DAILY BRIEF: Nov 3, 2017

NEWS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

• 1

  Inside China's 'Monster Hunt' Franchise Plans: Tentpoles, Theme Lands and Legal Licensing Deals

  Taking a page from the Hollywood playbook, director Raman Hui and legendary producer Bill Kong discuss their ambitious moves to expand the country's biggest original film property. The Hollywood Reporter

• 2

  Alibaba Surges in Second Quarter, Carries Expanded Entertainment Loss

  Chinese online giant Alibaba reported a 61% surge in revenues in the three months to September and a 71% increase in net income. Driven by growth in its core e-commerce business and by a doubling of its cloud-computing operations, the group was easily able to contain the expanded losses it recorded in its digital entertainment unit. Variety

• 3

  China Box Office Surges in October, Returns to 15% Growth Rate

  Data from Chinese research and consultancy company Ent Group show January to October box office of RMB47.8 billion, or $7.01 billion at current exchange rates. That compares with RMB38.0 billion in the equivalent 10-month period last year and with RMB45.5 billion in calendar 2016. Variety

• 4

  CJ Entertainment Chief on South Korea's Global Film Plan (Despite China's Ban)

  CJ Entertainment CEO Jeong Tae-Sung has a track record in markets around the world that any Hollywood studio — not to mention Netflix or Amazon — would envy. The Hollywood Reporter

• 5

  Tokyo Film Review: ‘The Looming Storm’

  When it rains it pours in “The Looming Storm,” an atmospheric Chinese crime noir set primarily in a sodden and dying industrial town in 1997. Focused on a factory security boss whose life unravels when he becomes involved in the hunt for a serial killer, this moody item is an engrossing character study with potent commentary on the monumental social and economic changes in recent Chinese history. Variety