbuster in the country. It’s a crucial question about a once-lucrative market for Hollywood superhero movies and other action-driven tentpoles that has lately proven far more challenging for film marketers.
Robert Pattinson and John David Washington star in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ The Nolan factor
“Christopher Nolan has a strong following among Chinese moviegoers,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
While there is still a chunk of the year left to go, the summer movie season is officially behind us as "The Equalizer 3" topped the charts over Labor Day weekend. With that, we move into fall where awards season hopefuls will enter the fold, and horror movies will look to cash in around the Halloween season. Sure, a movie could break out big between now and December 31 but, by and large, the biggest movies of the year are probably behind us. And, for the first time in more than 20 years, the three biggest of the big movies are not sequels.
Currently, the top three movies of 2023 at the global box office are "Barbie" ($1.384 billion), "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" ($1.359 billion), and "Oppenheimer" ($853.5 million), per The Numbers. Two of these are films based on established IP from Mattel and Nintendo, respectively, while director Christopher Nolan made a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer,...
Currently, the top three movies of 2023 at the global box office are "Barbie" ($1.384 billion), "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" ($1.359 billion), and "Oppenheimer" ($853.5 million), per The Numbers. Two of these are films based on established IP from Mattel and Nintendo, respectively, while director Christopher Nolan made a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
The top-earning film at the box office this weekend wasn’t “Barbie,” but rather “The Meg 2: The Trench.” The Warner Bros. Discovery/Cmc Pictures shark tale earned $142 million worldwide in its global debut, including a robust $53.3 million in China.
That opening weekend was already 11% higher than “Jurassic World Dominion,” 41% above “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” and more than double “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” It is also higher than the $50 million first weekend posted by “The Meg” in China back in August 2018.
It’s a big deal that “The Meg 2: The Trench” is performing anything like a pre-covid business-as-usual Hollywood tentpole. The key advantage might be old-fashioned star power.
The earlier Jason Statham/Li Bingbing-led actioner eventually earned $153 million of its $530 million total in the Middle Kingdom. If the sequel, which swaps Li for Wu Jing, legs out accordingly, we could see a $162 million Chinese total.
That opening weekend was already 11% higher than “Jurassic World Dominion,” 41% above “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” and more than double “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” It is also higher than the $50 million first weekend posted by “The Meg” in China back in August 2018.
It’s a big deal that “The Meg 2: The Trench” is performing anything like a pre-covid business-as-usual Hollywood tentpole. The key advantage might be old-fashioned star power.
The earlier Jason Statham/Li Bingbing-led actioner eventually earned $153 million of its $530 million total in the Middle Kingdom. If the sequel, which swaps Li for Wu Jing, legs out accordingly, we could see a $162 million Chinese total.
- 8/8/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
The summer box office season may have reached the dog days of August, but it’s hardly looked stronger over the past few months. Though the openings of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and “Meg 2: The Trench” won’t be able to take down “Barbie” as the top performer in North America, both new releases are boosting theaters to a weekend with four different features grossing north of $25 million.
Paramount Pictures’ “Mutant Mayhem” added $9.3 million from 3,858 locations on Friday, tracking neck-and-neck with “Oppenheimer” for second place on domestic charts. The animated feature, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey Productions, opened with Tuesday evening preview screenings and is now tracking for a $42 million five-day debut — squarely within the projections of $35 million to $45 million heading into the weekend.
That’s not shabby for the “Tmnt” entry, which cost only $70 million to produce — an especially economical figure for an animated studio release.
Paramount Pictures’ “Mutant Mayhem” added $9.3 million from 3,858 locations on Friday, tracking neck-and-neck with “Oppenheimer” for second place on domestic charts. The animated feature, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Point Grey Productions, opened with Tuesday evening preview screenings and is now tracking for a $42 million five-day debut — squarely within the projections of $35 million to $45 million heading into the weekend.
That’s not shabby for the “Tmnt” entry, which cost only $70 million to produce — an especially economical figure for an animated studio release.
- 8/5/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Even though things didn't start out on the best foot, Pixar's "Elemental" has had a downright astonishing run at the box office since it opened last month and, in its seventh weekend, managed to cross a pretty impressive milestone. Amazingly enough, it now ranks as the highest-grossing original Hollywood film released in theaters since the pandemic began. Yes, really.
After adding $3.4 million in its most recent weekend domestically, "Elemental" now sits at $395.2 million worldwide. That is currently more than "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" ($356 million), which was released two weeks after Pixar's latest. The film overtook Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" ($365.3 million) to take the title of Hollywood's biggest original of the pandemic era. As many of you will surely recall, Warner Bros. opted to release "Tenet" at the height of Covid in late 2020 to help give theaters something to show after they had been shut down for months on end.
After adding $3.4 million in its most recent weekend domestically, "Elemental" now sits at $395.2 million worldwide. That is currently more than "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" ($356 million), which was released two weeks after Pixar's latest. The film overtook Christopher Nolan's "Tenet" ($365.3 million) to take the title of Hollywood's biggest original of the pandemic era. As many of you will surely recall, Warner Bros. opted to release "Tenet" at the height of Covid in late 2020 to help give theaters something to show after they had been shut down for months on end.
- 8/1/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
’Barbenheimer’ helps drive top 10 titles to powerful $783m weekend total.
Worldwide box office Jul 21-23 RankFilm (distributor) 3-day (world) 3-day (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Barbie (Warner Bros) $337m $337m $182m $182m 70 2. Oppenheimer (Universal) $174m $174m $93m $93m 79 3. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount) $74.5m $370.8m $55m $252.1m 72 4. Creation Of The Gods (various) $42.5m $53.5m $42.5m $53.5m 1 5. Chang An San Wan Li (various) $40.3m $165.3m $40.3m $165.3m 1 6. Advancing Of Zq (various) $31m $31m $31m $31m 1 7. Elemental (Disney) $24.1m $356.6m $18.3m $219.4m 52 8. Never Say Never (various) $20.5m $255.7m $20.5m $255.7m 1 9. Sound Of Freedom (Angel) $20.1m $155.8m...
Worldwide box office Jul 21-23 RankFilm (distributor) 3-day (world) 3-day (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Barbie (Warner Bros) $337m $337m $182m $182m 70 2. Oppenheimer (Universal) $174m $174m $93m $93m 79 3. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount) $74.5m $370.8m $55m $252.1m 72 4. Creation Of The Gods (various) $42.5m $53.5m $42.5m $53.5m 1 5. Chang An San Wan Li (various) $40.3m $165.3m $40.3m $165.3m 1 6. Advancing Of Zq (various) $31m $31m $31m $31m 1 7. Elemental (Disney) $24.1m $356.6m $18.3m $219.4m 52 8. Never Say Never (various) $20.5m $255.7m $20.5m $255.7m 1 9. Sound Of Freedom (Angel) $20.1m $155.8m...
- 7/24/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
’Barbenheimer’ helps drive top 10 titles to powerful $783m weekend total.
Worldwide box office Jul 21-23 RankFilm (distributor) 3-day (world) 3-day (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Barbie (Warner Bros) $337m $337m $182m $182m 70 2. Oppenheimer (Universal) $174m $174m $93m $93m 79 3. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount) $74.5m $370.8m $55m $252.1m 72 4. Creation Of The Gods (various) $42.5m $53.5m $42.5m $53.5m 1 5. Chang An San Wan Li (various) $40.3m $165.3m $40.3m $165.3m 1 6. Advancing Of Zq (various) $31m $31m $31m $31m 1 7. Elemental (Disney) $24.1m $356.6m $18.3m $219.4m 52 8. Never Say Never (various) $20.5m $255.7m $20.5m $255.7m 1 9. Sound Of Freedom (Angel) $20.1m $155.8m...
Worldwide box office Jul 21-23 RankFilm (distributor) 3-day (world) 3-day (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. Barbie (Warner Bros) $337m $337m $182m $182m 70 2. Oppenheimer (Universal) $174m $174m $93m $93m 79 3. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount) $74.5m $370.8m $55m $252.1m 72 4. Creation Of The Gods (various) $42.5m $53.5m $42.5m $53.5m 1 5. Chang An San Wan Li (various) $40.3m $165.3m $40.3m $165.3m 1 6. Advancing Of Zq (various) $31m $31m $31m $31m 1 7. Elemental (Disney) $24.1m $356.6m $18.3m $219.4m 52 8. Never Say Never (various) $20.5m $255.7m $20.5m $255.7m 1 9. Sound Of Freedom (Angel) $20.1m $155.8m...
- 7/24/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
The long-in-development, at least from a post-production point-of-view, action comedy “Hidden Strike” has its first trailer, which you can watch above. That means the Jackie Chan/John Cena team-up flick, which was shot back in 2018, may finally reach cinemas or at least VOD. The film, initially titled “Snafu,” became a consistent victim of changing circumstances but external and internal.
The film was green-lit and shot amid a resurgence specifically in China for Jackie Chan-fronted actioners like “Kung Fu Yoga” and “Skiptrace.” The latter was also a (partially) English-language romp starring Johnny Knoxville in a clear attempt to recapture some of that “Rush Hour” or “Shanghai Knights” magic from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“Skiptrace” earned $131 million in 2016 while the former globe-trotting adventure film “Kung Fu Yoga” earned $256 million in 2017. “Since then, “The Climbers” earned $174 million in 2019, but Covid obviously put a damper on such robust earnings for a moment.
The film was green-lit and shot amid a resurgence specifically in China for Jackie Chan-fronted actioners like “Kung Fu Yoga” and “Skiptrace.” The latter was also a (partially) English-language romp starring Johnny Knoxville in a clear attempt to recapture some of that “Rush Hour” or “Shanghai Knights” magic from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“Skiptrace” earned $131 million in 2016 while the former globe-trotting adventure film “Kung Fu Yoga” earned $256 million in 2017. “Since then, “The Climbers” earned $174 million in 2019, but Covid obviously put a damper on such robust earnings for a moment.
- 5/31/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Jason Statham comes face to face with not one, not two, but three deep sea-dwelling prehistoric sharks, along with some giant creature with a bunch of tentacles, in the first official trailer for “Meg 2: The Trench.”
Shortly after “The Meg” grossed $530 million worldwide in 2018, a sequel was confirmed. The original film followed a group of scientists whose submarine was attacked by a Megalodon — a species of giant shark previously thought to be extinct. Now, Warner Bros. has pulled back the curtain on the film after debuting its first trailer ahead of the movie’s Aug. 4 premiere.
The new footage unveils Statham teaming up with Wu Jing, a massive star in China who has starred in blockbusters such as “The Wandering Earth,” “Wolf Warrior” and “The Battle at Lake Changjin.” The pair lead an underwater journey to the bottom of the ocean to investigate new creatures, before taking on a...
Shortly after “The Meg” grossed $530 million worldwide in 2018, a sequel was confirmed. The original film followed a group of scientists whose submarine was attacked by a Megalodon — a species of giant shark previously thought to be extinct. Now, Warner Bros. has pulled back the curtain on the film after debuting its first trailer ahead of the movie’s Aug. 4 premiere.
The new footage unveils Statham teaming up with Wu Jing, a massive star in China who has starred in blockbusters such as “The Wandering Earth,” “Wolf Warrior” and “The Battle at Lake Changjin.” The pair lead an underwater journey to the bottom of the ocean to investigate new creatures, before taking on a...
- 5/8/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
Warner Bros. Discovery’s potential summer sleeper “The Meg 2: Trench” dropped its first teaser trailer, essentially the same mouth-watering footage audiences saw at last month’s CinemaCon presentation.
As noted last month, the trailer’s tagline is “They’re back… for seconds,” mimicking the refreshingly cheeky marketing that helped turn “The Meg” into a surprise super-smash. The trailer opens with two land-bound prehistoric monsters eating a large bug, with onscreen text warning that for 65 million years one species ruled the world. The answer is not the tyrannosaurus rex, but rather a megalodon which is introduced eating a T-rex.
That was actually the prologue of Steve Alton’s first novel which didn’t make it into the first movie. One may recall that “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III” included setpieces and ideas from Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel that didn’t make it into Steven Spielberg’s first dino blockbuster.
As noted last month, the trailer’s tagline is “They’re back… for seconds,” mimicking the refreshingly cheeky marketing that helped turn “The Meg” into a surprise super-smash. The trailer opens with two land-bound prehistoric monsters eating a large bug, with onscreen text warning that for 65 million years one species ruled the world. The answer is not the tyrannosaurus rex, but rather a megalodon which is introduced eating a T-rex.
That was actually the prologue of Steve Alton’s first novel which didn’t make it into the first movie. One may recall that “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III” included setpieces and ideas from Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” novel that didn’t make it into Steven Spielberg’s first dino blockbuster.
- 5/8/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Leading Chinese film director Chen Kaige is poised to shoot historical epic “Swan Song” as his next feature movie. It will focus on 18th century classical music composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky through critical failure, persecution for his sexuality and a mysterious death during the strife of the soon-to-collapse Russian Empire.
Moonstone Entertainment will launch pre-sales on the film at Cannes later this month. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2024 and early 2025 in the Baltics.
“Swan Song” was written by Shahar Stroh, who will also produce alongside Moonstone principal Etchie Stroh. Corporate credits go Moonstone Entertainment and Strohberry Films.
“The story of ‘Swan Song’ goes beyond the music of one man. It is about the perpetual struggle of beauty and love against darkness and hate, and I am excited to be bringing it to a global audience,” said Chen in prepared comments. “Creating a visually stunning and compelling story, paired with Tchaikovsky’s timeless music,...
Moonstone Entertainment will launch pre-sales on the film at Cannes later this month. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2024 and early 2025 in the Baltics.
“Swan Song” was written by Shahar Stroh, who will also produce alongside Moonstone principal Etchie Stroh. Corporate credits go Moonstone Entertainment and Strohberry Films.
“The story of ‘Swan Song’ goes beyond the music of one man. It is about the perpetual struggle of beauty and love against darkness and hate, and I am excited to be bringing it to a global audience,” said Chen in prepared comments. “Creating a visually stunning and compelling story, paired with Tchaikovsky’s timeless music,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Patrick Frater and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“The Meg 2: The Trench” is one of the more under-the-radar tentpoles this summer, even though it may end up being one of the biggest global grossers. Why is that?
Well, “The Meg” earned $155 million in North America and $155 million in China toward a $530 million global total. That cume was bigger than any giant monster movie save for “Kong: Skull Island” ($569 million in 2017) and the various “Jurassic” movies. It was the first and thus-far only big-budget Hollywood/Chinese co-production that qualified as a success on both shores. And now “The Meg 2” will try and repeat that performance.
“They’re back for seconds,” the trailer eventually declares, echoing the tongue-in-cheek tone of the first film’s marketing campaign. The trailer opens with two land-bound prehistoric monsters eating a large bug, with onscreen text warning that for 65 million years one species ruled the world. The T-rex? No, the Meg which eats a T-rex.
Well, “The Meg” earned $155 million in North America and $155 million in China toward a $530 million global total. That cume was bigger than any giant monster movie save for “Kong: Skull Island” ($569 million in 2017) and the various “Jurassic” movies. It was the first and thus-far only big-budget Hollywood/Chinese co-production that qualified as a success on both shores. And now “The Meg 2” will try and repeat that performance.
“They’re back for seconds,” the trailer eventually declares, echoing the tongue-in-cheek tone of the first film’s marketing campaign. The trailer opens with two land-bound prehistoric monsters eating a large bug, with onscreen text warning that for 65 million years one species ruled the world. The T-rex? No, the Meg which eats a T-rex.
- 4/25/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
The Super Mario Bros. Movie became the seventh-highest grossing US studio title of the pandemic era.
World box office April 21-23 Rank Film (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) $128.9m $871.8m $70.7m $437.5m 79 2. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros) $40.3m $40.3m $16.8m $16.8m 59 3. The First Slam Dunk (various) $39m $210.8m $39m $210.8m 6 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) $19.3m $375.1m $13.5m $206.3m 57 5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) $13.8m $178m $8.4m $95.8m 62 6. Air (Warner Bros) $9.4m $68.4m $3.9m $27.1m 68 7. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) $9m $52m $5.7m $37.1m 54 8. Suzume (various...
World box office April 21-23 Rank Film (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) $128.9m $871.8m $70.7m $437.5m 79 2. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros) $40.3m $40.3m $16.8m $16.8m 59 3. The First Slam Dunk (various) $39m $210.8m $39m $210.8m 6 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) $19.3m $375.1m $13.5m $206.3m 57 5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) $13.8m $178m $8.4m $95.8m 62 6. Air (Warner Bros) $9.4m $68.4m $3.9m $27.1m 68 7. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) $9m $52m $5.7m $37.1m 54 8. Suzume (various...
- 4/24/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
The Super Mario Bros. Movie became the seventh-highest grossing US studio title of the pandemic era.
World box office April 21-23 Rank Film (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) $128.9m $871.8m $70.7m $437.5m 79 2. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros) $40.3m $40.3m $16.8m $16.8m 59 3. The First Slam Dunk (various) $39m $210.8m $39m $210.8m 6 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) $19.3m $375.1m $13.5m $206.3m 57 5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) $13.8m $178m $8.4m $95.8m 62 6. Air (Warner Bros) $9.4m $68.4m $3.9m $27.1m 68 7. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) $9m $52m $5.7m $37.1m 54 8. Suzume (various...
World box office April 21-23 Rank Film (distributor)3-day (world)Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) $128.9m $871.8m $70.7m $437.5m 79 2. Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros) $40.3m $40.3m $16.8m $16.8m 59 3. The First Slam Dunk (various) $39m $210.8m $39m $210.8m 6 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) $19.3m $375.1m $13.5m $206.3m 57 5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) $13.8m $178m $8.4m $95.8m 62 6. Air (Warner Bros) $9.4m $68.4m $3.9m $27.1m 68 7. The Pope’s Exorcist (Sony) $9m $52m $5.7m $37.1m 54 8. Suzume (various...
- 4/24/2023
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
The Hktdc Hong Kong International Film and TV Market (Filmart) and EntertainmentPulse opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Hkcec). From 13 to 16 March, over 700 exhibitors will showcase films and TV shows to global buyers and build connections.
Comprising eight exciting events, including Filmart and EntertainmentPulse, the Entertainment Expo launch ceremony was officiated by Mr Kk Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Raistlin Lau, Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Zhou Jihong, First-Grade Counsel, International Cooperation Department, National Radio and Television Administration, Mr Zhang Guo Yi, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hksar, Ms Margaret Fong, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (Hktdc), Mr John Chong, Chairman...
Comprising eight exciting events, including Filmart and EntertainmentPulse, the Entertainment Expo launch ceremony was officiated by Mr Kk Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Raistlin Lau, Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Zhou Jihong, First-Grade Counsel, International Cooperation Department, National Radio and Television Administration, Mr Zhang Guo Yi, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hksar, Ms Margaret Fong, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (Hktdc), Mr John Chong, Chairman...
- 3/17/2023
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Taipei- and Hong Kong-based sales agency Distribution Workshop heads to Berlin with a rich slate that includes one of the mainland Chinese hits from the recent Lunar New Year season and an anticipated supernatural horror film from Taiwan. The company will present to buyers in person at Berlin’s European Film Market next week.
Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and pop star turned actor Wang Yibo, Huang Lei and Zhou Xun, “Hidden Blade” is a lusciously presented espionage story that runs from the 1920s to the period Second Sino-Chinese War. It is directed by Cheng Er, who previously directed 2017’s “The Wasted Times.”
(Wang and Zhou also both appear in “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” a Chinese short film by Zhang Dalei that plays in next week’s Berlin short film competition.)
As nationalist, Communist and Japanese factions fan out across China and Japanese-occupied Manchuria, the narrative sees espionage agencies operating behind enemy lines,...
Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and pop star turned actor Wang Yibo, Huang Lei and Zhou Xun, “Hidden Blade” is a lusciously presented espionage story that runs from the 1920s to the period Second Sino-Chinese War. It is directed by Cheng Er, who previously directed 2017’s “The Wasted Times.”
(Wang and Zhou also both appear in “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” a Chinese short film by Zhang Dalei that plays in next week’s Berlin short film competition.)
As nationalist, Communist and Japanese factions fan out across China and Japanese-occupied Manchuria, the narrative sees espionage agencies operating behind enemy lines,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Taipei-based international sales company Distribution Workshop will be selling Lunar New Year hit Hidden Blade, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Wong Ching-po’s highly-anticipated new film, The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon, at the upcoming European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin.
Directed by Cheng Er, Hidden Blade is a spy thriller set in Shanghai during the Second World War, and also stars Wang Yibo (Born To Fly) and Zhou Xun (Our Time Will Come).
The 45m production has so far grossed 116.6M since its release over the Lunar New Year holidays on January 22, according to figures from Artisan Gateway.
The film is the third installment in the “China Victory Trilogy” produced by Beijing-based Bona Film Group, following Chinese Doctors and The Battle At Lake Changjin. Cheng Er is known for crime dramas such as Lethal Hostage (2012) and The Wasted Times (2016).
The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon is produced by Lee Lieh,...
Directed by Cheng Er, Hidden Blade is a spy thriller set in Shanghai during the Second World War, and also stars Wang Yibo (Born To Fly) and Zhou Xun (Our Time Will Come).
The 45m production has so far grossed 116.6M since its release over the Lunar New Year holidays on January 22, according to figures from Artisan Gateway.
The film is the third installment in the “China Victory Trilogy” produced by Beijing-based Bona Film Group, following Chinese Doctors and The Battle At Lake Changjin. Cheng Er is known for crime dramas such as Lethal Hostage (2012) and The Wasted Times (2016).
The Pig, The Snake And The Pigeon is produced by Lee Lieh,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Released in China during the Chinese New Year, this family drama and director Wen’s second feature film about a young entrepreneur was a local film industry favorite and went on to become China’s sixth box office hit grossing around 1.38 billion yuan, over 206 million. Consequently it was also China’s submission as the Best International Feature Film to the Academy Awards.
In Shenzhen, the third most populated and one of the richest cities in southern China, a young man Jing Hao (Jackson Yee Yang Qianxi) lives with and takes care of his six-year-old sister Jing Tong (Chen Halin) after their mother passed away due to her heart condition, while earlier on, their father also left them. Jing runs a small mobile phone repair shop named “Nice View” and earns just enough to maintain a decent living for both of them. Unfortunately, Jing Tong has inherited her mother’s illness...
In Shenzhen, the third most populated and one of the richest cities in southern China, a young man Jing Hao (Jackson Yee Yang Qianxi) lives with and takes care of his six-year-old sister Jing Tong (Chen Halin) after their mother passed away due to her heart condition, while earlier on, their father also left them. Jing runs a small mobile phone repair shop named “Nice View” and earns just enough to maintain a decent living for both of them. Unfortunately, Jing Tong has inherited her mother’s illness...
- 1/26/2023
- by David Chew
- AsianMoviePulse
Stars: Wu Jing, Wang Zhi, Andy Lau, Zina Blahusova, Clara Lee, Liya Tong, Matias Lorieri, Jeremiah Blakely, Temur Mamisashvili, Yanmanzi Zhu | Written by Gong Geer, Frant Gwo, Cixin Liu, Hongwei Wang, Ruchang Ye, Yang Zhixue | Directed by Frant Gwo
Released in 2019 The Wandering Earth became one of the largest grossing non-English language films in history, mostly on the strength of its performance in its native China. Of course, that made The Wandering Earth II inevitable. The only surprises are that rather than a sequel it’s a prequel, telling the story of the Moving Mountain Project that turned Earth into a giant spaceship and that it manages to be even longer than the original, coming in at just under three hours.
At the film’s start, The United Earth Government (Ueg) has been established and work on the first of the thousands of giant engines needed to move Earth out...
Released in 2019 The Wandering Earth became one of the largest grossing non-English language films in history, mostly on the strength of its performance in its native China. Of course, that made The Wandering Earth II inevitable. The only surprises are that rather than a sequel it’s a prequel, telling the story of the Moving Mountain Project that turned Earth into a giant spaceship and that it manages to be even longer than the original, coming in at just under three hours.
At the film’s start, The United Earth Government (Ueg) has been established and work on the first of the thousands of giant engines needed to move Earth out...
- 1/25/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
China’s Bona Film Group, producer of such hits as The Battle At Lake Changjin, made its debut on the Shenzhen stock exchange on Thursday, with shares closing the day at Rmb 7.24 (1.07). This was a 44 increase from the initial public offering price of Rmb 5.03 (0.74) per share and put the market capitalization at just under Rmb 10B (1.47B), according to the South China Morning Post. The company raised Rmb 1.38B (203M) from the deal.
Bona returned to the China exchange after exiting the Nasdaq and going private in 2016. It had previously become the first Chinese film studio to trade on the Nasdaq beginning in 2010.
During the pandemic, Bona was behind China’s top-grossing movie ever, The Battle At Lake Changjin and its sequel, The Battle At Lake Changjin II (aka Water Gate Bridge). Collectively, the patriotic films grossed Rmb 9.83B (1.45B at current rates) in China.
In an interview posted to...
Bona returned to the China exchange after exiting the Nasdaq and going private in 2016. It had previously become the first Chinese film studio to trade on the Nasdaq beginning in 2010.
During the pandemic, Bona was behind China’s top-grossing movie ever, The Battle At Lake Changjin and its sequel, The Battle At Lake Changjin II (aka Water Gate Bridge). Collectively, the patriotic films grossed Rmb 9.83B (1.45B at current rates) in China.
In an interview posted to...
- 8/18/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has added 31.6 million domestically and 40 million internationally in its third weekend in theaters, bringing its box office totals to 342 million domestic and 803 million worldwide and passing the theatrical runs of “No Time to Die” and “The Batman.”
This means that the MCU now has the top two highest totals for any Hollywood film since theaters reopened, as “Doctor Strange 2” is now only second to the 1.89 billion total of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” It should also pass the totals of last year’s Chinese blockbuster hits “Hi, Mom” (822 million) and “The Battle at Lake Changjin” (902 million) in the coming weeks.
Also Read:
‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ Film Review: Plenty of Cozy but Not Much Drama in This For-Fans-Only Sequel
Meanwhile, Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey: A New Era” has opened to 16 million from 3,820 theaters — a record screen count for Universal’s specialty...
This means that the MCU now has the top two highest totals for any Hollywood film since theaters reopened, as “Doctor Strange 2” is now only second to the 1.89 billion total of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” It should also pass the totals of last year’s Chinese blockbuster hits “Hi, Mom” (822 million) and “The Battle at Lake Changjin” (902 million) in the coming weeks.
Also Read:
‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ Film Review: Plenty of Cozy but Not Much Drama in This For-Fans-Only Sequel
Meanwhile, Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey: A New Era” has opened to 16 million from 3,820 theaters — a record screen count for Universal’s specialty...
- 5/22/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
The question arising at every Cannes Film Festival lineup announcement about why the festival has not selected films from a particular country tends to irk chief selector Thierry Frémaux. But this year, with films from China notable by their absence, Frémaux may be asking himself if he messed up, or whether bigger forces are at play?
Last year, Cannes was at pains to conceal its selection of Hong Kong pro-democracy film “Revolution of Our Times” until as late as possible, in order not to alert mainland Chinese authorities or disrupt the other Chinese indies showing in the festival.
China experts differ as to how much Cannes’ defiance last year was a factor in this year’s de facto boycott.
“The Chinese Communist Party is well aware of the last-minute showing of ‘Revolution of Our Times’ at Cannes just one day before the Palme d’Or was to be awarded,” says Stanley Rosen,...
Last year, Cannes was at pains to conceal its selection of Hong Kong pro-democracy film “Revolution of Our Times” until as late as possible, in order not to alert mainland Chinese authorities or disrupt the other Chinese indies showing in the festival.
China experts differ as to how much Cannes’ defiance last year was a factor in this year’s de facto boycott.
“The Chinese Communist Party is well aware of the last-minute showing of ‘Revolution of Our Times’ at Cannes just one day before the Palme d’Or was to be awarded,” says Stanley Rosen,...
- 5/20/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Last month’s Udine festival of all things East Asian was the launch pad for “Making Waves — Navigators of Hong Kong Cinema,” a collection of 13 films that will travel to a dozen cities in Europe and Asia. Billed as an “extravaganza,” mixing old and new talent, the event is pegged to the 25th anniversary celebrations of the return of Hong Kong to China after 150 years of British colonial rule.
But it is no longer clear to everyone that Hong Kong cinema has the energy, willpower or finance to face down its larger demons. Its problems range from the long-term drift of Hong Kong talent into the mainland Chinese industry to censorship and marginalization.
Last year began with Hong Kong cinemas under pressure from pro-Beijing media to change their releases, and raids on private screenings. These were followed by an amended law that introduces film censorship according to national security concerns...
But it is no longer clear to everyone that Hong Kong cinema has the energy, willpower or finance to face down its larger demons. Its problems range from the long-term drift of Hong Kong talent into the mainland Chinese industry to censorship and marginalization.
Last year began with Hong Kong cinemas under pressure from pro-Beijing media to change their releases, and raids on private screenings. These were followed by an amended law that introduces film censorship according to national security concerns...
- 5/18/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
About 40 minutes into “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” a Chinese comrade aboard a train headed to the China-North Korea border expresses his skepticism regarding the Chinese effort in the Korean War of 1950. “I quit,” he yells, opening the railwagon door. Two other comrades detain him, and soon, everyone on board is mesmerized by the beautiful homeland of China and its Great Wall. Company commander Wu Qianli addresses his brother: “You will stay here as your punishment until the morning.”
This is only one of the countless patriotic scenes that “The Battle of Lake Changjin” has to offer, and given that it was funded by the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party to celebrate the Party’s 100th anniversary, the patriotism is no surprise. With a budget worth more than 200 million Usd and directorial credits given to Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam–arguably three of the greatest filmmakers...
This is only one of the countless patriotic scenes that “The Battle of Lake Changjin” has to offer, and given that it was funded by the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party to celebrate the Party’s 100th anniversary, the patriotism is no surprise. With a budget worth more than 200 million Usd and directorial credits given to Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam–arguably three of the greatest filmmakers...
- 5/2/2022
- by Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette
- AsianMoviePulse
As Hollywood heads to Las Vegas for CinemaCon, studios will land in Sin City with a renewed appreciation for the money that can be made in cinemas.
After experimenting with different release strategies and launching their own streaming services, many studios better understand that there’s no substitute for the attention and treasure that comes with a big, old-fashioned theatrical launch. Bold moves like Warner Bros.’ decision to send its entire 2021 slate to HBO Max at the same time the films opened in cinemas proved to be a mixed bag, and every major studio has opted to have some kind of exclusive theatrical window for the foreseeable future.
That means that the palpable tension that hung over last year’s gathering will have lifted, even as the box office has failed to recapture its pre-pandemic stride. But there are plenty of unpleasant realities still facing an exhibition industry hoping to move on from Covid.
After experimenting with different release strategies and launching their own streaming services, many studios better understand that there’s no substitute for the attention and treasure that comes with a big, old-fashioned theatrical launch. Bold moves like Warner Bros.’ decision to send its entire 2021 slate to HBO Max at the same time the films opened in cinemas proved to be a mixed bag, and every major studio has opted to have some kind of exclusive theatrical window for the foreseeable future.
That means that the palpable tension that hung over last year’s gathering will have lifted, even as the box office has failed to recapture its pre-pandemic stride. But there are plenty of unpleasant realities still facing an exhibition industry hoping to move on from Covid.
- 4/25/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
While Warner Bros. saw “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” get off to a rough start at the box office, the studio had some good news as its other big 2022 blockbuster, “The Batman,” became only the fifth film since the Covid-19 pandemic began to gross 750 million worldwide.
“The Batman” joins a list led by Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (1.89 billion) and also includes the Chinese films “The Battle at Lake Changjin” (902.5 million) and “Hi, Mom” (822 million) as well as MGM’s James Bond movie “No Time to Die” (774 million).
“The incredible response we’ve seen at theaters across the country is a testament to both the enduring power of this iconic DC superhero and the huge appetite out there to experience great movies on the big screen,” Warner domestic distribution head Jeff Goldstein said in a statement. “We congratulate everyone involved on reaching this impressive milestone.”
“The Batman” got...
“The Batman” joins a list led by Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (1.89 billion) and also includes the Chinese films “The Battle at Lake Changjin” (902.5 million) and “Hi, Mom” (822 million) as well as MGM’s James Bond movie “No Time to Die” (774 million).
“The incredible response we’ve seen at theaters across the country is a testament to both the enduring power of this iconic DC superhero and the huge appetite out there to experience great movies on the big screen,” Warner domestic distribution head Jeff Goldstein said in a statement. “We congratulate everyone involved on reaching this impressive milestone.”
“The Batman” got...
- 4/17/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” couldn’t stop the Wizarding World franchise’s downward slide at the box office, earning a franchise-low 43 million opening weekend from 4,208 locations.
Though that result is on par with the 41 million opening of fellow Warner release “Dune” last October — a film released day-and-date on HBO Max — and the 44 million opening of Sony’s “Uncharted” in February, “Fantastic Beasts 3” is down 31 from the 62 million opening of the last “Fantastic Beasts” film, the ill-received “Crimes of Grindelwald” in 2018.
“The Secrets of Dumbledore” has taken in a worldwide launch of 191 million, down from the 253 million start for “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” which went on to earn 654 million.
Audience metrics for “Secrets of Dumbledore” have been somewhat better than for “Grindelwald” with a B+ on CinemaScore to go with a 4/5 from general audiences on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak and an 85 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Though that result is on par with the 41 million opening of fellow Warner release “Dune” last October — a film released day-and-date on HBO Max — and the 44 million opening of Sony’s “Uncharted” in February, “Fantastic Beasts 3” is down 31 from the 62 million opening of the last “Fantastic Beasts” film, the ill-received “Crimes of Grindelwald” in 2018.
“The Secrets of Dumbledore” has taken in a worldwide launch of 191 million, down from the 253 million start for “The Crimes of Grindelwald,” which went on to earn 654 million.
Audience metrics for “Secrets of Dumbledore” have been somewhat better than for “Grindelwald” with a B+ on CinemaScore to go with a 4/5 from general audiences on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak and an 85 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
- 4/17/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
After two weeks in theaters, Warner Bros./DC’s “The Batman” has passed $500 million at the global box office, with more than half of that total coming from domestic theaters.
On Wednesday, “The Batman” added $5.75 million domestically, bringing its total to $258.3 million in North America and $505.8 million worldwide. The Matt Reeves film now stands as Warner’s highest-grossing theatrical release since theaters reopened, topping the $468 million of “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
It is also now the eighth movie since the Covid-19 pandemic began, and fifth from Hollywood, to reach the $500 million mark. “The Batman” joins post-shutdown record holder “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($1.87 billion), “No Time to Die” ($774 million), “F9” ($726 million), and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” ($502 million), along with Chinese films “The Battle at Lake Changjin” ($902.5 million), “Hi, Mom” ($822 million) and “Detective Chinatown 3” ($686 million).
“The Batman” is set to keep rolling in big box office numbers in the second half of March.
On Wednesday, “The Batman” added $5.75 million domestically, bringing its total to $258.3 million in North America and $505.8 million worldwide. The Matt Reeves film now stands as Warner’s highest-grossing theatrical release since theaters reopened, topping the $468 million of “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
It is also now the eighth movie since the Covid-19 pandemic began, and fifth from Hollywood, to reach the $500 million mark. “The Batman” joins post-shutdown record holder “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($1.87 billion), “No Time to Die” ($774 million), “F9” ($726 million), and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” ($502 million), along with Chinese films “The Battle at Lake Changjin” ($902.5 million), “Hi, Mom” ($822 million) and “Detective Chinatown 3” ($686 million).
“The Batman” is set to keep rolling in big box office numbers in the second half of March.
- 3/17/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Warner Bros’ The Batman delivered a strong second session in both North America and international territories.
Worldwide box office March 11-13 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (World)Cume (World)3-day (Int’l)Cume (Int’l)Territories 1. The Batman (Warner Bros) $132m $463m $66.6m $224.7m 76 2. BTS Permission To Dance On Stage (various) $32.6m $32.6m $25.7m $25.7m 75 3. Uncharted (Sony) $20.4m $301.2m $11.2m $187.9m 65 4. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $6.4m $1.8bn $2.4m $1bn 60 5. Dog (various) $6m $55.3m $0.7m $7.5m 20 6. Death On The Nile (Disney) $5.5m $124.5m $3m $83.8m 42 7. Sing 2 (Universal) $4.5m $366.8m $3m $211m 68 8. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $4.3m $625.9m $4.3m $625.9m...
Worldwide box office March 11-13 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (World)Cume (World)3-day (Int’l)Cume (Int’l)Territories 1. The Batman (Warner Bros) $132m $463m $66.6m $224.7m 76 2. BTS Permission To Dance On Stage (various) $32.6m $32.6m $25.7m $25.7m 75 3. Uncharted (Sony) $20.4m $301.2m $11.2m $187.9m 65 4. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $6.4m $1.8bn $2.4m $1bn 60 5. Dog (various) $6m $55.3m $0.7m $7.5m 20 6. Death On The Nile (Disney) $5.5m $124.5m $3m $83.8m 42 7. Sing 2 (Universal) $4.5m $366.8m $3m $211m 68 8. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $4.3m $625.9m $4.3m $625.9m...
- 3/14/2022
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Wu Jing, the highest-grossing male actor of all time in China, will join British action star Jason Statham in Warner Bros.’s “Meg 2: The Trench,” sources close to the production have confirmed to Variety.
The giant shark actioner, however, will be without Li Bingbing (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”). The Chinese actor, who played a female oceanographer, embodying both brains and beauty in Jon Turteltaub’s testosterone-fueled 2018 “The Meg,” is not returning to the franchise at this point.
With Ben Wheatley in the directing chair, production on “Meg 2: The Trench” began at the end of January at the Warner-owned Leavesden Studios outside London. It will continue there until May before switching to outdoor locations, likely to be in Asia.
The 47-year-old Wu is a former martial artist who has successfully parlayed a career as both actor and director in film and in TV. A protégé of the iconic action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping,...
The giant shark actioner, however, will be without Li Bingbing (“Transformers: Age of Extinction”). The Chinese actor, who played a female oceanographer, embodying both brains and beauty in Jon Turteltaub’s testosterone-fueled 2018 “The Meg,” is not returning to the franchise at this point.
With Ben Wheatley in the directing chair, production on “Meg 2: The Trench” began at the end of January at the Warner-owned Leavesden Studios outside London. It will continue there until May before switching to outdoor locations, likely to be in Asia.
The 47-year-old Wu is a former martial artist who has successfully parlayed a career as both actor and director in film and in TV. A protégé of the iconic action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping,...
- 2/25/2022
- by Patrick Frater and K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
After a 2021 in which very few American blockbusters made it to Chinese movie theaters, Warner Bros.’ next DC blockbuster “The Batman” has been approved by the Chinese film board for a release on March 18.
The approval is a big boost to Warner’s box office hopes, as it will be the first comic book movie since “Wonder Woman 1984” to get a release in China and the first major American import after the Lunar New Year period, which is reserved for Chinese films only. Warner Bros. has released a new poster with the release date, which can be seen below
Robert Pattinson starring ‘The Batman’ scheduled for 3/18 China domestic theatrical release, scores new poster for China pic.twitter.com/7a2UbVjsE6
— Content in China (@ContentinChina) February 17, 2022
Last year, multiple Marvel movies including “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” were denied Chinese releases.
The approval is a big boost to Warner’s box office hopes, as it will be the first comic book movie since “Wonder Woman 1984” to get a release in China and the first major American import after the Lunar New Year period, which is reserved for Chinese films only. Warner Bros. has released a new poster with the release date, which can be seen below
Robert Pattinson starring ‘The Batman’ scheduled for 3/18 China domestic theatrical release, scores new poster for China pic.twitter.com/7a2UbVjsE6
— Content in China (@ContentinChina) February 17, 2022
Last year, multiple Marvel movies including “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” were denied Chinese releases.
- 2/17/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Other contenders include biopic ‘Anita’, ‘Drifting’ and ‘Raging Fire’, the final thriller by the late Benny Chan.
Soi Cheang’s crime thriller Limbo leads the pack for the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 14 nominations, as the event prepares to return as an in-person ceremony following last year’s cancellation as a result of the pandemic.
The black and white crime noir, which premiered in Berlinale Special in 2021, secured nods including best film, best director and for actors Lam Ka Tung[/link], Cya Liu and Fish Liew. The thriller centres on a veteran detective and rookie copy who team up to catch a serial killer.
Soi Cheang’s crime thriller Limbo leads the pack for the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 14 nominations, as the event prepares to return as an in-person ceremony following last year’s cancellation as a result of the pandemic.
The black and white crime noir, which premiered in Berlinale Special in 2021, secured nods including best film, best director and for actors Lam Ka Tung[/link], Cya Liu and Fish Liew. The thriller centres on a veteran detective and rookie copy who team up to catch a serial killer.
- 2/16/2022
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Sony’s videogame adaptation proved the top US studio title in international markets thanks to its launch in 15 early territories.
Worldwide box office February 11-13 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (World) Cume (World)3-day (Int’l)Cume (Int’l) Territories 1. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $43.7m $524m $43.7m $524m 4 2. Too Cool To Kill (various) $37.6m $319.5m $37.6m $319.5m 1 3. Death On The Nile (Disney) $33.5m $33.5m $20.7m $20.7m 48 4. Nice View (various) $21.6m $159.3m $21.6m $159.3m 1 5. Uncharted (Sony) $21.5m $21.5m $21.5m $21.5m 15 6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $18.1m $1.8bn $11m $1bn 64 7. Marry Me (Universal) $16.5m $16.5m $8.5m $8.5m 66 8. Boonie Bears: Back To...
Worldwide box office February 11-13 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (World) Cume (World)3-day (Int’l)Cume (Int’l) Territories 1. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $43.7m $524m $43.7m $524m 4 2. Too Cool To Kill (various) $37.6m $319.5m $37.6m $319.5m 1 3. Death On The Nile (Disney) $33.5m $33.5m $20.7m $20.7m 48 4. Nice View (various) $21.6m $159.3m $21.6m $159.3m 1 5. Uncharted (Sony) $21.5m $21.5m $21.5m $21.5m 15 6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $18.1m $1.8bn $11m $1bn 64 7. Marry Me (Universal) $16.5m $16.5m $8.5m $8.5m 66 8. Boonie Bears: Back To...
- 2/14/2022
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Trinity Cine Asia has acquired rights to mainland Chinese blockbuster “The Battle at Lake Changjin II” for release in the U.K. and Ireland. The deal was struck with sales agency Distribution Workshop.
Trinity plans an almost immediate release from Feb, 18, 2022, barely two weeks after the film launched in Chinese theaters on Feb. 1, in time for the Lunar New Year holidays. The company plans to have copies of the film in over 25 cities.
In China the film dominated the holiday season and has accumulated $480 million (RMB3.05 billion) to date, making it the world’s top grossing film in 2022.
The new film deploys the same three directors, Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam, as its October 2021 predecessor “The Battle at Lake Changjin.”
Also known as “Watergate Bridge,” the new film is a further tribute to Chinese heroism during the early part of the Korean War. It sees the 7th Infantry...
Trinity plans an almost immediate release from Feb, 18, 2022, barely two weeks after the film launched in Chinese theaters on Feb. 1, in time for the Lunar New Year holidays. The company plans to have copies of the film in over 25 cities.
In China the film dominated the holiday season and has accumulated $480 million (RMB3.05 billion) to date, making it the world’s top grossing film in 2022.
The new film deploys the same three directors, Tsui Hark, Chen Kaige and Dante Lam, as its October 2021 predecessor “The Battle at Lake Changjin.”
Also known as “Watergate Bridge,” the new film is a further tribute to Chinese heroism during the early part of the Korean War. It sees the 7th Infantry...
- 2/10/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Patriotic blockbuster ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin II’ earned just short of $400 million over the Chinese New Year holidays at the mainland China box-office that weighed in at some $950 million. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed ‘Lake Changjin II’ earning $152 million over the Friday to Sunday weekend, comfortably ahead of comedy ‘Too […]...
- 2/7/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Chinese patriotic war epic ’The Battle At Lake Changjin II’ topped the global chart with $153.5m from its first six days.
Worldwide box office February 4-6 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (World) Cume (World) 3-day (Int’l) Cume (Int’l) Territories 1. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m 2 2. Too Cool To Kill (various) $111.4m $111.5m $111.4m $111.5m 1 3. Nice View (various) $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m 1 4. Boonie Bears: Back To Earth (various) $38.9m $40m $38.9m $40m 1 5. Jackass Forever (Paramount) $28.7m $28.7m $5.2m $5.2m 10 6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $25.2m $1.7bn $15.6m $1bn 64 7. Sniper (various) $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m 1 8. Moonfall...
Worldwide box office February 4-6 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (World) Cume (World) 3-day (Int’l) Cume (Int’l) Territories 1. The Battle At Lake Changjin II (various) $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m $153.4m 2 2. Too Cool To Kill (various) $111.4m $111.5m $111.4m $111.5m 1 3. Nice View (various) $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m $45.5m 1 4. Boonie Bears: Back To Earth (various) $38.9m $40m $38.9m $40m 1 5. Jackass Forever (Paramount) $28.7m $28.7m $5.2m $5.2m 10 6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony) $25.2m $1.7bn $15.6m $1bn 64 7. Sniper (various) $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m $22.8m 1 8. Moonfall...
- 2/7/2022
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Patriotic blockbuster “The Battle at Lake Changjin II” earned just short of $400 million over the Chinese New Year holidays at a mainland China box office that weighed in at some $950 million.
Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed “Lake Changjin II” earning $152 million over the Friday to Sunday weekend, comfortably ahead of comedy “Too Cool to Kill” which took $111 million over the same three days. In third place over the weekend was drama “Nice View” with $45.4 million and animation “Boonie Bears: Back to Earth” with $38.8. The Zhang Yimou- and Zhang Mo-directed “Snipers” was fifth over the weekend with $22.7 million.
Data from other sources show that the first three days of the six-day holiday period – Tuesday to Sunday – were the strongest, indicating that the cumulative scores at the end of Sunday are more important.
“Lake Changjin II” completed its first six days in Chinese theaters with $395 million, according to Artisan Gateway.
Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed “Lake Changjin II” earning $152 million over the Friday to Sunday weekend, comfortably ahead of comedy “Too Cool to Kill” which took $111 million over the same three days. In third place over the weekend was drama “Nice View” with $45.4 million and animation “Boonie Bears: Back to Earth” with $38.8. The Zhang Yimou- and Zhang Mo-directed “Snipers” was fifth over the weekend with $22.7 million.
Data from other sources show that the first three days of the six-day holiday period – Tuesday to Sunday – were the strongest, indicating that the cumulative scores at the end of Sunday are more important.
“Lake Changjin II” completed its first six days in Chinese theaters with $395 million, according to Artisan Gateway.
- 2/7/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
After a sleepy January mostly dominated by Spider-Man: No Way Home taking victory laps after its explosive December opening, February looks to be considerably more eventful. The star-powered slate includes a franchise follow-up (Death on the Nile) and a potential franchise starter (Uncharted) mixed in with a musical rom-com (Marry Me) and a comedy (Dog) to round things out, not to mention a potential boost to the specialty market once the Oscar nominations come out. The month should get off to a solid start this weekend with the latest Roland Emmerich disaster epic Moonfall and the return of the Jackass gang in Jackass Forever.
It may be a close match, but the weekend will likely go to Jackass Forever. Paramount is releasing the film on 3,600 screens and is expecting a gross in the mid-teens for the series’ fourth film (fifth when you count the associated Bad Grandpa). That would make...
It may be a close match, but the weekend will likely go to Jackass Forever. Paramount is releasing the film on 3,600 screens and is expecting a gross in the mid-teens for the series’ fourth film (fifth when you count the associated Bad Grandpa). That would make...
- 2/3/2022
- by Sam Mendelsohn <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
“The Battle at Lake Changjin II” lived up to its blockbuster billing with a more than $75 million box office haul by lunchtime on Tuesday, its opening day in mainland Chinese theaters.
The film, aka “Watergate Bridge” had grossed RMB487 million ($76.5 million) by 1.30 pm, according to online ticketing agency Maoyan and Alibaba’s Beacon data service. At this pace a $100 million opening day is possible.
State media has forecast that the film may propel the Chinese New Year week to over $1 billion and that the 149-minute film could eventually become the highest-grossing film of all time in China.
To do that, it would have to surpass “The Battle at Lake Changjin” which was released on Oct. 1, 2021 and, over a prolonged run in cinemas, earned $913 million to become the second biggest film worldwide in 2021, behind “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Despite the short interval between the two outings, there is a reasonable chance...
The film, aka “Watergate Bridge” had grossed RMB487 million ($76.5 million) by 1.30 pm, according to online ticketing agency Maoyan and Alibaba’s Beacon data service. At this pace a $100 million opening day is possible.
State media has forecast that the film may propel the Chinese New Year week to over $1 billion and that the 149-minute film could eventually become the highest-grossing film of all time in China.
To do that, it would have to surpass “The Battle at Lake Changjin” which was released on Oct. 1, 2021 and, over a prolonged run in cinemas, earned $913 million to become the second biggest film worldwide in 2021, behind “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Despite the short interval between the two outings, there is a reasonable chance...
- 2/1/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
After being forced to sit out the annually lucrative Chinese New Year period as the Covid crisis was just beginning in 2020, Chinese box office blasted to an all-time high during the comparable 2021 session. This week, the Year of the Tiger will be ushered in with eight movies beginning February 1, and with potential new records on the horizon. Last year in the world’s biggest box office market, the week-long holiday reached Rmb 7.8B ($1.2B at historical rates).
The first full weekend of this Lunar New Year’s festivities dovetails with the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. It’s likely that Friday’s opening ceremony will be widely watched at home, but tickets to the Games are not being sold to the general public in an attempt to avoid further Covid flare-ups. Box office could still see some impact.
The first full weekend of this Lunar New Year’s festivities dovetails with the beginning of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. It’s likely that Friday’s opening ceremony will be widely watched at home, but tickets to the Games are not being sold to the general public in an attempt to avoid further Covid flare-ups. Box office could still see some impact.
- 1/31/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Battle at Lake Changjin 2: Water Gate Bridge,” the sequel to China’s highest grossing film of all time, will debut on Feb. 1, the first day of the lucrative Chinese New Year holiday.
The weeklong vacation is typically China’s biggest box office period of the year and thus is subject to intense competition. This year, “Lake Changjin 2” is set to go up against 10 other hotly anticipated titles. The sequel currently ranks third in popularity based on votes from the “want to watch” metric from the Maoyan database.
Its top competitor is “Nice View,” the next feature from “Dying to Survive” director Wen Muye, which currently has the highest number of people indicating they “want to watch” the film on the Maoyan platform, with 447,000 votes.
Trailing “Nice View” in popularity is director Han Han’s “Only Fools Rush In,” with 389,000 votes. The comedy “Too Cool To Kill” from director...
The weeklong vacation is typically China’s biggest box office period of the year and thus is subject to intense competition. This year, “Lake Changjin 2” is set to go up against 10 other hotly anticipated titles. The sequel currently ranks third in popularity based on votes from the “want to watch” metric from the Maoyan database.
Its top competitor is “Nice View,” the next feature from “Dying to Survive” director Wen Muye, which currently has the highest number of people indicating they “want to watch” the film on the Maoyan platform, with 447,000 votes.
Trailing “Nice View” in popularity is director Han Han’s “Only Fools Rush In,” with 389,000 votes. The comedy “Too Cool To Kill” from director...
- 1/13/2022
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
As we get rolling into the new year, optimism and caution are part of the outlook for 2022 at the international box office. The issue of China also remains top of mind as the territory — which maintained its status as the top global market in 2021 — has been even more ornery to navigate than usual, notably not approving a single movie with a Marvel character last year, from Disney’s Black Widow straight through to Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Before we dig further into China, however, let’s take a look at the overall international picture.
Seeking A “Version” Of Normal Moviegoing
No Way Home may prove to have been a pivotal turning point in hindsight, but Omicron is still out there, piracy remains a concern, and Q1 is looking like it may be soft. Studios consult epidemiologists, and based on those discussions, some execs expect the overseas landscape to...
Before we dig further into China, however, let’s take a look at the overall international picture.
Seeking A “Version” Of Normal Moviegoing
No Way Home may prove to have been a pivotal turning point in hindsight, but Omicron is still out there, piracy remains a concern, and Q1 is looking like it may be soft. Studios consult epidemiologists, and based on those discussions, some execs expect the overseas landscape to...
- 1/10/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Global cinema box office reached $21.4 billion in 2021, according to calculations by researcher Gower Street Analytics. Powered by a “Spider-Man: No Way Home” surge in the last month, the annual total is a 78% gain on 2020. But last year’s cumulative was less than half of the $41.3 billion average of the three pre-pandemic years 2017-2019.
Gower Street estimates that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for $11.3 billion of the total. Within that figure, China accounted for $7.4 billion, confirming its position as the largest single box office territory for the second consecutive year.
The North American (aka “domestic”) market weighed in at an estimated $4.5 billion. Europe, the Middle East and Africa counted for a combined $4.4 billion and Latin America $1.1 billion.
The performance meant that Asia-Pacific (including China) grew from 50.2% in 2020 to 52.8% of global box office in 2021, and that China alone grew its share from 28% to over a third (34%).
But the drive of local content in...
Gower Street estimates that the Asia-Pacific region accounted for $11.3 billion of the total. Within that figure, China accounted for $7.4 billion, confirming its position as the largest single box office territory for the second consecutive year.
The North American (aka “domestic”) market weighed in at an estimated $4.5 billion. Europe, the Middle East and Africa counted for a combined $4.4 billion and Latin America $1.1 billion.
The performance meant that Asia-Pacific (including China) grew from 50.2% in 2020 to 52.8% of global box office in 2021, and that China alone grew its share from 28% to over a third (34%).
But the drive of local content in...
- 1/7/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
China is kicking off 2022 with an official trailer for the latest Zhang Yimou film, another jingoistic thriller about the Korean War. They've been making more and more of these recently (also see The Battle at Lake Changjin), as what seems like anti-American propaganda. Sharpshooter, one of the many official English titles for this film, is yet another Zhang Yimou war film - but he's also listed as a co-director on this one. The film tells the story of sharpshooter Zhang Taofang, a young army recruit who at age 22 sets a record during the Korean War by reportedly killing or wounding 214 American soldiers with 435 shots in just 32 days. It's being released during the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, and includes the tagline: "Send them all back to hell!" Starring Chen Yongsheng, Zhang Yu, and Zhang Yi. There's no English subtitles yet, but you'll get a sense of the intense sniper-on-sniper action from this trailer anyway.
- 1/3/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Errors and omissions are standard features of historical dramas everywhere. It is therefore no surprise to find Korean War history being filtered to suit domestic requirements in the three-hour Chinese blockbuster “The Battle at Lake Changjin.” Nor is it unexpected for U.S. military characters to be cardboard cutouts with excruciatingly bad dialogue. And, like many other jingoistic war epics, this prestige production co-directed by industry heavyweights Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark and Dante Lam
The latest in a long line of strongly nationalistic films released during the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, “The Battle at Lake Changjin” has collected almost all its $905 million revenue (as of Dec. 27) from domestic ticket sales. It is currently the highest grossing film of 2021, with only “Spider-Man: No Way Out” and “No Time to Die” as serious rivals for the top spot.
This very old-fashioned production depicts a string of military engagements during...
The latest in a long line of strongly nationalistic films released during the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, “The Battle at Lake Changjin” has collected almost all its $905 million revenue (as of Dec. 27) from domestic ticket sales. It is currently the highest grossing film of 2021, with only “Spider-Man: No Way Out” and “No Time to Die” as serious rivals for the top spot.
This very old-fashioned production depicts a string of military engagements during...
- 12/27/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” unwrapped the best Christmas gift of all, becoming the first pandemic-era movie to cross $1 billion at the global box office.
Sony’s comic-book epic has eclipsed that milestone in a near-record 12 days, tying with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the third-fastest film to reach the billion-dollar benchmark. Only 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” were quicker, smashing the coveted tally in 11 and five days, respectively.
It’s impressive that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” managed to blow past $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide given the rapidly spreading omicron variant of Covid-19. But, so far, coronavirus concerns have done little to slow Peter Parker’s prowess; the film is still playing to many sold-out screenings nationwide. The achievement makes Tom Holland’s Marvel superhero adventure the only movie since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to surpass $1 billion globally. No other Hollywood film...
Sony’s comic-book epic has eclipsed that milestone in a near-record 12 days, tying with 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as the third-fastest film to reach the billion-dollar benchmark. Only 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” were quicker, smashing the coveted tally in 11 and five days, respectively.
It’s impressive that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” managed to blow past $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide given the rapidly spreading omicron variant of Covid-19. But, so far, coronavirus concerns have done little to slow Peter Parker’s prowess; the film is still playing to many sold-out screenings nationwide. The achievement makes Tom Holland’s Marvel superhero adventure the only movie since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to surpass $1 billion globally. No other Hollywood film...
- 12/26/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the grand finale in Marvel’s web-slinging trilogy, has crossed another major box office milestone, surpassing $800 million globally.
After 10 days on the big screen, the latest Spidey adventure starring Tom Holland has become the highest-grossing Hollywood movie of the year with $813.9 million worldwide. It passed MGM’s James Bond sequel “No Time to Die,” which grossed $774 million globally.
To date, only two local Chinese movies — “The Battle at Lake Changjin” ($902 million) and “Hi, Mom” ($882 million) — have generated more than “No Way Home” at the global box office, but Sony and Marvel’s superhero epic looks to dethrone those titles in the coming week. At this pace, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” will be the first pandemic-era movie to crush the $1 billion mark, an especially impressive feat considering the film isn’t playing in China.
At the domestic box office, the newest “Spider-Man” tale collected $27 million on Wednesday from 4,336 theaters,...
After 10 days on the big screen, the latest Spidey adventure starring Tom Holland has become the highest-grossing Hollywood movie of the year with $813.9 million worldwide. It passed MGM’s James Bond sequel “No Time to Die,” which grossed $774 million globally.
To date, only two local Chinese movies — “The Battle at Lake Changjin” ($902 million) and “Hi, Mom” ($882 million) — have generated more than “No Way Home” at the global box office, but Sony and Marvel’s superhero epic looks to dethrone those titles in the coming week. At this pace, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” will be the first pandemic-era movie to crush the $1 billion mark, an especially impressive feat considering the film isn’t playing in China.
At the domestic box office, the newest “Spider-Man” tale collected $27 million on Wednesday from 4,336 theaters,...
- 12/23/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
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