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‘The Secret Life of Pets’ Gets Approval for China Release

June 15, 2016, 7:03 am
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(asiastarz) The animated film The Secret Life of Pets has received approval to be screened in China on Aug. 2, less than a month after its North American release.

There have been rumors that The Secret Life of Pets will be released in China. This speculation started after the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that a Chinese version of the trailer had been released in the country.

The Aug. 2 release date is still tentative and reports referred to it as a "possible" release date.

The Secret Life of Pets gives audiences a light-hearted look at what pets do when their owners are not around. The animated film features voice acting from notable Hollywood figures like Louis C.K., Keven Hart, and Eric Stonestreet.

There has been no confirmation about who will do the Chinese voiceover for the film.

The Secret Life of Pets is the fifth collaborative project between Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. The two companies are also behind the Despicable Me franchise.

Minions, a spin-off movie based on the popular characters from Despicable Me, was released in China in September 2015. The movie was a huge success in the region and went on to earn $66 million.

China is one of the biggest markets for foreign animated films. This market is lucrative enough to persuade Universal to sign a deal to finance films with Perfect World Pictures.

Most recently, The Angry Birds Movie amassed more than $73 million in just 17 days after its release. This makes it the seventh biggest animated film to be released in China, toppling the likes of Ice Age and Minions.

Topping the list is Zootopia with 1.53 billion, in the second spot is Kung Fu Panda 3 with 1 billion, and in the third spot is The Monkey King: Hero is Back with 956 million.

Below is the trailer for The Secret Life of Pets.



Source: Asia Stars News by Yen Palec
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Jiang Yan covers fashion magazine

June 15, 2016, 7:09 am
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Actress Jiang Yan


Source: Xinhua
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Ang Lee: No hurry, young filmmakers!

June 16, 2016, 7:38 am
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(china.org) Director Ang Lee said on Monday in Shanghai that young filmmakers should take time to grow up, so that they can make high quality films using their reflections on life.

Lee attended a themed forum to discuss "what things are still to be done before the Chinese box office revenue surpasses the United States'" at the annual Shanghai International Film Festival. Five hundred people packed the room which was only supposed to accommodate 300 seats to listen to his words.

"I'm a late bloomer; my career only started to come off when I was 36. But if you want to make something that is mature, touches people's hearts and can stand on its own, you should make it with natural power. It takes time to mature, don't try to seek quick success and quick money. The colorful world is seductive, but many things are not easy to reach. Now, we have time to live long as we have good healthcare and medicine, why so hurry to grow up?" Lee said these words to young filmmakers, as too much money has been pouring into the Chinese film industry and market.

The director, who has won Academy Awards for "Brokeback Mountain" (2005), "Life of Pi" (2012) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)", warned the Chinese industry about two potential pitfalls. One pitfall is making quick money by making similar films, "Audiences always hope for innovation and fresh ideas. It is really hard to attract people to the theaters as we have so much to see and to do with other things such as the internet. If they are tired of the same kind of films we make over and over again, we will eventually suffer the consequences."

The other thing he warned about is to blindly scramble for big movie stars. "If this situation lasts long, the market will have a certain setting for the stars to act in films. So, a situation will arise that no matter how good or bad a film is, it will be passable as long as its stars deliver," said Lee before adding, "another bad thing that is associated with this is that most of the money will be spent on attracting the stars, and the production and set designs for a film may not be made well enough as a result of lacking funds."

He told the attendees that these two things had harmed Taiwan and Hong Kong's film industry and China should have patience to grow the Chinese film industry and not repeat the same mistakes.  Lee said that the Chinese population is massive, and that the Chinese can surely surpass the United States box office-wise, but that Chinese filmmakers should learn from Hollywood in this golden era, saying from “American filmmakers to technicians they are all very professional and have solid basic skills."

"The American film market is very strong, because it has powerful cultural strength, and the whole world follows their pop culture," Lee said, "I don't think that box office revenues surpassing the U.S. really means that China surpasses it at all.  American is powerful for its influence on global pop culture."

He added, "For me, in the Chinese film industry, it seems as though the filmmakers are always trying to catch up with America in numbers. But that will diminish China's original characteristics. We have a long history and great culture in China, doing a film is doing a cultural work. I hope this is just the start of a golden era. Please have patience."

"I grew up in Taiwan and I saw the fractures between the culture of the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao. I feel I have responsibility to bridge these cracked Chinese cultures. We Chinese people have another means of expression, emotion and logic that have not been popularized as a world language. When we establish our cause, then we can share it with the world. We don't have to do it like we are going to take over markets overseas, we should think about what we can offer the world."

Ang Lee's upcoming film is "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," which will be shot at 120 frames per second which is the highest frame rate for a film to date. It is scheduled to be released on Nov. 11, 2016.

"Not every film can succeed, but I try. I want to have a new adventure to help myself maintain my vigor and make a few global 'best works'."

Source: china.org by zhang rui
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Sun Li excited for opening of Shanghai Disney Resort

June 16, 2016, 7:42 am
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(China Daily) Opening ceremony of Shanghai Disney Resort kicked off on the evening of June 15.

Sun Li, the ambassador for the theme park, said she was very excited that the park is finally opening.

"My favorite Disney character is Donald Duck. I was so excited when I saw him dressed in a Chinese silk jacket on the red carpet that I asked him to pose for a photo with me."

When asked about how she felt about the Resort, Sun said it was magnificent. "Some rides are adventurous, others adorable. I never get enough of Winnie the Pooh and merry-go-round."

But one day is too short to have a blast.

"I haven't tried other fun rides or watched the musical The Lion King. Maybe next time," Sun added.

Sun said she exchanged views on Disney with her two kids at home, also devoted Disney fans. "We love all characters Disney created, even the villains. They are not scary-looking, quite the contrary, they are kinda endearing," Sun said.

"I live in Shanghai so it's convenient for me to go to Disney Resort. Both my kids are old enough to eat adult food. If your kids are babies, here are nursery rooms and strollers for rent. Kiosks are everywhere for you to buy water and snacks. Healthy food and free water are also available. Rest assured. Everything is taken care of."

Clearly, Sun thought highly of the service in the park.

Regarding the differences between Shanghai Disney Resort and Disney parks elsewhere, Sun said Shanghai Disney is big enough to be a resort and not just an amusement park.

"One of my friends said food here was served in a large portion, covering almost all Shanghai delicacies. Coupled with those shopping malls, it is practically an integrated resort."

As a celebrity mom, she has spent some quality time with her kids in the park.

"Kids don't sleep in Disneyland," She said.

"My son took no nap at a Disneyland abroad. This took me by surprise because he once slept two hours in a noisy outlet in New York. He is a different man in the park. My daughter is also the case, alive and kicking. Disneyland seems to resonate with kids in a magic way."

Source: China Daily
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"Warcraft" rules box office on Dragon Boat Festival

June 16, 2016, 7:47 am
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(Xinhua) -- The "Warcraft" movie reigned China's box office on Thursday, which was the Dragon Boat Festival, earning 290 million yuan (about 44.2 million U.S. dollars) on the second day after its debut.

The cinematic adaptation of the influential video game franchise hit Chinese theaters on June 8, two days earlier than its North American release on June 10.

The film grossed 282 million yuan on the first day of release, only second to "Fast and Furious 7" in Chinese cinema history. "Warcraft" has earned more than 690 million yuan as of 12 a.m. Friday, according to statistics from China's film administration.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese hardcore"Warcraft" fans celebrated the release of the film based on their favorite game on Tuesday midnight, many of whom wore "World of Warcraft" character costumes.

The screening date roughly coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The three-day holiday last year saw box office takings of more than 600 million yuan, up 42 percent year on year.

Source: Xinhua | Photo: Universal
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Amber Kuo graces fashion magazine

June 16, 2016, 7:50 am
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Actress Amber Kuo


Source: Xinhua
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Actress Zhang Yuqi releases fashion shots

June 16, 2016, 7:52 am
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Actress Zhang Yuqi


Source: Xinhua
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Bona Film Group sets up headquarters in Shanghai

June 18, 2016, 5:52 pm
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(Shanghai Daily) Bona Film Group announced today at the 2016 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival that its Shanghai headquarter will be settled in the International Film Zone around Shanghai University.

The film group's 12 new film projects set to the backdrop Shanghai were also released today. These movies of high artistry are planned to be shot in Shanghai in the coming year, and some of them will depict the city's own customs and traditions.

Celebrated film makers Ann Hui, Andrew Lau, Li Shaohong and Huang Jianxin will helm the projects which cover diverse styles and genres of cop drama, historical epic, suspense and romance.

Supported by the municipal and district government, the film zone located in Jing'an District has begun to take shape. It has now become a key accumulation area for culture in the city.

Meanwhile, Bona Film Group will help to enrich the project developments and bring the city more original and good movies.

The film group has also reached a framework agreement with China Huarong Asset Management Co., Ltd, the largest financial asset management company in China to settle its culture industry foundation management company in the zone.

The foundation plans to raise 5 billion yuan for the investment, mergers and acquisitions of culture industry. Officials said that it will greatly foster the cultural industry in Shanghai.

The Shanghai headquarter of the film group will be composed of film studios, screening halls, film gallery and R & D base for new film technology.  

Famous director Huang Jianxin also expressed his support for the project.

"The glory of Chinese film industry originated in Shanghai," Huang said. " I am glad to see that we have a new beginning in this lucky city and look forward to shooting my new film here.”

Source: Shanghai Daily by Xu Wei and Emma Wang 
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Nadia Chan Returns to TVB for A New Drama Series

June 18, 2016, 5:55 pm
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(CRI) Hong Kong actress Nadia Chan, who has disappeared from the public eye for some time, has recently returned to TVB for a new drama series named "Quan Zhi Mo Nv". (全职没女)

Nadia Chan reveals her role in the 20-episode series.

"Quan Zhi Mo Nv is a comedy and it poses a big challenge. I portray a funny girl who is a romance fanatic, which is an unprecedented acting experience for me."

Nadia Chan is one of the most popular actresses from the early 1990s in Hong Kong, but diverted her focus on caring for family following her marriage in 2011 to mainland actor Zhang Duo who was eight years her junior.

In addition to acting, the versatile actress has also joined "Kua Jie Ge Wang"("跨界歌王"), a new BTV show that invited actors and actresses to exhibit their singing talent.

Nadia Chan admits she is seeking advice from a veteran musician before recording the show.

"I cooperated with Lao Zai (捞仔) before. Thanks to the show, we join hands again and I will also need his guidance in music. After I told him the songs I'm good at, he would give me his opinion."

Currently living in Beijing, Nadia Chan, along with actor Pan Yueming, Li Guangjie, actress Liu Tao and a number of others, will compete for a King singer or a Queen singer title, in this newly invented singing competition show.

Source: CRI
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China's 'House of Cards' to Focus on Graft Fight

June 18, 2016, 5:57 pm
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(CRI) A Chinese TV drama series based on the country's fight against corruption and on other political developments hopes to challenge the popularity of the US hit House of Cards.

The new series, In the Name of the People, is produced by the Supreme People's Procuratorate's Film and Television Center.

Fan Ziwen, deputy director of the center, says the series centers on China's anti-graft work at home and abroad, showcasing the central leadership's determination and the measures taken to fight corruption since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.

This is the first domestic production to portray a State-level government official as a villain.

The series has attracted widespread attention, as the topic of corruption had largely faded from TV screens in China after the media watchdog ordered a reduction in the number of such shows in 2004.

Actors Lu Yi and Zhang Fengyi take the lead roles in the series, which has completed filming and is currently in post-production.

The show is expected to air later this year.

Source: CRI
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J.K. Rowling Has A Big Surprise For Harry Potter Fans In China Ahead Of 2016 Hogwarts Boom

June 18, 2016, 6:02 pm
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(IBTimes) In the past year alone, Chinese audiences have packed theaters for kid-friendly fare such as “Zootopia,” “Jungle Book” and, for the third time, “Kung Fu Panda.” Now, Hollywood wants China to fall back in love with Harry Potter, after the child wizard’s five-year hiatus from theaters there, and just in time for a spinoff movie coming later this year.

All eight “Harry Potter” films are being screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival, China’s biggest — and most relaxed — movie event, which began on June 11 and runs through the weekend. Author J.K. Rowling, who created the franchise, is also expected to announce a big “surprise.”

The last “Harry Potter” movie, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” came out in 2011, back when China’s total box office was about one-fourth its current nearly $8 billion size. Even so, the movie made nearly $61 million there, which has raised expectations for November’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” a prequel to Rowling’s “Harry Potter” canon set in 1920s New York.

The “Harry Potter” universe remains popular in China across a wide range of age groups despite the relative paucity of new material, as the books came out at a time when interest in children’s literature surged in the country. And although the spinoff isn’t set to hit theaters until late this year, teasers for the movie have already come out. With China’s movie market growing nearly 50 percent last year, films targeted at a younger audience being among the strongest performers, and an established and engaged “Harry Potter” fan base, “Fantastic Beasts” is as well positioned to dominate in China as any film not based on video games or car racing.

Warner Bros., the studio behind the “Harry Potter” films, also needs a big hit in China to keep up with its competition, especially the Mouse House. While Warner’s big DC Comics tentpole, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” failed to clear $100 million in China, Disney’s counterpart from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Captain America: Civil War,” made more than $190 million there. Disney is on pace to become the first Hollywood studio to make $1 billion in China in a single year, and with a series of hits led by “Zootopia” — the biggest imported film so far this year in the country — it’s by far the leading foreign studio by market share. That’s particularly tough news for its competitors in a market that only permits 34 Western films a year and whose governing bodies have an unofficial mandate to ensure Chinese films take the majority of the box office. The better Disney movies do, the less space there is for other studios.

The Shanghai Film Festival is being held this year during the same week that Disney capped its historic start to the year by opening its $5.5 billion Shanghai Disneyland. It’s the first phase of its Shanghai Disney Resort, a pet project of CEO Bob Iger that was 15 years in the making and could attract as many as 50 million visitors a year. But the theme park world is another place where Harry Potter is one of the few names that can stand up to Disney’s stable of stars.

But while Warner Bros. is “Harry Potter’s” movie studio, Comcast’s NBCUniversal has the theme park rights to the franchise. The first Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal’s Orlando, Florida, park caused revenues to jump by 30 percent year-over-year, and L.A. tourism officials expect the recently opened attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood to bring in 1 million additional visitors. Universal Studios Beijing opens in 2019, and will almost certainly have a Wizarding World attraction from day one. But as Iger knows well, when cultivating a devoted fanbase in the largest potential entertainment audience in world history, day one is many years in the making.

Source: International Business Times by Matt Pressberg |Photo:  fxtribune
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Street shots of Yang Rong

June 18, 2016, 6:05 pm
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Yang Rong: Girl in black


Source: Xinhua
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Coco Lee “Not Thinking” about Having Babies

June 20, 2016, 8:45 am
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(MSN) Coco Lee the champion of last season’s “I Am a Singer” arrived in Taipei for the opening of a Swiss watch brand’s flagship store.

Wearing a short red jacket and a tight black skirt, she admitted that she and her husband for 5 years wanted to have a baby.

She said they had been working hard, taking Chinese medicine and vitamines, exercises and keeping a diet, expecting for good news every month.

When she was told that she must not hurry and the baby would come when she was not thinking about it, Coco laughed and said, “I’m not thinking.”

Source: MSN
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Denise Ho Draws Hong Kong Crowd After Lancôme Cowed

June 20, 2016, 8:48 am
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(WSJ) Hundreds of people squeezed into a quiet Hong Kong street to watch singer Denise Ho perform Sunday afternoon—the date and time her canceled appearance for Lancôme was originally due to take place.

The cosmetics maker reacted to criticism in Chinese state media for its association with Ms. Ho—a prominent figure in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy “Occupy Central” protests in 2014—by cancelling a planned miniconcert. On June 8, Lancôme shut its shops in Hong Kong as people gathered to protest its move to pull the show.

Lancôme said in a Facebook statement after their decision that the cancellation was for “possible safety reasons.”

At Sunday’s show, however, there were no protests and no police in the area.

At the event, Ms. Ho said people in mainland China and Hong Kong “have to fight for the basic human rights, which are freedom of speech and freedom of thought.”

“The pressure is growing and the fear is growing,” she said. “We need to face the problem directly because people are choosing to stay silent.”

A man answering the phone at L’Oréal International’s headquarters in France said to call back Monday. An email was sent seeking comment. L’Oreal is the parent company of Lancôme.

A petition set up by Béatrice Desgranges, a retired philosophy teacher in France, on the website change.org calling for a boycott of Lancôme products has gathered more than 85,000 signatures.

The normally serene POHO area of Hong Kong was packed on Sunday with men, women and children who had come to sing along with Ms. Ho. The afternoon temperature hit about 92 degrees Fahrenheit, but other than a few arguments as people tried to come and go, the atmosphere was jolly.

“I am so touched by all the people who came out in the very hot weather,” Ms. Ho said, before stepping up to an improvised stage and performing some of her popular hits.

Source: Wall Street Journal  
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Hebe Sings at Hong Kong Coliseum

June 20, 2016, 8:52 am
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(MSN) Hebe Tien held her first solo concert “If” at Hong Kong Coliseum.


Source: MSN
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19th Shanghai International Film Festival concludes

June 20, 2016, 8:54 am
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(CRI) The 19th Shanghai International Film Festival concluded on Sunday, with the Golden Goblet and the Asian New Talent Award being handed out.

De Lan, a Chinese film directed by Liu Jie, picked up the best film award. The film is set in the 1980s. It tells a story about how a loan officer who is of Han nationality experiences culture shock when working in a village inhabited by Tibetans.

Chinese actor Liu Ye won the best actor award for his role in Cock and Bull. He expressed his gratitude to the director as well as the three most important women in his life: his mother, his wife and his manager.

The best actress award went to Japanese actress Naomi Fujiyama for her performance in Danchi.

Paths of the Soul by Chinese director Zhang Yang was awarded for Best Cinematography.

Source: CRI
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China Box Office: 'Warcraft' Marches Past $200M, 'Finding Dory' Debuts to Solid $17.5M

June 20, 2016, 9:02 am
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(THR) Legendary Entertainment's Warcraft suffered huge attrition during its second weekend charge at Chinese cinemas, but the local sensation still managed to top Pixar's Finding Dory, which debuted in the Middle Kingdom on Friday.

The Duncan Jones-directed video game adaptation earned $23.5 million in its second Friday-Sunday frame (including a solid $8 million on Sunday), which represents a 64 percent drop from last weekend’s $65 million three-day weekend total. Warcraft has grossed $205 million after 12 days in Chinese cinemas, which compares to just $37 million in 10 days on North American screens.

Assessing Warcraft's decline in China is somewhat complicated by the unique window in which it opened, however. The movie bowed to an astonishing $46 million on Wednesday June 8, the day before a national holiday in China. According to local convention, the following Sunday then became a work day. If you consider the full Wednesday-to-Sunday stretch Warcraft's opening weekend — as Legendary did when it announced the total, the movie opened to $156 million, and its second weekend saw an 85 percent slide.

However you parse it, Warcraft is clearly experiencing the big-splash, big-crash pattern followed by nearly every Hollywood tentpole in China this year. Captain America: Civil War, for example, opened to a huge $96 million back in May, only to slide 67 percent to $31.7 million in its second weekend. The only major outlier to the trend was Zootopia, which was boosted by effusive word of mouth and grossed more in its second weekend than its first, eventually totaling $235.5 million, the biggest performance by an imported title this year. With Independence Day: Resurgence coming to China on Wednesday, it's unclear whether Warcraft will be able to claim that crown.

In second place, Finding Dory opened to a healthy $17.5 million, making for Pixar's best bow ever in China. While that's nowhere near Dory's historic $136.2 million U.S. bow, Disney and Pixar are probably pleased with the Middle Kingdom returns so far.

Animation has been on a hot streak in China lately. Aside from Zootopia, Kung Fu Panda 3 pulled in $154.3 million and The Angry Birds Movie earned $77.7 million. But in the past, Pixar's pictures have been conspicuous underperformers with the Chinese audience, which hasn't seemed to connect with the whimsy and emotional subtlety that the animation studio is famed for. Inside Out grossed just $16.1 million; Monsters University earned a studio-best $33.8 million in China — but that compares with Minions' $68.4 million in China last year, or the $65.1 million earned by How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014. Now, it looks like Dory's cute factor and kid appeal could finally help Pixar break the spell.

In third place, 20th Century Fox's X-Men Apocalypse added $8.7 million for a $114.6 million total over 17 days. In local currency, Apocalypse (732 million RMB) has now exceeded X-Men: Days of Future Past's lifetime cume (723 million RMB) to become the franchise's biggest title in China.

The remaining spots on the charts were occupied with exiguous grosses by holdovers and minor new releases.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Patrick Brzeski
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China Cracks Down on International TV Formats

June 20, 2016, 9:03 am
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(THR) China has issued a strict curb on imported TV formats in an effort to "promote domestic originality," the country's central media regulator said.

The new directive, which was published Saturday on China.com, a news portal run by the Cabinet's information office, said that local satellite broadcasters will no longer be allowed to air remakes of popular international reality shows — such as the wildly popular The Voice of China, based on the format created by Dutch TV producer Talpa, now owned by ITV — without first getting official approval. Additional restrictions will curtail the number of such shows that are allowed into the Chinese market each year.

In a set of statements that accompanied the new rules, China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) said that local channels were "still too dependent on broadcasting foreign programs" and lacked originality. The directive urged domestic TV companies to abide by Chinese president Xi Jinping's recent mandate that China's creative industries assert Chinese culture and espouse "core socialist values."

"Only domestically invented TV programs in the Chinese cultural tradition can properly convey the Chinese Dream, core socialist values, patriotism and Chinese traditions," the statement said. "Audiences are craving more Chinese original programs," the regulators added.

Under the new regulations, satellite channels can air no more than two foreign or foreign-adapted programs during primetime (7:30 p.m.- 10:30 p.m.) each year. And only one such program being shown in China for the first time can be aired in a given year, and not during primetime. The penalty for airing a foreign show without proper approval is a one-year ban on all foreign imports for that channel.

The new rules represent a continuation of SAPPRFT's crackdown on the Chinese satellite TV space. Earlier directives limited variety shows, reality series and programs that feature Chinese celebrities' children. In March, the regulator issued a ban on the depiction of "vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content," including smoking, drinking, adultery, homosexuality and reincarnation.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Patrick Brzeski
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Chinese investment helps Hollywood produce for global audience

June 21, 2016, 9:34 am
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(China Daily) China's investments and acquisitions help Hollywood continue to globalize its products as well as connect with the Chinese market, said senior executives from US movie producers.

"For the business to work, you need to work on a global stage," said Martin Willhite, chief operating officer and general counsel of Legendary Entertainment, which has produced such blockbuster films as Godzilla.

"From the earliest days, the plan (of Legendary) is to reach and deliver the products to the biggest audience possible," Willhite added.

The company was building a global product instead of a US product, said Willhite, talking at the Select LA Investment Summit on Friday. He said Legendary decided to expand its global reach by setting up an office in China in 2011 to understand how the industry worked there.

Early this year, Legendary was acquired by China's Dalian Wanda Group for $3.5 billion.

"As the company grew, we understood globalization, frankly, has more success," said Willhite, adding that Legendary has gone through having different kinds of capital partners - from private equity firms to institutional capital and to strategic and financial investors.

He said it was "enormously fortunate" to establish the business relationship with Wanda because "when you can align your strategy with someone who can share your perspective globally, you become extraordinary".

Jack Gao, vice-president and CEO of Wanda Cultural Industry Group, referred to the movie Warcraft, which was produced by Legendary and had a record-breaking opening in China. It has made $200 million so far, and 90 percent of the tickets were sold via mobile internet.

Thomas McGrath, COO of STX Entertainment, said China was a much more profitable market than the US, using the example of Transformers.

Transformers grossed $400 million in the US and spent close to $80 million on marketing, but the same film earned $480 million in China on $20 million in marketing, he said.

"The reason is the online tool is far more highly developed in China than in the US, with greater reach to the audience and more use by the consumers, and interconnectivity of the users," McGrath said.

Partnerships with Hollywood are part of Wanda's global expansion strategy, from studios to distribution to cinema lines, Gao said.

"We are in the very early stage in the industry as well as in the process of globalization," said Gao, adding that Wanda aims to be a "strategic investor" by adding value to Hollywood and connecting Hollywood moviemakers to the Chinese market, rather than taking on Hollywood.

He said Wanda had a clear vision called "2-2-1-1", which means $200 billion in assets, $200 billion market cap, $100 billion annual revenue and $10 billion annual profit.

In order to grow 20 percent every year, Gao said Wanda was transforming from a commercial property business into a cultural one, mainly film and sports, and the move created "enormous growth" - more than 40 percent last year.

Source: China Daily Lia Zhu
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New Adaptation of Classic Japanese Novel Start Shooting

June 21, 2016, 9:36 am
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(CRI) A new adaptation of a classic Japanese novel will start shooting in Osaka.

The film's title is Manhunt, the same with the first adaptation in 1976.

Film director John Woo attended a celebration ceremony together with main actors and actresses.

The novel, originally named Going across an Angry River, tells the story of a man who is framed of murder, but who manages to find the real culprit with the help of a woman.

The new adaptation, however, will only be loosely based on the original work.

The story will be set in an international context and will add modern elements. Chinese, English, and Japanese will all be spoken.

Instead of creating a thriller like the novel, Woo intends to convey his personal violence aesthetics in the film.

John Woo is a Chinese American director, who rose to fame in Hollywood mainly with his violent action films, like Face Off.

Source: CRI
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