The New Year Holiday Season is Not about Domestic Comedies Anymore
The two months between late November and late January are considered one of the most important holiday seasons for China box office. Since Feng Xiaogang‘s comedy film ‘The Dream Factory’ debuted during the New Year holiday in December 1997 and achieved huge box office success, domestic comedies have occupied Chinese theaters every year during this time period. However, looking at this year’s slate for the upcoming New Year holiday, most of the films are non-comedy films, and many of them are foreign imports. Over the past a few years, China’s week-long lunar new year, which usually starts after the New Year season, becomes a constant record-breaking holiday season. As a result, more and more highly anticipated domestic films are scheduled to release during the lunar new year instead. Read more on Ent Group
After LeShi Becomes ‘New LeShi’, LeEco’s Le Vision Pictures Will also Change Its Name
After LeShi changed its name to ‘New LeShi’ in September, LeEco’s film and TV arm Le Vision Pictures will change its name to ‘New LeVision Culture and Entertainment,’ according to Chinese media outlet The Paper. This new change is also believed to be a sign of a complete severing of ties from Jia and to rebrand the company. Le Vision Pictures was founded in 2011 by LeEco’s founder Jia Yueting and Beijing Enlight Media’s founder Zhang Zhao. Since its establishment, Le Vision Pictures has involved in the production or distribution of various films, including Guo Jingming’s ‘Tiny Times‘ series, ‘Entangled Worlds,’ and Zhang Yimou’s ‘The Great Wall.’ Currently, Le Vision Pictures’ shareholders include Leshi Holding Co., Sun Hongbin’s Tianjin Jiarui Huixin, and various celebrity shareholders, such as Guo Jingming, Zhang Yimou, and Huang Xiaoming. Read more on Tencent Tech
Danish Film ‘Skammerens datter’ Scores November 24 China Release
Dubbed as a youth version of ‘Game of Thrones,’ 2015 Danish fantasy film ‘Skammerens datter’’ has been set to release theatrically in China on November 24. Directed by Kenneth Kainz and written by Oscar-winner Anders Thomas Jensen, the film was adapted from Lene Kaaberbøl’s eponymous book ‘The Shamer’s Daughter,’ which is the first installment of ‘The Shamer Chronicles.’ ‘The Shamer’s Daughter’ is one of the most popular Danish books that were translated and sold worldwide. Read more on Mtime
The Profitability of Listed Chinese Film and TV Companies
As of now, all the A-share listed Chinese companies have released their Q3 financial reports. Overall, film and TV companies have relatively mediocre performances. Compared to the amount of attention the sector has been getting, their performances are not quite exciting. The total net revenue of 20 listed film and TV companies is 5.87 billion yuan. Meanwhile, Chinese liquor brand Maotai, one of the best performing Chinese companies in the stock market, made about 20 billion yuan in net profit during the same period. Among film and TV companies, cinema operators have relatively higher and more stable profitability. Read more on Ent Group
