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Exclusive: China Lion Film Distribution has acquired all media rights from Universe Films to the upcoming Andy Lau-starrer A Gilded Game for release in Canada, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

China Lion has set May 8, 2025, as the theatrical release date in Australia and New Zealand, and May 9, 2025, as the theatrical release in North America.

The financial drama is expected to be a strong performer in China during its Chinese Labor Day holiday release in early May. Above you can watch the first international trailer.

Hong Kong film icon Andy Lau leads the cast playing financial markets expert Todd Zhang, mentoring a new hire played by Oho Ou (Raid On The Lethal Zone). Entering into the fast-paced financial world and tackling an IPO as his first big move, Ou’s character must learn to exist in the high-pressure world, surrounded by interns eager to compete for business fame.

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,...

Within “High Forces,” we meet Gao Haojun, played by Andy Lau, who used to be a special operations officer and is now a security expert for Hangyu Airlines. Gao’s tense relationship with his ex-wife, Fu Yuan (Liu Tao), and their blind daughter, Xiaojun (Zhang Zifeng), is revealed at the beginning of the narrative, which delves into family dynamics.

Gao joins the first flight without knowing that his family is also on board, which sets up the hijacking dramatically and randomly. This coincidental turn of events adds to the tension as hijackers, led by the unstable Mike (Qu Chuxiao), take over the plane and demand a large ransom.

The film’s pacing is off, with moments of forced emotional depth interspersed with intense action. Some flashbacks show Gao’s mistakes from the past and his ongoing guilt over his daughter’s blindness.

These narrative techniques are meant to give characters more depth,...

Exclusive: China Lion Film Distribution has acquired all rights from Hong Kong outfit Universe Films to the Andy Lau-starrer High Forces for release in North America.

China Lion has set an October 25, 2024, release for the film throughout Canada and the United States. The action-thriller, recently released in mainland China and throughout Asia, has been a popular title during the Chinese Golden Week holiday.

Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau leads the cast as Gao Haojun, a professional bodyguard by trade. Distanced from his family after a car accident takes the sight of his daughter, he is pulled back into their circle when a flight they’re aboard is overtaken by armed hijackers.

Directed by Oxide Pang, known for The Detective and Out Of Inferno, the film co-stars Lui Tao and Zhang Zi Feng, star of Aftershock.

The film...

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” took second place at the mainland China box office over the latest weekend, leading off a season of re-releases that will encompass the full “Harry Potter” franchise.

The weekend’s top-ranked film was “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” which took RMB77.4 million ($10.9 million) in its second full weekend in Chinese theaters, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Since releasing on Sept. 30, in time to capture the full National Day holiday period, the Chen Kaige-directed film has earned $139 million. The film is the second part of a three-film set that kicked off this time last year with “The Volunteers: To the War.”

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” earned $6.6 million. Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind the franchise, said that the films will pay in some 3,400 theaters across 295 cities in China and that they will be available in standard...

The London East Asia Film Festival (Leaff), the capital’s premier celebration of East Asian cinema and culture, proudly returns for its 9th edition, launching on 23rd October 2024 at the iconic Odeon Luxe Leicester Square with the UK premiere of Escape, a gripping drama by acclaimed director Lee Jong-Pil. The festival will run until 3rd November 2024, culminating in the highly anticipated world premiere of the Hong Kong feature, Little Red Sweet.

This year’s programme promises an extraordinary showcase of cinematic gems from Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and Philippines, all woven around the powerful theme of survival, resilience, and aspiration. Through the visionary lens of East Asia’s most talented filmmakers, Leaff invites audiences to experience profound and thought-provoking stories that offer unique insight into the region’s rich cultural tapestry.

With over 20 UK and world premieres, Leaff will captivate audiences at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square and the Cinema at Selfridges,...

Box office in China over the country’s crucial National Day holiday season fell by 23% according to Maoyan, a leading movie ticketing platform.

Gross nationwide revenues ran at approximately RMB300 million ($42.5 million) per day from Tuesday last week to Monday, adding up to RMB2.10 billion ($297 million), Maoyan Research Institute said. Some 52 million tickets were sold in the seven-day period.

Leading the pack was the war film “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death,” which clinched the top spot at the box office with RMB805 million ($114 million). The film saw significantly higher ticket purchases for multiple viewers than other films, indicating a strong appeal to families.

The crime film “Tiger Wolf Rabbit” secured second place with RMB359 million ($50.8 million), closely followed by the sci-fi film “Bureau 749” at RMB356 million ($50.4 million). Jackie Chan’s action-comedy “Panda Plan” ranked fourth with RMB215 million ($30.5 million). The fifth place was “High Forces,” starring Andy Lau,...

The Chinese film industry saw mixed results during the 2022 National Day holiday period. While the war epic “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” was a box office success, total ticket sales were down compared to last year.

Directed by Chen Kaige, “The Volunteers 2” earned nearly $46 million over the weekend, capturing over a quarter of screen time. After one week, the film made $113 million. It could reach $199 million by the end of its run, according to projections. Despite this hit, the overall holiday box office showed weakness.

The crucial $108 million mark was reached on the third day of the seven-day holiday. Last year, it was achieved one day earlier. Total weekend ticket sales were $108 million, notably lower than the $168 million high from 2021. This drop reflects concerns about China’s economic slowdown affecting consumer spending.

Other popular films included the crime drama “Tiger Wolf Rabbit” in second place with $19 million.

Chen Kaige’s war epic “The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” was the dominant force at the mainland China box office over the weekend. But the end of the National Day holiday week maintained the trend of relative weakness.

“The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death” scored RMB324 million in commemoration of China’s founding in 1949.

The film is directed by Chen Kaige and stars Zhu Yilong, Xin Baiqing and Zhang Zifeng. It represents the second instalment of his patriotic “The Volunteers” trilogy. Part one was released at the same period last year.

Ticketing agency Maoyan reports that “Volunters 2” now has a cumulative of RMB802 million after seven days and it is now estimating that the film could finish its theatrical run with RMB1.4 billion ($199 million). That would put it in the top ten films this year.

Comparison with the same season last year is clumsy as...

“Transformers One” took top spot at the China box office over its debut weekend. It was the only major title to release on an atypical Friday that precedes next week’s National Day holiday season. That also made the latest Friday-to-Sunday session the lowest-grossing weekend of the year for mainland Chinese cinemas.

Released only a week after its North American debut, “Transformers One,” an animated spin-off from the “Transformers” franchise which has been enormously popular in the Middle Kingdom, earned $4.9 million, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Including its previews, the film finished Sunday with a running total of $8.0 million in China.

In second place, “Like a Rolling Stone,” a drama film about a 50-year-old woman who decides to take charge of her own life and embarks on a driving tour, earned RMB15.2 million ($2.3 million). That lifts it to an 15-day cumulative of $15.6 million.

“Stand by Me,” the...

Chinese-produced drama film “Stand by Me” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office. Dreamworks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” enjoyed a modest third-place debut.

After an almost imperceptible uplift provided a week earlier by the Mid Autumn Festival, mainland China’s theatrical business extended the slump that it has been in since the second quarter.

Weekend box office, in the country with a population of 1.3 billion, and some 90,000 cinema screens in commercial operation, amounted to just $25.1 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That was the third lowest weekend figure this year.

The Mid-Autumn Festival box office totaled RMB389 million ($55.2 million) between Sept. 14 -17, according to the National Film Administration. That was less than half of the RMB803 million recorded at the same time of year in 2019. Chinese films accounted for an 85% market share. The slump came despite an all-time record number of screening sessions,...