DAILY BRIEF: Jul 23, 2018

NEWS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

• 1

  ‘Skyscraper’ Tops China Box Office With $48 Million Opening

  “Skyscraper” comfortably topped the Chinese box office on its opening weekend. It enjoyed a 50% market share and earned $48 million, according to local data tracker Ent Group. Variety

• 2

  As Its Film Business Grows Up, China Faces an 'Ishtar' Moment with its Most Expensive Movie

  It was supposed to be China’s “Lord of the Rings.” Instead, it turned into another “Ishtar,” the infamous box office bomb of 1987. LA Times

• 3

  Asura Flops, But Shines A Light on China’s Increasingly Sophisticated Film Audience

  Vivienne Chow says that the devastating failure of the Chinese film industry’s most expensive production ever, despite rising box office numbers overall, shows that filmmakers now need original storytelling to woo a domestic audience of growing discernment – and that’s good news for the Chinese film industry. South China Morning Post

• 4

  U.S., China Young Artists Gather For Cultural Exchange

  A group of Chinese and American young artists shared their achievements Saturday night in Houston, the United States, showing efforts of cultural exchanges between the two countries. Xinhua

• 5

  “The Story of Chuan’er” Shines a Light on China’s Best-Loved Street Food

  Chinese people love eating. Among the countless, extremely varied types of cuisines, there is one beloved food that one can find everywhere in China, from Harbin to Chengdu, from Urumchi to Guangzhou: chuan’er (串儿), which can be roughly translated to Chinese barbecue, often involving meat on skewers. RADII