A Look At The Most Anticipated Chinese New Year Films
For the 2018 Chinese New Year season, big-budget local films, mostly sequels, are going to dominate the box office, including highly anticipated films Monster Hunt 2, Detective Chinatown 2, The Monkey King 3, and Operation Red Sea. All of those are IP films, with an average production cost of over $61.2 million (400 million yuan). However, there seem to be a lack of bankable stars featured in the films compared to last year. Following the major success of Wolf Warriors 2, it is projected that the polarization in box office will continue in 2018. Read more on yiqipaidianying
Acclaimed Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bing to Collaborate with Young Director
Taiwanese Cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-bing is going to collaborate with director Zhang Qi on Hinterland, Zhang’s big screen debut. Hinterland follows the life of a young girl raised by a single mother, as she makes progress towards self-discovery. The entire crew consists of young millennials, including director Zhang. For 63-year-old Mark Lee, this is his first collaboration with a team that is significantly younger than he is. Read more on Mtime
Huayi Reclaims Its Name As A Chinese Film Giant
Huayi Brothers reclaimed their reputation as a film giant with two top-performing films in 2018, namely Youth and The Ex-File 3: The Return of the Exes. Last year, Huayi was more involved in investments outside film production. Huayi posted on social media last week that the company has produced over 100 films, and the total box office has passed $30.6 billion, ranking it first among Chinese film production companies. Even with the box office success, it is clear that relying on box office alone is not enough; a diversified portfolio is necessary for revenue growth. Read more on entgroup.cn
Youku Sues Baidu and Others Over ‘Wolf Warriors 2’
Video-streaming site Youku is suing Baidu and several other companies in an attempt to protect its exclusive streaming rights of Wolf Warriors 2. Youku has paid a high price to acquire the exclusive streaming rights due to the widespread popularity of the film and its huge market potential, and companies violating such rights has thus been highly damaging for Youku. Read more on Sina
