Disney Usurped as Hollywood's Best-Performing Studio in China
This post comes courtesy of our content partners at China Film Insider.
Lou Ye Talks About Chinese Censorship at Berlinale
On Feb 11, Lou Ye’s new film The Shadow Play premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section. Director Lou Ye, screenwriter Ma Yingli, and composer Jonas Colstrup attended the premiere and the press conference of the film. At the press conference, Lou Ye said that making the film pass the Chinese censorship is the most difficult experience in his career. The whole process was very complicated and took two years. When he was asked to comment on China’s censorship system, he said that his attitude towards censorship would never change. He believes that cinema should be free. The Shadow Play is about China’s economic reform and the ups and downs people went through during this time period. Starring Jing Boran, Song Jia, Qin Hao, and Chen Yanxi, the film centers around the death of a government official and a rookie cop’s investigation into the case.
Read more on Mtime.
Will ‘The Wandering Earth’ Beat ‘Wolf Warrior 2’?
As of 9.30am on Feb 12, science fiction film The Wandering Earth had made RMB 2.4 billion (USD 354 million), overtaking Avengers: Infinity War as the 10th highest-grossing film of all time in China. It also means that eight local films now dominate the top 10 list, with the only two foreign films being The Fate of The Furious and Fast and Furious 7. Currently, The Wandering Earth is dominating the market in China with about 38 percent of screen share. It’s also worth noting that the current total box office of The Wandering Earth is RMB 500 million more than that of Wolf Warrior 2 for the same duration. It remains to be seen if The Wandering Earth will beat Wolf Warrior 2 at the end.
Read more on Mtime.
Disney Isn't Hollywood's Best-Performing Studio in China?
Disney’s dominant position in the China market is replaced by Warner Brothers, which made RMB 6.4 billion in China thanks to box office hits, such as Aquaman, Ready Player One, Rampage, and The Meg (pictured above). Despite its success in the North American market, Crazy Rich Asians was the worst performing Warner Brothers film in China in 2018. Warner Brothers is followed by Disney, which made RMB 4.73 billion with Avengers: Infinity War being the highest-grossing Disney film in China. No. 3 on the list is Sony Pictures, which made RMB 2.95 billion with Venom being most successful. Next on the list is Universal Pictures, which made RMB 4.7 billion in 2017 but only managed to make RMB 1.9 billion in 2018. Paramount Pictures, which only released two films in China last year, made RMB 1.46 billion. Last on the list is 21st Century Fox. This is not surprising as the company is going through an acquisition and will soon become a Disney company.
Read more on Mtime.
‘Captain Marvel’ Scores Mar 8 China Release
It has been confirmed that Marvel’s Captain Marvel will be released in Chinese theaters on Mar 8, day-and-date with its North American opening. Captain Marvel is based on Marvel Comics character Carol Danvers, who becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. The film is written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck with Brie Larson staring as Danvers. Other cast members include Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.
Read more on Mtime.
Shunji Iwai’s Classic ‘Love Letter’ Getting Chinese Remake
China will remake the 1995 Japanese romantic drama film Love Letter, which is originally directed by acclaimed Japanese director Shunji Iwai. The remake will be written by Oscar nominee Wang Hui-lin (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Love, Caution) and directed by female helmet Liu Yulin. The shooting of the film will start in June 2019. Currently, the production team is casting actors in China. The film is eyeing a 2020 Valentine’s Day release.
Read more on Sina Movie.
READ: Online Movie Piracy Rampant Over Spring Festival Holiday
Images courtesy of China Film Insider
