Hollywood writers to coach young Chinese
December 5, 2016
- Ju Ben Hui, which means “alliance of scripts”, is the name of the project that was jointly launched by Beijing-based entertainment companies New Saint, Film Aeon and Yixiang Tiankai. Top Chinese directors are on a panel that will select three young scriptwriters from candidates across the country, for a grant of up to 1 million yuan ($147,000) and a chance to be coached by a Hollywood scriptwriter at a venue in Yanjiao, a town in North China’s Hebei province.
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2016-12/05/content_39850930.htm
Jackie Chan: Chinese now receives more recognition
December 3, 2016
- “In America, I could not even offer a little advice. They would not listen to you. I fought with dedication, but they didn’t like it… I designed many movements – for example, jumping over a table. But they didn’t like it. They thought I was like a monkey,” Chan recalled of his early days in Hollywood. With his confidence low, he returned to Asia to pursue his dream. “When I began shooting movies in America, Americans didn’t care about my ideas, and no one listened to my opinion. When I rejected some of their requirements, because I knew no one in Hong Kong would watch films shot in accordance with them, they replied, ‘Hong Kong is not our market, just forget Hong Kong.’ After Hong Kong returned to China, they said ‘China is not our market, forget China.’ At that time I thought, you cannot look down on the Chinese even if China is not your targeted market,” he recalled. “Today, they ask me what Chinese people like to see. They need to consider every aspect of China because China has gotten strong, and China’s film [industry] has gotten strong. The Chinese market has become a big contributor to the global box office. I am really proud of this. The days when no one listened to Chinese people have gone.”
Action star Donnie Yen wants to be ‘good example’
01 December 2016
- Action star Donnie Yen placed his deadly hands and feet in cement at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre Wednesday, voicing hope that his career would inspire fellow Asians to take up acting. “Sometimes being an Asian actor is not easy. Unfortunately, for many years, Asian actors didn’t have the same, equal opportunities,” the 53-year-old Hong Kong resident told AFP at the ceremony. “But I think that things have been changing,” he added. “And I certainly would like to be one actor that set a good example.”
http://www.france24.com/en/20161201-action-star-donnie-yen-wants-be-good-example
China plans $2 billion film studio as part of culture drive
Nov. 27, 2016
- China’s government has announced plans to build a $2 billion film studio as part of a national push to expand its cultural influence. The studio in the southwest municipality of Chongqing will include a theme park and tourist attractions, state media reported late Sunday. Construction will begin early next year and is expected to cost 15 billion yuan ($2.18 billion). Officials say they have operating agreements already with several foreign partners. The official Xinhua News Agency said the park would include tie-ins with gaming and online entertainment.
China, Abu Dhabi Establish $300 Million Film Fund
November 14th, 2016
- Aside from Monday’s purchase of Voltage Pictures by an Anhui province-based copper company for $350 million, a media company controlled by China’s State Council — similar to China’s Cabinet — will team up with Abu Dhabi’s Image Nation to create a $300 million film fund that will also “train and develop up-and-coming media talent,” Image Nation said in a statement.
http://chinafilminsider.com/china-abu-dhabi-established-300-million-film-fund/
Chinese copper firm buys owner of Hollywood’s Voltage, maker of ‘The Hurt Locker’
Nov 14, 2016
- A Chinese copper-processing company has bought a controlling stake in the Hollywood studio behind Oscar-winning films “The Hurt Locker” and “Dallas Buyers Club”, in the latest sign of China’s ambitions in global entertainment.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-xinke-material-film-idUSKBN139027
After 56 Years in the Industry and Over 200 Films, Jackie Chan ‘Finally’ Gets His Oscar
November 13, 2016
- Chan, 62, was awarded an honorary Oscar at the Eighth Annual Governors Awards at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Tom Hanks, Michelle Yeoh and Chris Tucker presented Chan with the award in the final presentation of the evening. “After 56 years in the film industry, making over 200 films, I’ve broken so many bones, finally this is mine,” he said. “I want to thank you, Hong Kong, such an incredible city, my hometown, my hood, who make me. China, my country, I am proud to be Chinese. Thank you, Hollywood, for all of those years teaching me so many things, and also make me a little bit famous. I’m just honored to be here.”
Sony puts China’s ‘creative power’ on its hit list
November 12, 2016
- Kazuo Hirai, president and CEO of Sony, is eyeing China as a market for its Hollywood movies and as a hotbed of creative talent that it can help introduce to the rest of the world.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Sony-puts-China-s-creative-power-on-its-hit-list
German Films Look for China Opportunities in Hollywood’s Shadow
November 11th, 2016
- The fourth Festival of German Cinema opens Friday in Beijing, part of a three-city, 13-day showcase of films produced by German directors and studios that will also visit Chengdu and Shenzhen. China allows 34 foreign films per year to be imported on a revenue-sharing basis, about 80 percent of which are American-produced. Based on box office receipts, it’s Hollywood action or animation that has performed best: except for cameos by New Zealand on The Hobbit: The Battles of the Five Armies, and the United Kingdom on Interstellar, only films from China, Hong Kong, and the United States appear in China’s current list of top 50 all-time, highest-grossing films.
http://chinafilminsider.com/german-films-look-china-opportunities-hollywoods-shadow/
IMAX Attracts Chinese Investors In $50M VR Content Creation Fund
November 11, 2016
- IMAX Corporation and IMAX China Holding, Inc have completed the first phase of a US$50 million virtual reality (VR) fund to finance the creation of at least 25 interactive VR content over the next three years for use across all VR platforms including in IMAX’s own VR centers. IMAX and its partners, including many Chinese media companies and investors, will use the funds to aid in the creation of quality VR content that can be leveraged across the burgeoning VR industry.
Tencent set to invest $295 million in film projects
November 9, 2016
- The relationship between Hollywood and China is fascinating. Each side relies on the other for to advance their film businesses. American studios have started to cater products to Chinese audiences, and Chinese production companies will often put Hollywood stars in their movies to cater to a more global audience. Alibaba has been making a big push into film production, with the formation of Alibaba Pictures Group, its the entertainment division, but it will have competition from one of it main rivals, Chinese investment holding company Tencent.
http://vator.tv/news/2016-11-09-tencent-set-to-invest-295-million-in-film-projects
China film law targets box office fraud, negative content
Nov 8, 2016
- China’s new film law, its first formal legislation for the fast-growing sector, will target fake box-office sales and look to ensure movies reflect the country in a positive light, the official Xinhua news agency said late on Monday. The legislation, set to take effect in March next year, laid out harsh punishments for producers using box-office fraud to artificially pump up ticket sales – a practice which has in-part helped propel huge market growth over the past few years.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-film-regulation-idUSKBN1330CP
From China to Hollywood: Sony China Writers Initiative Launched
Nov 07, 2016
- Recognizing China’s growing significance to Hollywood, Sony Pictures has recently launched China Writers Initiative with the aim to establish rapport between Chinese and Hollywood film authors and executives, Forbes reported. According to the article, the group is “designed to foster a stronger relationship between Hollywood and Chinese writers,” which in turn could pave the way for more co-productions between the two parties.
http://en.yibada.com/articles/171616/20161107/china-hollywood-sony-writers-initiative-launched.htm
It’s Official: Dick Clark Productions Sells to China’s Wanda Group
11/3/2016
- In the first major push into U.S. television for the Chinese power, Wanda will pay “approximately $1 billion” for the producer of the Golden Globes and other top awards shows. On a warm October Sunday in Beverly Hills, Wang Jianlin, China’s richest man and the chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, made his way to a conference room adjacent to the bar at the Montage hotel. Joining Wang and his Beijing entourage were executives of Dick Clark Productions, the prolific production company behind awards shows including the Golden Globe Awards, as well as several members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which puts on the Globes each year.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wanda-closes-1b-deal-purchase-940624
U.S.-China Hollywood Panel: Without Chinese Elements “It Does Not Meet Our Standards”
November 3, 2016
- Content took center stage today at the U.S. China Film and Television International Expo downtown during a panel discussion that included executives from China and the U.S. At issue was how to make films work for the Chinese marketplace and what “Chinese elements” need to be in place to work. Miao Xiaotian, general manager of China Film Co-Production Corp., said that for a film to work in China it has to include Chinese elements. “One main character is Chinese … it is very simple. Without that requirement it does not meet our standards. If American producers want to receive success in China you have to add the Chinese element,” he said through an interpreter.
China Film Official Insists There’s No Ban on Hollywood Movies With Chinese Villains
November 1, 2016
- A top Chinese film official said Tuesday that there’s no official policy to bar Hollywood movies featuring Chinese bad guys from playing in the country — which is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world’s biggest box office market in the next few years. “For casting, we request that there will be Chinese actors for main characters,” he said. “Our requirement is that there should not be less than one-third.”
http://www.thewrap.com/china-film-official-no-ban-chinese-villains/
Universal Studios Breaks Ground on Beijing Park
October 31st, 2016
- First announced in 2014 and with plans for Steven Spielberg to play a role in its design, Universal Studios broke ground Monday on its multi-billion dollar amusement park in eastern Beijing Monday, with a scheduled opening date in 2020. The park, the first major theme park built by a foreign developer in the Beijing environs, will cover four square kilometers (about 2.5 square miles), and is situated in Tongzhou, an eastern district of Beijing municipality to which much of Beijing’s city government is in the process of moving, to alleviate traffic congestion and pollution in the city center.
http://chinafilminsider.com/universal-studios-breaks-ground-beijing-park/
Ang Lee predicts China box office to dwarf Hollywood
October 29, 2016
- Taiwanese-born filmmaker Ang Lee predicted Friday that the Chinese film market was about to explode, not only overtaking but dwarfing the American box office in a matter of years. The two-time Oscar winner said executives in the world’s second economy used to rely on him as a bridge to Hollywood, but the newly-confident Chinese film industry no longer finds it necessary.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ang-lee-predicts-china-box-office-dwarf-hollywood-080540584.html
Wanda to Unveil Massive 40 Percent Incentive to Lure Hollywood Film Shoots to China
10/14/2016
- The production subsidy plan will be among the most generous in the world and could be a game changer for the Chinese film industry. Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin’s Dalian Wanda Group is set to unveil an unprecedented production incentive in an effort to lure Hollywood movie shoots to eastern China, where his conglomerate is building the world’s largest filmmaking facility. During a landmark visit to Los Angeles on Monday, Wang will present a new 40 percent production rebate for film and TV projects that shoot at Wanda’s Qingdao Movie Metropolis facility, according to individuals familiar with the plan. The funding of the generous incentive will be split between the Qingdao regional governments and Wanda.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wanda-unveil-massive-40-percent-938605
Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Pacts With China’s Alibaba Pictures Group
10/9/2016
- The legendary director joined Alibaba boss Jack Ma at a signing ceremony in Beijing that will see Alibaba Pictures take an equity stake in Amblin. Amblin Partners and China’s Alibaba Pictures Group have entered into a strategic partnership to co-produce and finance films for global and Chinese audiences. At a glitzy event Sunday in Beijing, attended by Steven Spielberg and Alibaba Group chief Jack Ma, the companies said they also will collaborate on the marketing, distribution and merchandising of Amblin’s films in China. Alibaba Pictures also will have the option to co-finance Amblin films worldwide.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielbergs-amblin-pacts-chinas-936630
Legendary Italian filmmaker looks to China co-productions
2016/09/28
- Italy’s esteemed reputation for creative filmmaking has stimulated an increase in partnerships between its filmmakers and the Chinese film industry. Drawn by the huge opportunities of the Chinese market, Italians are eager to explore the chance to work with their counterparts in China. In 2014, the two countries agreed a ten-year strategic partnership that included the Italy-China Co-production Treaty. This allows projects to be eligible for local incentives and to be classified as ‘local content’, meaning they are not subject to the China Film Import Quota that permits 34 foreign films a year.
http://gbtimes.com/life/legendary-italian-filmmaker-looks-china-co-productions
Sony, Wanda Confirm Picture Alliance: ‘Jumanji’, ‘Passengers’, ‘Smurfs’ Eyed
September 22, 2016
- Sony Pictures and Dalian Wanda Group have announced in China and confirmed yesterday’s Deadline scoop that the China-based conglomerate will partner on numerous Sony tent poles with global appeal. (Release follows this update). On some films, Wanda will mainly provide marketing help in launching films in China, and on others, Wanda will provide between 10% to 15% in co-financing. Nothing is official, but sources say that several pictures are atop the list being discussed for this arrangement. They include the in-production reboot of Jumanji with Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart and Jack Black, and Passengers, the Morten Tyldum-directed sci-fi love story that stars Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt. The other pictures I’ve heard is the new version of Smurfs, and Barbie. Reports that followed Deadline’s story claimed Spider-Man: Homecoming would be part of this deal aren’t exactly correct, as Wanda’s participation is limited to helping in a marketing capacity to launch the webslinger in China.
http://deadline.com/2016/09/sony-wanda-alliance-jumanji-passengers-smurfs-1201825089/
Hollywood Under Pressure to Put More Chinese Actors in the Spotlight
September 19, 2016
- Earlier this summer, the producers of a coming “Jumanji” remake put out a call to talent agencies: They wanted a Chinese actor in their movie. Male or female? It didn’t matter. And what was the role, exactly? That wasn’t clear, either. Chinese audiences cheer homegrown actors who secure meaningful roles in Hollywood blockbusters, such as Shanghai- born actress and pop singer Angelababy did when she played a fighter pilot in “Independence Day: Resurgence” this summer. But quick cameos that come across as a ploy to win Chinese fans tend to fall flat.
China’s Le Vision Officially Acquires Adam Goodman’s Dichotomy
September 14, 2016
- Former Paramount Pictures President Adam Goodman‘s Dichotomy Creative Group has been acquired by China’s Le Eco and Goodman will become president of Le Eco subsidiary Le Vision Entertainment, the company announced Wednesday, confirming an earlier report by TheWrap. “This isn’t a story about a Chinese company making an investment in Hollywood,” Goodman told TheWrap. “This is a story about a Chinese company for the first time opening a studio in Hollywood. There’s nothing about where we’re going that’s ever been done before.”
http://www.thewrap.com/chinas-le-vision-officially-acquires-adam-goodmans-dichotomy/
Why Wang Jianlin Wants More Chinese Films in His Global Theatre Empire
2016/09/12
- Wang Jianlin, the Chinese property tycoon who has been buying up theatre chains in the US, UK and Australia sees his screen empire as a means to export Chinese culture globally, according to statements in a recent TV interview with the chairman of Dalian Wanda Group. “(AMC’s) boss is Chinese, so more Chinese films should be in their theaters where possible,” Wang was citing as saying in an account of the interview with Chinese talk show host Chen Luyu on Quartz.com.
Chinese serial killer story to go to the big screen
September 9, 2016
- The suspect Gao Chengyong raped and killed 11 women and girls between 1988 and 2002 at victims’ homes in Baiyin, Gansu Province, and Baotou, Inner Mongolia. He often mutilated his victims and managed to escape justice for 28 years until his arrest on Aug. 26. On Thursday, Meridian Entertainment announced on Tianya.cn, China’s biggest online message board, that it would establish a new film studio and adapt the top 10 unresolved crime cases into films, including Gao’s story.
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2016-09/09/content_39266293.htm
100 more state-of-the-art 4D cinemas coming to China
2016/09/07
- More than 100 state-of-the-art 4D cinemas will be built across China over the next year following Wanda Cinema Line Corporation’s new deal with US-based MediaMation, the world’s leading interactive technology company. The deal will see the two overseas companies supply Wanda Cinema with MX4D and 4DX technology, as well as dynamic effects like special seats and environmental effects, reveals Yule.
http://gbtimes.com/life/100-more-state-art-4d-cinemas-coming-china
Italy-China movie cooperation dominates talks in Venice
September 2, 2016
- “The explosive growth of the Chinese movie industry, and the high quality of their theatres, prove that we cannot address the future of cinema without putting China at the center of the picture,” ANICA secretary general Stefano Balassone stressed at the forum. Current status and future chances of filmmaking collaboration between the two countries were widely addressed at special event “Focus on China” promoted by Italy’s National Association of Cinematographic Audiovisual Multimedia Industries (ANICA).
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2016-09/02/content_39215445.htm
Russo Brothers to Form Production Venture With China’s Huayi
8/29/2016
- The Chinese studio is putting up $250 million in financing for the new venture, which will produce English-language tentpoles for the global market. Joe and Anthony Russo, the director brothers behind Marvel’s Captain America franchise, are set to partner with China’s Huayi Brothers Media Corp. on a new venture that will produce big-budget English-language movies for the global market. Huayi Brothers will invest $250 million to finance the venture’s operations and production slate, according to a statement filed with the Shenzhen stock exchange Monday. The Chinese studio will own 60 percent of the company, while the Russo brothers will hold the remaining 40 percent.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russo-brothers-form-production-venture-924191
Exclusive: China’s richest man set to seal two billion-dollar U.S. film deals
Aug 23, 2016
- Real estate and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group Co expects to seal two billion-dollar film-related deals in the United States this year, chairman Wang Jianlin said on Tuesday, as China’s richest man steps up his push into Hollywood. After completing the acquisition of two non-production film companies – each worth above $1 billion – Dalian Wanda’s next target would be a so-called “Big Six” movie studio, Wang told Reuters in an exclusive interview. “My goal is to buy Hollywood companies and bring their technology and capability to China,” Wang said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-dalianwanda-chairman-idUSKCN10Y13K
‘Warcraft’ May be a Flop in the U.S., but in China it Sets Record for Streaming Video
Aug 19, 2016
- The almost 320 million yuan weekly sales of “Warcraft” in China was a big financial boon to the producers of the video game adapted into a movie. After flopping in the U.S., the film even earned for the producer $24 million by granting PPTV, an online video network, post-theater rights to show “Warcraft” in China. With that amount, it even sent a record for video streaming in China, reported Wall Street Journal. In March, Legendary Entertainment, producer of “Warcraft,” closed a deal with PPTV months before the film was shown in cinemas. After the film completes its global release, PPTV would start to stream online in September 2016 “Warcraft.”
Warner Bros. China Names Gillian Zhao Managing Director
8/16/2016
- The Wanda Pictures alum is the studio’s first-ever country manager in China. Gillian Zhao has been named the executive vp and managing director of Warner Bros. China. Zhao is the studio’s first-ever country manager in China. In her new position she will oversee all aspects of Warner Bros. business in the country, including theatrical distribution, television distribution, home entertainment, consumer products and games.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-china-names-gillian-919910
James Wan’s Atomic Monster Inks Deal With China’s Starlight Media (Exclusive)
8/12/2016
- The Chinese company will finance films with budgets up to $100 million. James Wan’s production company Atomic Monster has inked a development deal with Chinese company Starlight Media. With the deal, Starlight Media will provide a significant development fund and equity finance Wan’s films with budgets up to $100 million. The deal, which was celebrated at an event in Beverly Hills on Monday, will assist Wan in growing the slate for Atomic Monster, which he founded in October 2014.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-wans-atomic-monster-inks-919128
Why China Will Soon Be Hollywood’s Largest Market
August 12, 2016
- For the hundred years that the movie industry has been around, the United States has been the largest market for films. But as early as next year, a new country may hold that distinction. Indeed, some analysts expect China’s yearly box office revenue to exceed that of the U.S. by the end of 2017. And even if that’s an optimistic estimate, China will almost certainly have overtaken the United States by the end of 2018. For proof, just take a look at the growth rate in the China film market over the past few years. In 2014, China’s box office grew 27% from the previous year to $4.55 billion. In 2015, it grew 41% to $6.78 billion.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-china-soon-hollywoods-largest-143300626.html
STX Entertainment secures funding from China’s Tencent and PCCW
Aug 11 2016
- In a further sign of Hollywood’s deepening ties with China, startup studio STX Entertainment has secured major strategic investments from Chinese technology giant Tencent and Hong Kong-based telecommunications firm PCCW. Burbank-based STX announced the deal Thursday and said it would help finance the expansion of its television and digital businesses.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-stx-tencent-20160811-snap-story.html
HBO Asia Unveils First Chinese-Language Original Series ‘The Psychic’
7/18/2016
- The coming-of-age drama follows a 16-year-old Chinese girl who was born with the ability to see spirits but just wants to live a normal teenage life. HBO Asia continues to ramp up its slate of Chinese-language content. On Tuesday, the network began principal photography in Taiwan on The Psychic. The supernatural coming-of-age drama will be the HBO’s first original series told entirely in Chinese.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hbo-asia-unveils-first-chinese-912292
Actor loses role because of unclear attitude over Taiwan
2016-07-16
- A mainland Chinese director is changing a main actor in her new film after netizens renewed calls to boycott the movie over the actor’s support for “Taiwan independence”. The crew released an announcement on Weibo on Friday, saying that they will change cast member Leon Dai, since the actor didn’t show a “clear” attitude toward whether he is a supporter of “Taiwan Independence”. “I will never forget my identity as a Chinese person. To me, the State and national interests take precedence over anything else,” said director Zhao Wei on her Weibo.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-07/16/content_26111383.htm
Chinese Nationalists Blast Director Vicki Zhao for Casting Taiwanese Actor
7/8/2016
- The Communist Youth League has called for a boycott of her next feature, ‘No Other Love,’ which is backed by Alibaba Pictures. Nationalists on Chinese social media have set their sights on actress-turned-director Vicki Zhao after she cast a well-known Taiwanese actor in the lead role of her next film. In an article entitled “Zhao Wei’s New Film Met with Universal Boycott by Internet Users,” the nationalist organization has alleged that Dai is a supporter of Taiwanese independence and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement — political issues of particular consternation among the Chinese Communist Party.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinese-nationalists-blast-vicki-zhao-909271
Partnering with Chinese Companies Pays Off for Hollywood Producers
Jun 29, 2016
- China lived up to its reputation as the second-largest film market in the world when “Warcraft” earned 320 million yuan box-office receipt in China on its second week of showing. The commercial success of the movie spawned talk of a “Warcraft 2.” Besides “Warcraft,” “Now You See Me 2,” is another example of a Hollywood-Chinese company collaboration that spelled “ka-ching” in the box-office. Hunan TV & Broadcast Intermediary backed the comedy film produced by Lionsgate which earned $43 million on its first week in China compared to $22.4 million opening weekend in the U.S. in June.
China Recent Developments 