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From Yugi Muto to Jack Atlas, there are an abundance of major Yu-Gi-Oh!characters fans love. At the same time, there are also plenty of more minor characters who are nearly as beloved. These include allies of the main heroes, villainous henchmen, and one-off duelists with memorable gimmicks.

Every Yu-Gi-Oh! anime features a massive cast of characters, and there are always stand-out duelists who don't get enough spotlight. Some of these duelists deserved to be main characters in their respective seasons, while others are only main characters in theory. None of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime are bad, but all of them could have been improved if certain characters were seen more.

Mai Valentine Is Loved Far More by Fans Than by the Original Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime The Mistreatment of Mai Is 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Biggest Flaws

Mai Valentine is a fan-favorite, and she should have been one of the main characters of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime.

André Holland is on a roll with three new films, ‘The Last Supper’ tests the faith-based market, hot Vietnamese director Tran Thanh is back, and documentary October 8 examines the explosion of antisemitism after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

A handful of big indies are out with wide releases from Focus Features (Black Bag) to A24 (Opus) to Falling Forward Films and Ketchup Entertainment (Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up).

Neon, the indie distributor of the moment, is out with mystery-thriller The Actor, André Holland’s third leading role this year after Sundance-premiering Love, Brooklyn by Rachael Abigail Holder, which Holland also produced, and The Dutchman, by Andre Gaines, which just debuted at SXSW. The Actor opens in NYC at the Angelika, Holland doing Q&As, at The Grove in LA and top 10 markets – 20+ screens in all.

Based on the novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake, the film,...

Exclusive: Vietnam’s Mockingbird Pictures is launching international sales on a slate of Indonesian and Vietnamese horror films at this year’s Hong Kong Filmart (March 17-20), tapping into the growing horror trend in both of these expanding markets.

From Indonesia, the company has picked up international sales rights to Sukma, directed by actor and filmmaker Baim Wong, whose last film as director, horror pic Lembayung, grossed more than $4m in Indonesia last year. Christine Hakim, Luna Maya and Oka Antara head the cast of his new film, about a family haunted by an ancient mirror when they move to a small town. Release is scheduled for the third quarter of this year.

Mockingbird has also picked up two completed titles – Paul Agusta’s supernatural chiller The Butterfly House, produced by Entelekey Media, and Charles Gozali’s The Damnation, produced by Magma Entertainment.

Released in Indonesia in February, The Butterfly House...

‘Harbin’ To Be Present At Christmas

Poised to be one of the biggest blockbusters of an uneven year for Korean cinema, “Harbin” is finally confirmed to release on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). The movie had its premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival but its distributor and financier Cj Enm chose to hold back the commercial release in its native Korea until the busy end-of-year season.

The period action film follows Korean independence activists who launch a daring attack against the Japanese occupying forces in Manchuria (modern-day China).

It is directed by Woo Min-ho and stars Hyun Bin (“Crash Landing on You”), Park Jeong-min (“Decision to Leave”) and Jeon Yeo-been (“Cobweb”), who were all in action at a press launch event Monday in Seoul.

Apple Cider

Netflix has unveiled a trailer for Australian-produced “Apple Cider Vinegar,” a limited series which it will upload in 2025. The six-part drama chronicles the...

Exclusive: V Pictures, a subsidiary of the Vietnamese arm of Korean exhibitor Cj Cgv, is making a big push into international sales of Vietnamese movies here at Busan’s Asian Contents and Film Market (Acfm), with a slate including recent hits Face Off 7: One Wish and Ma Da: The Drowning Spirit.

Directed by Ly Hai, Face Off 7: One Wish is the latest instalment in a blockbuster franchise and the second highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time, taking more than $19M since its release in April 2024. V Pictures has already distributed the film in Taiwan and Singapore.

Horror movie Ma Da, directed by Nguyen Huu Hoang, is the highest-grossing Vietnamese horror film ever at the local box office with a take of $5.1M (VND126BN). It also recently became the second highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time in Taiwan.

“The Vietnamese film industry has been experiencing significant growth in recent years,...

While Los Angeles suffers from a late summer heat wave, New York is also turning up the temperature thanks to the current star-packed parade happening at fashion shows across the city.

New York Fashion Week — happening now through Sept. 11 — is hosting shows from some of the industry’s top designers, and actors, artists, influencers, sports stars and even a First Lady (Dr. Jill Biden) have been on the scene to catch the debut of designs from the front row.

Below, The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at the stars sitting front row during New York Fashion Week.

Derek Blasberg, Alessandra Ambrosio, Joan Smalls, Ayra Starr, Tinashe and Coco Jones at the Off-White show on Sept. 8, 2024. Sunisa Lee, Eva Chen, Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Zayn Malik, Camila Cabello, Paris Jackson and Ddg attend at Off-White. Fresh from winning the U.S. Open, tennis star Aryna Sabalenka poses with Zayn Malik at Off-White.

Vietnam’s Beta Media and Japan’s Aeon Entertainment have forged a joint venture that will plough $200m (VND5tn) into 50 premium cinema complexes in Vietnam and see the duo enter film production and distribution, opening up new horizons for the local film industry.

The first cinema complex under the Aeon Beta Cinema brand is expected to open its doors in 2025, with all 50 complexes to be built in provinces across Vietnam in the same year.

This strategic partnership leverages on the expertise of both parties. Aeon Entertainment is Japan’s largest cinema chain in terms of the number of theatres and screens,...

Phuong Anh Dao was born on April 30, 1992, in a family with no artistic background; her parents were small traders in the town of Gành Hào, Đông Hải district, Bạc Liêu province. Supported by her family to pursue the arts, she moved to Ho Chi Minh City to enroll in the University of Theater and Cinema. In 2014, she began her acting career with the role of An Sa in the sitcom Kim chi cà pháo (Pickled Mustard Greens), but it did not leave a significant impression.

In 2018, she made a strong impression with her role as Nhật Hạ in the film Nhắm mắt thấy mùa hè (Summer in Closed Eyes), filmed in Japan. This role earned her the “Best Actress” award at the Hanoi International Film Festival. Subsequently, she played lead roles in two films: Em gái mưa (Rainy Girl) and Chàng vợ của em (My Mr. Wife). In 2019, Đào played...

By Le Chou

Her two most recent films achieved a combined $40M at the Vietnam box office. No other producer comes close at the local box office. To put into context, a film in Vietnam is deemed a blockbuster if it grosses $4M (100 billion Vnd). Yet, her name has gone largely unnoticed.

In 2024, Nguyen Huu Tuong Vi cemented herself as one of the top producers in Vietnam with the monumental success of “Mai”, the highest grossing Vietnamese film of all time from director Tran Thanh. To date, the film has amassed $23M+ at the global box office; $21M in Vietnam via Cj Hk Entertainment and $2M+ in North America and Europe via 3388 Films.

But back when she was trying to break into the industry, it wasn't producing what she had in mind. In 2007, Tuong Vi participated in a screenwriting course funded by the Ford Foundation and continued this writing path...

Recently, “Mai” became the highest grossing film of all time in Vietnam, cementing Tran Thanh's status as the king of the local box office, since the top three entries now belong to him. The success of the movie, however, did not occur only within the country's borders. 3388 Films released the movie in nearly 200 theaters in nine countries throughout North America and Europe – marking the widest same-day theatrical release ever for a Vietnam film across the two continents. “Mai” is now playing in the U.S., Canada, UK (England and Scotland), France, Germany, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

The titular character is a woman in trouble, although not exactly to her own accord. As the story begins, she is just moving to a cheap apartment in a block and her beauty immediately causes problems for her. The other women feel jealous of her, particularly since their husbands cannot hide their awe,...

Exclusive: After smashing records in Vietnam, Tran Thanh’s hit romance drama Mai has now set a new milestone for an opening weekend at the international box office, becoming the first Vietnamese title to score a $1M debut outside the home market.

Beginning March 22, specialty distributor 3388 Films released the Phuong Anh Dao/Tuan Tran-starrer in nearly 200 theaters in nine countries throughout North America and Europe – marking the widest same-day theatrical release ever for a Vietnam film across the two continents.

From 154 theaters in North America, Mai grossed $917K, and added another $133K from 40 sites in the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. This takes the global gross to over $22M. In Vietnam, it is the highest grossing film of all time.

This is the third film from Tran Thanh whose Dad, I’m Sorry was also released by 3388, finaling at $1.3M in the U.S.

“Mai”, the latest drama romance film from the most commercially successful film director in Vietnam box office history, Tran Thanh, waltzes onto the international stage in grand style and is on track to capture the highest North America and international box office opening ever for a Vietnam film.

“Mai” stars the beloved Vietnamese actress Phuong Anh Dao and actor Tuan Trong, along with Vietnamese-American Hollywood actress Hong Dao, known for her role in Ali Wong's multiple Emmy-award winning series Beef.

The film opened this March 22nd weekend, via distributor 3388 Films, in an unprecedented same-day theatrical release in nearly 200 theaters in 9 countries in North America and Europe – marking the widest same-day theatrical release ever for a Vietnam film across these two continents. The film is now playing in the U.S., Canada, UK (England and Scotland), France, Germany, Norway, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.

Mai notched a record-breaking half...

Exclusive: Vietnamese distributor and producer Mockingbird Pictures is making its debut as an international sales agent at Filmart with a slate of local horror, comedies and action films, headed by record-breaking horror hit Crimson Snout (Quy Cau).

Produced by 89s Group, the film is currently the highest-grossing horror film ever in Vietnam with a take of around $4.5M since its January release.

Directed by Luu Thanh Luan, the film is based on an urban legend in Vietnam in which a white dog with a red nose transforms into a devil at midnight bringing a string of bad luck and consecutive deaths to an innocent family.

Mockingbird’s debut slate also includes comedy horror Betting With Ghost, starring Tuan Tran, whose credits include Tran Thanh Town and Cj Hk Entertainment’s family drama Mai, which became Vietnam’s highest-grossing film of all time over the recent Lunar New Year holidays.

Directed by Nguyen Nhat Trung,...

Exclusive: Specialty distributor 3388 Films has acquired rights to Vietnamese smash Mai, and has set a March 22 theatrical release across North America and Europe. From director Tran Thanh, the romance drama is now the No. 1 movie of all time in Vietnam, having crossed 500B Vnd ($20M) locally this past week.

Mai will go out via 3388 Films on March 22 in more than 100 locations throughout the U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and more. This marks the widest opening weekend for a Vietnam-produced film in North America and Europe, and the first to have a same-day theatrical release across the two continents.

The film delves into the psychology of its eponymous protagonist played by Phuong Anh Dao. Restlessly haunted by the past, Mai is greeted by a new dawn when she reluctantly befriends the neighborhood ladies’ man. But when her yesterday catches up to her today, what will become of her tomorrow?...

Lunar New Year is a key box office period in several Asian territories, but nowhere was it more hotly contested this year than in Vietnam, where several local, Japanese and Hollywood movies were slugging it over the week-long holidays (February 9-15).

Tran Thanh’s Mai, a romantic drama that delves into the psychology of its female protagonist, was the clear winner — at the time of writing it was topping the box office with a haul of VND400BN ($16.4M). Produced by Tran Thanh Town and Cj Hk Entertainment, a joint venture between Korea’s Cj Enm and local outfit HKFilm, the film has the potential to break the record set by Tran Thanh’s own The House of No Man, released this time last year, which is Vietnam’s highest ever grossing film with VND476BN ($19.4m).

Also released over the holidays, known as Tet in Vietnam, was Nhat Trung...