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The final weekend of 2024 witnessed a significant upswing in China’s box office, with Gengxi Pictures’ “Big World” leading the charge by grossing $28.2 million (RMB200 million), according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.

Directed by Yang Lina, the film stars Jackson Yee as Chunhu, a young man with cerebral palsy who assists his grandmother, portrayed by Diana Lin, with a stage play while preparing for college exams. It won the audience award at the Tokyo International Film Festival earlier this year.

In second place, “Octopus With Broken Arms,” released by As One Production, earned $21.6 million over its two-day opening weekend. Directed by Jacky Gan, the film features Xiao Yang as Zheng Bingrui, a wealthy businessman whose daughter, Tingting, is kidnapped during a holiday celebration. Tong Liya portrays Li Huiping, Tingting’s teacher, and Duan Yihong plays police officer Zhang Jingxian, who leads the investigation into the kidnapping. The narrative...

"You may leave now. I'll figure it out on my own." Cmc Pictures has revealed a new international trailer for a Chinese crime thriller titled Octopus with Broken Arms, directed by Jacky Gan. The film is originally titled Wu Sha 3, so it's the third in a series of crime films about crime and vengeance and child trafficking. The wealthy businessman Zheng Bingrui invited his daughter Tingting's teacher Li Huiping and classmates' parents to a party at his home. Unexpectedly, Tingting was kidnapped. Police officer Zhang Jingxian led the team to investigate. A kidnapping case uncovers the depths of child trafficking. To save their children, the parents become demons. Yet another unoriginal story. Starring Chen Sicheng, Jacky Gan, Xiao Yang, Tong Liya, Duan Yihong. The film is will be released internationally (in the US & UK) starting in January 2025 after it debuts in China this week. Not much to see here...

The Austin Film Festival (Aff) is set to showcase a remarkable lineup of films at this year’s event, Variety is happy to exclusively announce the first selection of films, including the world premiere of “Ravens,” a magical realist biopic featuring recent Emmy-nominee Tadanobu Asano (“Shogun”).

Also among the highly anticipated premieres is the Texas-made thriller by Chris Beier and Daniel Wolfman centered around a washed-up Youtube star titled “The Ego Death of Queen Cecilia,” “Silent Notes,” a romantic neo-noir starring Daniel Durant (“Coda”) and the film adaptation of the Broadway play “The Piano Lesson” from Netflix starring Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, which just recently released a trailer. These films are part of Aff’s first wave of screenings, highlighting some of the year’s best in independent filmmaking.

Additional programming includes “Black Dog,” which received the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes this year as well as Ecuadorian horror film “Shaman.

"I want to keep this dog." CineAsia UK has revealed an official UK trailer for a beloved Chinese film titled Black Dog, one of the best dog movies of 2024 (perhaps even of this entire decade). Black Dog premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival a few months ago, and it won top prize in the Un Certain Regard section. It's one of my favorite films from Cannes - here's my review. On the edge of the Gobi desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls embark on a journey together... It is a story about these two friends, but also how a town changes after realizing it's not a good thing to round up all these animals.

Trinity CineAsia has secured UK and Ireland rights to Chinese drama Black Dog, winner of this year’s Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, in a deal with Playtime.

Directed by Guan Hu, the feature was released in China on June 15 and will open in UK and Irish cinemas on August 30.

It marks the second Cannes acquisition for Trinity CineAsia, which previously picked up Hong Kong action drama Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In ahead of its premiere in the Midnight Screenings section of the festival last month.

The distributor also handled the UK release of Guan’s previous film,...

Foreign visitors were in short supply at Saturday’s opening ceremony of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, but that did little to diminish the festive atmosphere.

The ceremony was held at the Shanghai Grand Theater in the downtown area on an evening that was warm and spring-like and without the “plum rain” or summer downpours that the city is known for at this time of year.

Arguably the biggest names in attendance were Hong Kong actor and “Westworld” star Daniel Wu, Hong Kong director Dante Lam, Chinese star actor-director-producer Xu Zheng and Japanese actor Yakusho Koji, who won the best actor award a year ago at Cannes for his leading role in Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days.” Marco Mueller, a celebrated festival director and artistic consultant, was also on hand in his adopted home town.

Wu was representing new film “Decoded,” directed by Chen Sicheng, whose “Lost in the Stars...

You might not get the dog you want, but you always get the dog you need. That old dog lover’s adage applies peculiarly well to Chinese director Guan Hu’s “Black Dog.” A far smaller-scale project than his recent blockbusters “The Eight Hundred” and “The Sacrifice,” Guan’s latest — an Un Certain Regard standout at Cannes this year — nonetheless has the grandly cinematic vision to lend an intimate tale a gloriously epic, allegorical edge.

Set in a dying town on the fringes of the Gobi desert, “Black Dog” has elements of the genre Western, like taciturn loner antihero Lang (a fantastic Eddie Peng), who returns to his eroded hometown himself hollowed out by repressed guilt for the incident that caused his recent imprisonment. But, dipped in the caustic soda of social commentary and steeped in the fatalistic mood of a place barely chugging by on borrowed time, the film...

A sudden earthquake rippled through the entire chemical park in Gucheng County, with pipeline leaks triggering constant explosions. Disaster quickly escalates and if allowed to spread, the whole city will soon be razed to the ground. Tasked with putting out the fire, a group of members from the fire rescue station rush to the scene and so begins a race against time to protect and save lives. [Source: Far East Films]

Flash Over is directed by Oxide Pang – one half of the Pang brothers who are Hong Kong directors best known for The Eye (2002). The cast includes Du Jiang, Wang Qianyuan and Tong Liya. Theatrical release in China is scheduled for April 28, 2023.

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...

“How Long Will I Love U” is one of those movies that overflow with personality and joy just from the beginning. You may or may not like romantic comedies at all, but it is undeniable that “How Long Will I Love U” is a film made with much love, care and with a lot of attention to detail. If you really are a devotee to this kind of movies, you will definitely love this film and you will have a very pleasant time with it. “How Long Will I Love U” is the latest Chinese romcom by Lun Su, starring Liya Tong and Jiayin Lei.

The plot mixes fantasy with drama, romance and humor. Right from the start, we get to see the beginning credit titles, represented in funny and stylish drawings that will define the mood of the film. Afterwards, we meet one of our main protagonists: Xiaojiao, played by Liya Tong.

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Summer 1993 [pictured]

Carla Simón writes (with Valentina Viso) and directs this drama about a young girl (Laia Artigas) coping with the sudden death of her mother.

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Mary Shelley

Haifaa Al-Mansour cowrites (with Emma Jensen) and directs this biopic of the mother of science fiction, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley (Elle Fanning).

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How Long Will I Love U

Su Lun writes and directs this science-fiction romance about a woman (Liya Tong) who falls in love with a man across time.

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The Gospel According to André

Kate Novack directs this documentary about fashion icon and Vogue editor André Leon Talley.

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In Darkness

Natalie Dormer cowrites and stars in this thriller about a blind woman who aurally witnesses the murder of her neighbor. (male director)

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How to Talk to Girls at Parties

Philippa Goslett cowrites this sci-fi rom-com about a young man who falls...

A24’s A Most Violent Year will dominate the Specialty Box Office New Year’s weekend. The feature began as director J.C. Chandor was releasing his previous feature, All Is Lost. A Most Violent Year will begin its limited run in the New Year, but the title will have a wide release by the end of the month. Also opening this weekend is IFC Films’ doc The Search For General Tso, which has its roots from a New York Times Best Seller. Well Go USA will bow China’s The Taking Of Tiger Mountain in exclusive engagements. The title opened number one at home when it rolled out ahead of Christmas. And Magnolia’s genre label, Magnet, will open Spanish thriller [Rec] 4: Apocalypse in five locations January 2. the title is already available via ultra-vod.

A Most Violent Year

Director-writer: J.C. Chandor

Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola,...

New helmer Hang-Sang Poon's new Chinese horror flick 'Purple House' has received its first teaser trailer. And even though the quality isn't great the movie doesn't look half bad. The ex-cinematographer on such projects as Stephen Chow's 'Kung Fu Hustle' and Jet Li's 'Fearless'. The movie stars Jiro Wang, Liya Tong, Patrick Tam, Kai Zhong and Jing Jing He. 'Purple House' will arrive in theatres across China from 23 September. Check out the new teaser and the extended plot synopsis below....

The first trailer for a new Chinese haunted house film called The Purple House has hit the web, and it looks like it's got some potential. First time director Hang-Sang Poon may not be a name you're familiar with, but chances are you've seen his work before. He was the cinematographer for Jet Li's Fearless, Kung Fu Hustle, Ip Man 2 and many more films. He's got a great eye and that's reason enough for us to be optimistic about this one. The film stars Jiro Wang, Liya Tong and Patrick Tam and is scheduled for release on September 23rd.