Headlines from China: 2019 China Box Office Exceeds RMB 20 Billion in 103 Days

2019 China Box Office Exceeds RMB 20 Billion in 103 Days

As of April 13, China’s total box office revenue in 2019 has exceeded RMB20 billion (US$2.98 B). It took 103 days to reach this mark, 13 days longer than last year. The top three movies on the box office charts are all domestic productions, including The Wandering Earth (RMB 4.7 billion), Crazy Alien (RMB 2.2 billion), and Pegasus (RMB 1.7 billion). Bumblebee and Capital Marvel are the only two foreign films that grossed more than RMB 1 billion in China this year with respective total earnings of RMB 1.15 billion (US$171 M) and RMB 1.03 billion (US$154 M). The Chinese film market slowdown has been continuing in recent months.  Avengers: Endgame is expected to boost the box office. Read more on Mtime

Nuri Bilge Ceylan To Chair the Jury for Shanghai’s Golden Goblet Awards

Shanghai International Film Festival has announced that acclaimed Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan will be the president of the jury for Golden Goblet Awards, the top awards for the main competition session of the Festival. As one of the best known Turkish filmmakers, Nuri Bilge Ceylan has won multiple awards at Cannes Film Festival, including Palme d’Or. His latest work, Wild Pear Tree, has also been selected into the 71st Cannes Film Festival. Previous jury presidents of the Shanghai International Film Festival includes Luc Besson, Chen Kaige, Wong Kar-wai, Tom Hooper, Gong Li, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Emir Kusturica, Cristian Mungiu, and Jiang Wen. This year, the festival will take place from June 15 to June 24. Read more on East Day

Documentary about Expats in Beijing Enters Beijing International Film Festival 

A screening event for the upcoming documentary Hello Beijing took place recently with cast and crew members in attendance. Set for April 19 release, the film has also been selected to compete in the documentary category of the Beijing International Film Festival. Produced by Uni Pictures, the doc follows the journeys of near one hundred foreigners as they pursue their Chinese dream in Beijing. In addition to its April theatrical release, the film has also formed an exclusive partnership with Sohu, which will release the film on its streaming platform on May 10. Read more on Mtime