Poster for Feng Xiaogang’s Youth. Courtesy of China Lion.
Will This Distributor Conquer the Chinese and Chinese American Market in North America
This year during China’s summer import blackout, two domestic films attracted the most attention. One was ‘Wolf Warrior 2’, and the other was the documentary ‘Twenty-Two’. Recently, ‘Twenty-Two’ was released theatrically overseas in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which meant a lot for both the film and overseas Chinese audiences, as a small budget documentary from China like ‘Twenty-Two’ is rarely seen in other counties’ movie theaters. The company that made the international release of ‘Twenty Two’ possible is China Lion, a distribution company founded by Jiang Yanming in 2010. As the first company to distribute Chinese titles overseas, China Lion has received investments from Bona Film Group, Huayi Brothers, and China Media Capital. As more and more Chinese filmmakers become interested in participating in international film festivals and releasing their films in other countries, there could be a big market for companies like China Lion. However, for a distributor like China Lion to succeed, Chinese films also need to improve their quality and truly resonate with a global audience. Read more on yiqipaidianying
Over 60 Upcoming Domestic Films to be Promoted in Qingdao This Week
The 15th edition of the semi-annual promotional event for upcoming domestic theatrical films will take place from September 20-22 in Qingdao, China. Filmmakers and distributors from more than 60 domestic films, including the ones to be released during the National Day holiday and Spring Festival holiday seasons, will attend the event to promote their upcoming films. According to the event organizer, the number of star attendees is the most on record. Many A-listers, such as Jackie Chan (‘The Foreigner’), Fan Bingbing (‘Sky Hunter’), and Orlando Bloom (‘S.M.A.R.T Chase’, ‘Unlocked’), will all attend. Read more on Mtime
The Biggest Investment is Patience Says CEO of Tencent Pictures
Along with the growth of the Chinese film market, many companies from other industries, such as tech, manufacturing, and real estate, entered the market over the past a few years. Some of them entered with long-term goals while others went in for a quick cash grab. After exploring opportunities and possibilities in the market for two years, Tencent Pictures has learned some lessons and also has laid out a more clear roadmap for the future. While Alibaba has switched focus from creating content to building infrastructure and providing services for the industry, Tencent is determined to continue its commitment to content creation. Recently, at the company’s 2nd-anniversary celebration, Tencent Pictures announced 43 film and TV projects, multiple partnerships, a new anime studio, and a film talent initiative. To succeed in the film industry, the biggest investment required is patience, says Cheng Wu, CEO of Tencent Pictures. Read more on TMT Post
Chinese Ad Agency Jingmao Releases New Products for the Booming Pre-screening Advertising Market
In 2016, the market scale of pre-screening advertising sector in China was estimated at RMB 3.6 billion ($545 million), and the number is expected to reach RMB 10 billion by 2022. In addition, the overall Chinese advertising market grew 0.4 percent in the first half of 2017 while the pre-screening advertising sector grew 19 percent during the same time period. Jingmao Film Media, a Chinese ad agency specializing in pre-screening commercials, recently released two new products which integrate interactive gaming and entertaining elements into pre-screening commercials. Jingmao commercials currently occupy more than 10000 screens in more than 220 Chinese cities. Currently, the company’s market share is 40 percent. Read more on Ent Group
Chinese Film ‘The Liquidator’ Cancels Upcoming National Day Holiday Release
The upcoming September 30 release of Chinese suspense crime film ‘The Liquidator’ has been cancelled, as the film hasn’t received a permit for theatrical release, according to a post on the film’s official Weibo. The post, however, was deleted and replaced later by a new statement, which only announced the cancellation without explaining why. It’s likely that the statement in the first Weibo post is true, as the film does reflect serious social issues. Adapted from the hit Chinese novel ‘Evil Minds: City Light’, ‘The Liquidator”s theatrical release is highly anticipated by Chinese audiences. Read more on Hongmo
