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Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Box Office Day 7 (Korea) Update! ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Haruo Sotozaki’s directorial Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is unstoppable at the worldwide box office. It is on a record-breaking spree in Japan, Taiwan, and many other key circuits. Drumrolls, please! Part 1 Akaza’s Return has now axed the Og lifetime collection of The Mugen Train in Korea, that too in only 7 days! Scroll below for a detailed analysis.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle Korea Box Office Collection

The first part of the animated dark fantasy action film trilogy was released in South Korea on August 22, 2025. As per the latest box office update, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle...

Superman Worldwide Box Office (Photo Credit – Instagram)

In addition to earning positive reviews from both critics and audiences, James Gunn’s Superman reboot exceeded earlier box office projections, becoming 2025’s first comic book movie to surpass the $600 million global mark. It also recently entered the top ten Warner Bros. releases in the U.S. After seven weeks in theaters, its current run is winding down, and footfalls have naturally declined.

As the David Corenswet-led superhero film approaches the end of its global box office journey, it continues to break records and outgross earlier blockbusters. Now, it is steadily closing in on the massive Chinese sci-fi action hit The Wandering Earth II...

Pathan vs Avatar 2 US Box Office (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

Shah Rukh Khan had a resounding 2023 when he made his comeback after four long years, starring in a string of successful movies. His films, Pathaan and Jawan, in particular, induced quite an uproar at the global box office. The Ddlj star’s Pathaan, marketed as his first fully-fledged action spectacle, emerged as an unprecedented success in India and worldwide, especially in Hollywood’s hometown, Tinseltown, where it accomplished something rare. And below is all there is to know!

Pathaan was welcomed by audiences for what registered as a historic day in all box office record books. Its opening-day numbers lifted the film to the number one spot at the North American box office. Scroll to see the massive release it overtook! Pathaan’s extended Republic Day weekend release, while getting Indian viewers in a frenzy, did not have any...

This overlooked Chinese film made nearly $700 million, and it’s more epic than you think.

The Sci-Fi Hit That Took the World by Storm

Think Avatar or Interstellar are the pinnacle of sci-fi cinema success? Think again. While Hollywood often dominates the headlines, one of the most successful sci-fi blockbusters of all time wasn’t even made in the West — and chances are, you’ve never heard of it.

The Wandering Earth, a 2019 Chinese sci-fi spectacle, quietly shattered box office records with a jaw-dropping $699 million global haul — almost entirely from its home country. Now available on Netflix, this hidden gem is finally getting the international attention it deserves.

What Is The Wandering Earth About?

Directed by Frant Gwo and adapted from a novella by acclaimed author Liu Cixin (The Three-Body Problem), The Wandering Earth unfolds in a chilling future where the sun is dying. In a last-ditch effort to save humanity,...

The 15th Beijing International Film Festival is set to spotlight the growing global reach of Chinese cinema with its “Overseas Distribution and Promotion of Chinese Films” initiative, featuring awards and a high-profile industry forum.

The event will recognize key players who have championed Chinese films in international markets, with industry veteran Arun Kapoor scheduled for a separate award presentation acknowledging his pioneering contributions spanning over five decades.

Kapoor, whose passion for film was inherited from his father O.P. Kapoor – one of India’s first film exhibitors in the 1960s – began distributing films in Latin America at age 20, using Peru as his operational base. Over his career, he has produced more than 30 films and expanded over 150 movie screens. His distribution portfolio includes more than 50 Chinese titles such as “High Forces,” “The Rescue,” “Come Back Home,” “Ride On,” and “The Climbers.”

The Kapoor family legacy continues through his son, Aman Kapoor,...

All titles below begin streaming for free on February 1 unless otherwise noted.

Originals

Action

Earthquake Underground (2/29)

When a massive earthquake submerges several subway cars underground, a group of misfit passengers band together to get to the surface or die trying.

Vice News Presents: Mass Shooting America (2/7)

An unflinching look at the true scope and scale of gun violence in America, as told by those who’ve experienced it first-hand.

Love You To Death: Mommy’S Missing (2/14)

The case of a missing mother reveals twisted family secrets that leave a trail of flames, arrests, and deaths in their wake.

TMZ No Bs: Miley Cyrus (2/24)

Harvey Levin and his team of TMZ experts discuss Miley Cyrus’ meteoric rise to fame and debate her biggest scandals and successes.

Love You To Death: For Love Or Money (2/28)

The shooting of a beloved Cleveland firefighter leads detectives to uncover a shocking plot for money gone very wrong.

China’s entry to the upcoming Oscars has been deemed ineligible, meaning the country will not compete for the best international feature film award for the first time in more than 20 years.

The country had submitted The Sinking Of The Lisbon Maru, a documentary directed by Fang Li, which chronicles a tragic incident in the Second World War.

However, as the film features interviews with British survivors and descendants of the victims, the amount of non-English dialogue proved insufficient for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas). Their rules state that international feature film submissions much have “a...

Stars: Jackie Chan, Wei Xiang, Han Yanbo, Temur Mamisashvili, Shi Ce | Written by Meng Yida, Xu Wei | Directed by Zhang Luan

Panda Plan (aka Xiong Mao Ji Hua) opens on a highly meta note as action star Jackie Chan, played by Jackie Chan takes out an entire squad of terrorists while filming a scene for his latest film. After wondering if he’s supposed to be playing a superhero, he and his agent David review a list of possible off-screen activities. That list includes a housewarming party at Stallone’s new mansion and a celebrity golf tournament.

Jackie passes on all of them to accept an offer from the Noah Zoo to adopt Big Babe, their media star baby panda. What they don’t know is that the leader of what appears to be the evil equivalent of The Untouchables has been offered $100,000,000 to pandanap Big Babe.

With his right hand man James in charge,...

Action movie icon Jackie Chan returns to the family-friendly action comedy in Panda Plan, and the first trailer for the movie, which finds Chan playing a fictionalized version of himself, has now been released. The action outing finds the 70-year-old martial arts maestro poking some fun at himself and his legacy when his skills as an action movie star are needed to save a rare baby panda. You can check out the newly released trailer for Panda Plan below.

Directed by Zhang Luan and produced by Mandarin Motion Pictures and Wishart Media Co., Panda Plan (Xiong Mao Ji Hua) finds Jackie Chan leading an action comedy once again. The martial arts legend has become renowned for his work in the genre thanks to the likes of Drunken Master, Mr. Nice Guy, Police Story, the Rush Hour series, and many more, and its great to see him still delivering pitch-perfect physical comedy while throwing punches.

Considering the huge box office success of the initial film, it is no surprise that a sequel would soon arrive, with Frant Gwo continuing the saga based on Liu CIxin's short story, with a prequel this time.

on Imprint Asia by clicking on the image below

The story begins in the early days of the Moving Mountain Project, with a coalition of the world's nations having decided to place huge machines in strategic locations around the Earth in order to move the planet away from the dying Sun, while additional ones in the Moon are to move that planet away from Earth, in order for the latter to avoid the former's gravitational pull. While all this will be happening, a number of the population will be placed in underground facilities, which leave, though, a large part of the planet's inhabitants simply to die. Expectedly, strikes and...

Marvel will be able to release their upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine” film in China. However, they will likely need to make some edits to the film to do so. The film is set to be released in China on July 26, 2024, the same day it is released in North America.

The first “Deadpool” film was not allowed to be released theatrically in China due to the violence. “Deadpool 2” was permitted to release, but not until it was turned into the PG version “Once Upon a Deadpool“ film version.

Hollywood has long appealed to the Chinese market, but in recent years, it hasn’t been as successful in getting films released there. Disney needs every market it can get, and China used to be one of its big ones. It seems that Disney will pander when needed to win over the huge market.

China has a thriving film and show market...

Imax is to extend its partnerships in China and Thailand, expanding its growing presence in Asia with several new screens.

In China, the large-screen exhibitor has teamed with Bona Film Group to launch three new Imax with Laser systems, which are set to begin operation in 2026. The two companies have partnered since 2012 and this will bring the total number of Imax locations with Bona Film Group to 36. It marks the first deal between the two since the Covid pandemic.

In Thailand, Imax will launch a further three locations through its partnership with Major Cineplex. The deal will add Laser systems...

Three-hour sci-fi action epic The Wandering Earth II (2023) was the ninth-highest grossing film worldwide last year, starring Andy Lau, and Wu Jing (Meg 2). A thrilling ride that must be seen to be believed.  

Hero (2002) is arriving in a 2-Disc Limited Edition Hardbox featuring both cuts, a modern wuxia classic starring Jet Li from legendary director Zhang Yimou. Packed with extensive special features, this is a visual spectacular not to be missed. 

Our final title to announce for June is Zu Warriors (2001), a remake of the 1983 film filled with incredible action sequences from Tsui Hark.

Check out their homepage to check out the special features and pre-order your copy today.  ...

The China Pavilion has set up shop in the middle of this year’s Hong Kong Filmart for the third year running as it aims to share the story of the evolution of the country’s film industry.

Organizers the China Film Co-production Corporation (Cfcc) have brought data with them, they say reflects that there are more international hits coming out of China, while the demographics back home continue to expand in terms of content and of audience.

“We hope to fully present the latest performance of the Chinese film industry through the China Film Pavilion and promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign film industries,” a Cfcc spokesperson said.

The past 12 months has seen several Chinese films go on wide international release, led by The Wandering Earth II, the sci-fi epic drawn from the world of acclaimed writer Liu Cixin. The Frant Gwo-directed film was released simultaneously in eight countries — the U.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys

2024 Oscars Predictions:

Best International Feature Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days’

Weekly Commentary: The United Kingdom is poised to win its first Academy Award with Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” and what a deserved win it will be.

But while I have the floor: it’s time for the...

Worldwide box office February 2-4 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Yolo (various) $110.4m $110.4m $110.4m $110.4m 1 2. Pegasus 2 (various) $104.6m $104.6m $104.6m $104.6m 3 3. Boonie Bears: Time Twist (various) $60.8m $60.8m $60.8m $60.8m 1 4. Article 20 (various)

$46.6m $46.6m $46.6m $46.6m 1 5. Argylle (Universal) $15.9m $60.1m $9.4m $31.3m 82 6. Anyone But You (Sony) $12.4m $170.1m $9.7m $90m 51 7. Wonka (Warner Bros) 11.6m $587.5m $8.5m $382.3m 75 8. Migration (Universal) $9.7m $235.2m $6.7m $125.0m 80 9. The Movie Emperor (various) $7.9m $7.9m $7.9m $7.9m 6 10. Poor Things (Disney) $7.7m $81.2m $6.6m $50.9m 44

Credit: Comscore. All figures are estimates.

China wins top four spots in...

Eight Chinese-language films release simultaneously this weekend in mainland China and will vie for a slice of the Lunar New Year holiday box office business.

The week-long nationwide holiday period has in recent years become the most lucrative season for cinemas, and key films stake out their slot in the release calendar months or years in advance.

The new Chinese films all debut on Saturday (Friday is the normal day for releases in China) and should have an unchallenged two weeks on screen. But if the new Chinese films don’t perform well, there is already a string of new Hollywood releases queuing up for screen time, starting with “Argylle” on Feb. 23.

The week-long holiday this year officially runs Feb. 10-17, but employers are encouraged to give workers time off on Friday, Feb. 9 as well, ostensibly giving city dwellers time to return to their native villages and family seats in...

Fish out of water comedy film “Jonny Keep Walking” kept its place at the top of the mainland China box office in its fourth weekend of release. Hong Kong-made action comedy “Rob N Roll” opened in second position.

“Jonny,” in which a man from the countryside struggles to hold down a corporate job in a big city, earned $15 million (RMB106 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was another strong hold after $19.7 million in the film’s third weekend and $22.4 million in its second frame. The cumulative total for “Jonny” is now $134 million (RMB951 million).

“Rob N Roll,” with its starry cast of Aaron Kwok, Richie Jen and Lam Ka-tung, opened with $12.1 million. It was produced in Hong Kong and directed by Albert Mak, who has associate director credits on Johnny To movies “Drug War” and “Life Without Principle.”.

Another Hong Kong-made film, “The Goldfinger” took 3.8 million in third place.

A total of 35 films from 24 countries and regions have been shortlisted to compete for 16 awards at this year's Asian Film Awards.

Renowned Japanese director Kurosawa Kiyoshi will serve as the Jury President for this year's Awards. As the first Japanese director to hold this position, Kurosawa Kiyoshi is deeply honored. He will lead the Jury and over 200 Voting Members in selecting the winners for this year's Asian Film Awards.

The winners of other Afa awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, Excellence in Asian Cinema Award, Afa Next Generation Award, and Rising Star Award, will be announced later.

The 17th Asian Film Awards Nomination List

Best Film

12.12: The Day (South Korea)

Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)

Paradise

Perfect Days (Japan)

Snow Leopard (Mainland China)

Best Director

Kim Sung-soo | 12.12: The Day (South Korea)

Gu Xiaogang | Dwelling by the West Lake (Mainland China)

Hamaguchi Ryusuke | Evil Does Not Exist (Japan)

Kore-eda Hirokazu...

‘Snow Leopard’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Goldfinger’ and ‘Godzilla Minus One’ also land multiple nods.

South Korean box office hit 12.12: The Day and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist lead the nominations for the 17th Asian Film Awards, with six nods each including best film.

Also up for best film is Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise from Sri Lanka-India, Wim Wenders Perfect Days from Japan and Chinese feature Snow Leopard by the late Pema Tseden.

Scroll down for full list of nominations

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong on March 10 and will be decided by a...

The Action Scene is a column that explores the construction of action set pieces in order to deepen appreciation for and spark discussion about action cinema.The following column examines my fifteen favorite action scenes of 2023. In their variety, virtuosity, and visceral power, they embody the vibrancy of contemporary action cinema. Like last year’s roundup, the focus is on action scenes—relatively sustained, heightened, self-contained expressions of action filmmaking craft—so some otherwise strong action films didn’t make the cut, and not all of the films featured here are necessarily compelling beyond their set pieces. All included films made their official, non-festival, US theatrical and/or streaming debut in 2023. For the sake of variety, I’ve limited myself to one scene per film.And now, on to the action. As with previous years, these scenes have been grouped by theme to foreground patterns and enhance ease of perusal.

The country recorded its highest cinema admissions in four years.

China took $7.7bn (RMB54.9b) at the box office in 2023, representing an 83% year-on-year increase and the highest cinema admissions in four years, but still 14.5% behind pre-pandemic 2019.

Local audiences continued to show their unwavering support for local productions, which claimed all the top 10 slots in the annual chart. The biggest among them were two Chinese New Year releases, historical mystery Full River Red and sci-fi The Wandering Earth 2, which both surpassed the landmark RMB4bn ($562m) mark.

Half of the top 10 were local summer hits, including crime drama No More Bets,...

Chinese-produced movies took all of the top ten chart places at the China box office as theatrical revenues in 2023 rebounded strongly. Gross revenues reached an annual total of RMB54.9 billion or $7.73 billion.

That was an 83% improvement on the previous year, according to data from China Film Administration, but still 14.5% adrift of 2019, the last pre-covid year, when grosses hit RMB64.3 billion. The government body also said that 2023 was the fourth highest box office figure on record.

Comparisons with 2022 are less meaningful than in many other countries as China suffered the worst of the pandemic in that year and cinemas were subject to eight months of rolling closures and capacity restrictions. In 2020 and 2021, when much of the world was laboring under Covid restrictions, but China was operating largely normally, the Middle Kingdom was the biggest movie market on the planet.

Local ticketing firm Maoyan reported that the number of admissions in 2023 was the highest in four years,...

In 2019, Chinese filmmaker Frant Guo gave his country its very first science fiction blockbuster, The Wandering Earth, a high-concept adventure film set in 2058 with planet Earth threatened by the imminent explosion of the sun. This year, Guo extended his vision with a prequel, The Wandering Earth 2, told years before the story of the first film. Collectively, the two movies have earned a whopping $1.36 billion ($700 million for the first and $564 million for the follow-up), amounting to China’s very first sci-fi franchise that can legitimately rival Hollywood in both scale and production values. A third installment has been announced for release in 2027.

In recognition of The Wandering Earth 2′s achievements — the prequel has an average critics’ score of 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, signifying considerable praise beyond China’s borders — Beijing’s Film Bureau selected it as the country’s official entry for the Oscar’s best international film category race.

Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The category was previously called the Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed in April 2019 to Best International Feature Film, after the Academy deemed the word “Foreign” to be outdated.

The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. For the 96th Academy Awards, the submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline for submissions to the Academy was October 2, 2023, and 92 countries submitted a film. The 15-film shortlist will be announced on December 21, 2023, followed by the official nominations on January 23, 2024.

Here are this edition's Asian Submissions for Best International Feature Film.

Shortlist of 15 films to be announced December 21, nominations out on January 23, 2024.

The Academy has announced eligible features in the categories of international feature film, animation, and documentary for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.

The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21, and the nominations announcement is January 23, 2024.

International

Eighty-eight countries or regions have submitted films eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes long) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track. Namibia is a first-time entrant.

Academy members...

“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...

Via Vision Entertainment is excited to announce its newest media distribution expansion with the launch of Imprint Asia.

Imprint Asia will deliver ongoing releases of contemporary & classic Asian cinema across film festival, multi digital platforms, and physical media including 4K & Blu-ray for Australia and New Zealand.

Already working with some of the biggest Asian licencing partners in the market, the new brand will be launching with a host of key properties including Rui Cui's 2023 box office megahit ‘Lost In The Stars', Larry Yang's 2023 action comedy ‘Ride On' starring Jackie Chan and the 2023 Sci-Fi epic ‘The Wandering Earth II‘ starring Andy Lau.

In addition to the new release slate there will be ongoing classic releases with new restorations and extras produced for physical media collectors including Chen Kaige's ‘The Emperor and The Assassin' (1998) & ‘Farewell My Concubine' (1992), Tsui Hark's ‘The Legend of Zu' (2001), Kei Kumai...

The crime drama will be released on December 30.

Trinity CineAsia has acquired Hong Kong tentpole The Goldfinger for the UK and Ireland after striking a deal with Emperor Motion Pictures.

The crime drama will reunite Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung with writer/director Felix Chong for the first time since 2002’s Infernal Affairs. That film, co-written by Chong and directed by Lau and Alan Mak, spawned a trilogy of films and inspired Martin Scorsese’s 2006 Oscar-winning crime thriller The Departed.

UK-based Trinity CineAsia will theatrically release The Goldfinger in UK and Irish cinemas on December 30, co-ordinated with...

Oscar voters in the Best International Feature Film category have received their group assignments for this year’s initial round of voting, with 89 films included on the seven lists that the Academy has sent to members.

The lists, which were obtained by TheWrap, include presumed favorites “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom), “The Taste of Things” (France), “The Promised Land” (Denmark) and “Perfect Days” (Japan), along with a number of documentaries, among them Estonia’s “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” Brazil’s “Pictures of Ghosts” and Ukraine’s “20 Days in Mariupol.”

The 89 films are four short of the record of 93 qualifying films in the category. The list of group assignments does not make up the Academy’s official list of eligible films; it’s possible that assigned films might still fail to qualify before first-round voting begins on Dec. 18. For the most part, though, films that are included in the group...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

Mandarin Motion Pictures to launch sales at the American Film Market (AFM).

Hong Kong’s Mandarin Motion Pictures has secured sales rights to Jackie Chan action comedy Panda Plan and will launch the film at the American Film Market (AFM).

Zhang Luan directs the Chinese feature, in which a baby panda with just one dark circle around his eye becomes a worldwide sensation after being born at China’s Noah Zoo. When a Middle Eastern tycoon dispatches mercenaries to snatch baby pandas from the zoo, iconic action star Chan – playing a version of himself – becomes involved to protect the animals at the wildlife park.

China’s The Wandering Earth 2 and Pakistan’s In Flames were added to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ members-only streaming service, Academy Screening Room, on Friday, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. This means that these are the respective countries’ official selections for the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature film category.

2019’s The Wandering Earth was directed by Frant Gwo and was loosely based on the 2000 short story of the same name. It became China’s fifth highest-grossing film of all time. The prequel was released in January.

China has submitted more than 20 films for an Oscar since 1979, with two going on to receive a nomination. Both were directed by Zhang Yimou. A Chinese film has not won an Academy Award in the international feature film category.

In Flames is written and directed by Zarrar Kahn and had its North American premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

In yet another move to increase its footprint in Asia, IMAX is expanding its partnership with Hengdian Films via an agreement for 20 new IMAX with Laser systems across China. This marks the largest deal for new IMAX systems in four years, reinforcing the strong demand among Chinese exhibitors and audiences for the premium experience with Hollywood and local content alike.

The new IMAX locations will be in Jingdezhen, Ulanqab and Zhangjiakou, all first-ever locations in China for IMAX. Additionally, new locations are set to open in Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Jiujiang, Hohhot and Yangzhou, with more to be confirmed.

The multi-theater pact comes after IMAX China delivered its highest grossing summer season ever at the box office. In 2023, IMAX has earned more than $18.4M with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer repping 30% of the film’s opening weekend on less than 1% of Chinese screens. The fantasy epic Creation of the Gods also became...

Chinese movie conglomerate Hengdian Films has inked a contract to fit Imax with Laser premium large format screen systems at 20 of its cinema locations. The order is the Imax’s largest recorded during the past four years.

Hengdian Films is a pre-existing Imax client and the new deal will expand its Imax screen count to 27 when completed. The new laser screens will be located at Jingdezhen, Ulanqab and Zhangjiakou, all first-ever cities in China for Imax. Hengdian will also add Imax screens in new locations within Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Jiujiang, Hohhot and Yangzhou. Others have yet to be clarified.

China is already Imax’s largest single market worldwide by screen numbers. At the end of 2022, it had 794 screens in operation. That compares with 441 in North America.

The Imax Corp. parent company recently attempted to take private its Hong Kong-listed Imax China subsidiary, whose shares have sunk since an IPO in...

Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to fantasy epic Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms, one of China’s biggest films of the year.

Directed by Wuershan (Painted Skin: The Resurrection, Mojin: The Lost Legend), the film is the first installment in the planned Fengshen Trilogy, a three-part feature adaptation of the classic Chinese novel by Xu Zhonglin. It stars Kris Phillips (The Monkey King 2), Li Xuejian (The Wandering Earth II), Huang Bo (Journey to the West), Yu Shi (Born to Fly), Chen Muchi, Ci Sha and acclaimed newcomer Naran.

Among the Beijing film industry’s top-earning titles this summer, Kingdom of Storms has earned $375 million in China and remains on release.

Well Go will put the film out in North American theaters Sept. 22, with special Imax preview showings available in select locations Sept. 20.

The first installment of the trilogy’s legendary tale — which...

Awards

The European Film Academy has revealed the nominations for Lux – The European Audience Film Award. The award is presented by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy in partnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas.

The nominated films are: “20,000 Species of Bees” by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (Spain); “The Teacher’s Lounge” by İlker Çatak (Germany); “Fallen Leaves” by Aki Kaurismäki; “On the Adamant” by Nicolas Philibert; and “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” by Anna Hints.

The five nominated films will now be subtitled in all 24 EU languages. The winner will be determined by the general public and the members of the European Parliament (each holding 50% of the vote) and announced during an awards ceremony in March 2024.

European Film Academy chair and president of the Lux jury Mike Downey said: “We know that cinema not only enhances the imagination but also shows our entire world in multiple perspectives and...

Fest runs September 7-17.

TIFF has announced additional TIFF Tribute Award recipients, with Brazilian filmmaker Carolina Markowicz, Polish cinematographer Lukasz Zal, and Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau joining the roster.

Markowicz will receive the TIFF Emerging Talent Award presented by MGM Studios. The award is in the spirit of Torontonian Mary Pickford, the groundbreaking actor, producer, and co-founder of United Artists.

Markowicz will present the world premiere of her second feature Toll on September 9. The film centres on a Brazilian mother who falls in with a gang of thieves in an attempt to keep her family afloat. Her first film...

Fest runs September 7-17.

Pedro Almodóvar, Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun, and Andy Lau will take part in the TIFF In Conversation With… series of on-stage talks next month.

“TIFF’s 2023 In Conversation With… series exemplifies our belief that film can ignite perspectives and fuel transformation,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “We are delighted to welcome a powerhouse line-up of international iconoclasts from Spain, South Korea, and Hong Kong for film lovers of all genres.”

Almodóvar will present the North American premiere of his short film Strange Way Of Life starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. His credits include All About My Mother,...

TIFF has begun announcing their Conversation With… (Icw) series for this year’s fest with Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar, Hong Kong actor Andy Lau and Concrete Utopia Korean stars Lee Byung-hun and Park

Seo-jun set to sit down for chats.

“TIFF’s 2023 In Conversation With… series exemplifies our belief that film can ignite perspectives and fuel

transformation,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “We are delighted to welcome a powerhouse lineup of international iconoclasts from Spain, South Korea, and Hong Kong for film lovers of all genres.”

Almodóvar is already set to receive TIFF’s Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media this year at the fest’s Tribute Awards. His short, Strange Way of Life, which played at Cannes, will also make its North American premiere at TIFF. Short follows the relationship between a sheriff (Ethan Hawke) and a rancher

(Pedro Pascal) and their shared past.

Concrete Utopia stars...

The Dolby Cinema poster for Meg 2: The Trench highlights the size of the megalodon, promising an even bigger installment than the original. The sequel will feature multiple megalodons and elevated set pieces, including one eating a T-Rex, adding more over-the-top action. The addition of Chinese actor Wu Jing could make Meg 2: The Trench a massive commercial hit in China, following his success in The Wandering Earth 2.

The Dolby Cinema poster for Meg 2: The Trench showcases how big the titular megalodon will be. Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by John Hoeber, Erich Hoeber and Dean Georgaris, the movie will see Jason Statham reprise his role as Jonas Taylor as he faces an even bigger megalodon than he did in the 2018 original. The Jon Turteltaub-directed Meg was a box office success, grossing over $530.2 million globally, with a sequel being confirmed in 2020.

On Twitter, Dolby posted their...

Imax announced Wednesday that it plans to spend $124 million to get full ownership of Imax China. The subsidiary is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange and was established in 2011 by Imax to oversee its business in Greater China, which has become a key market for the exhibition company.

Imax creates wide-screen technology that enables theater owners to charge premium prices — it is also a favorite with big-budget filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan and Michael Bay, who use the company’s proprietary cameras to produce their movies.

Since Covid, Hollywood films have struggled to attract the same level of business as they did pre-pandemic, but local-language titles such as “The Wandering Earth 2” and “Lost in the Stars” have been huge hits when they have screened in Imax.

As part of the proposal, Imax will buy the outstanding 96.3 million shares in Imax China. The offer represents an approximate 49% premium to...

China’s first blockbuster of the summer of 2023, Lost in the Stars, is readying for release in North America, Australia and New Zealand later this week.

The film will launch on July 7 in approximately 60 locations across 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada, courtesy of China’s international distributor Cmc Pictures. The release in Australia and New Zealand, on July 6 and July 13, respectively, will be of a similar scale.

Lost in the Stars launched in China on June 22 and already has earned about $360 million there — more than what recent Hollywood hits like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($343.4 million) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($355 million) grossed at home in North America.

Chinese commercial blockbusters tend to play more like specialty releases in the West, however, primarily appealing to the Chinese diaspora market, while racking up earnings more in line with what breakthrough Asian arthouse titles earn. Well Go USA released...

‘Lost In The Stars’ proved the top grossing film in June.

China’s box office jumped 52.9% in the first six months of 2023 with ticket sales of $3.7bn (RMB26.3bn), marking the first such year-on-year increase since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It does not mark a complete recovery as the figures remain 15.7% down on the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. But robust growth was seen in June with takings of $581.8m (Rmb 4.13bn), up 115% on 2022 and down a mere 0.8% on 2019. The results almost equalled pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to data provided by Artisan Gateway.

The top grossing film in June was Lost In The Stars,...

‘Lost In The Stars’ proved the top grossing film in June.

China’s box office jumped 52.9% in the first six months of 2023 with ticket sales of $3.7bn (RMB26.3bn), marking the first such year-on-year increase since the Covid-19 pandemic.

It does not mark a complete recovery as the figures remain 15.7% down on the same period in pre-pandemic 2019. But robust growth was seen in June with takings of $581.8m (Rmb 4.13bn), up 115% on 2022 and down a mere 0.8% on 2019. The results almost equalled pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to data provided by Artisan Gateway.

The top grossing film in June was Lost In The Stars,...

The global box office recovery for Imax has been driven by drawing premium ticket prices and releasing local language blockbusters in Asia.

So says Imax CEO Richard Gelfond, who told an investors conference that consumers coming out of the pandemic are willing to pay a premium for “something special,” whether for music concerts or live sports, and that includes his company’s giant screen experience.

“We charge more, but people are saying for something special and something out of the home and something I can enjoy with my family is worth paying for,” he told the Jp Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference during a session that was webcast.

The box office recovery at the cinema technologies company has been led by James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, but Imax has also pursued a strategy of releasing local language titles and Hollywood tentpoles on its international network of screens.

With its two adorable bears, this formulaic kids’ tale tells its environmentally conscious story with plenty of warmth but few surprises

The ninth feature in a hugely popular Chinese animated series directed by Lin Yongchang and Shao Heqi, Boonie Bears: Guardian Code is also the franchise’s highest-grossing film, second behind The Wandering Earth 2 as the biggest Chinese film of 2023 so far. With its two main characters Bramble and Briar, adorable bears who were abandoned by their mother in a forest fire, this environmentally conscious adventure is an entertaining, if rather formulaic, ride.

For lovers of cute animals, the CGI designs of the brothers are quite lovely and detailed, though not exactly distinctive. Goofy and optimistic Bramble believes that their mother is out there searching for them, but Briar holds no such hope. However, a chance encounter with Charlotte, an aspiring scientist, promises a new clue that would lead...

Chinese cinema makes its in-person return to Cannes this year, buoyed by a bounce-back in post-covid box office revenue, and talking up its efforts to engage with the global film community.

Taking center stage is the China Film Pavilion, set up by the China Film Co-Production Corporation (Cfcc), under the guidance of and with the support of the China Film Administration, and the aim is to share with the world insights and updates into the state of play in the Chinese film industry.

“We hope to fully present the latest performances of the Chinese film industry through the China Film Pavilion and to promote exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and foreign film industries,” said a Cfcc representative.

The initiative comes at a time when the Chinese film market appears to be beginning to claw its way back toward pre-covid levels following the hardships of the global pandemic and the...

There were two bigger box office hits in China over the Lunar New Year, but the returns enjoyed by Boonie Bears: Guardian Code may, in hindsight, turn out to be the result that actually points to an emerging trend in Chinese cinema.

The country’s animation industry is certainly hoping so.

In collecting an estimated $136 million (Rmb 924 million) over its eight-day festive-season run, the ninth installment of the Boonie Bears franchise found itself tucked in behind two blockbusters: veteran helmer Zhang Yimou’s period thriller Full River Red, collector of an estimated $465 million (Rmb 3.16 billion), and Frank Guo’s sci-fi sequel The Wandering Earth 2 with $378 million (Rmb 2.57 billion).

But the bigger picture is how the film held its own against two such high-profile releases on its way to a total of more than $220 million (Rmb 1.5 billion), and amid reports that it had been sold to a slew of international markets,...

Considering the huge box office success of the initial film, it is no surprise that a sequel would soon arrive, with Frant Gwo continuing the saga based on Liu CIxin's short story, with a prequel this time.

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The story begins in the early days of the Moving Mountain Project, with a coalition of the world's nations having decided to place huge machines in strategic locations around the Earth in order to move the planet away from the dying Sun, while additional ones in the Moon are to move that planet away from Earth, in order for the latter to avoid the former's gravitational pull. While all this will be happening, a number of the population will be placed in underground facilities, which leave, though, a large part of the planet's inhabitants simply to die. Expectedly, strikes and riots...