Alibaba Pictures Announces A 20-Film Slate
On November 9, Alibaba Pictures announced “Jin Cheng Co-production Program (锦橙合制计划)” to co-produce 20 films over the next five years. According to an executive who is in charge of the program, the program aims to enable Alibaba Pictures to collaborate with first-class teams from other companies and support emerging filmmakers. All the films in the programs will be released during one of the four lucrative cinematic seasons, namely, the New Year, the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), the summer, and the National-day holiday. The first film from the program to be released is Peppa’s Chinese New Year, which is co-produced with eOne. Another film that has been confirmed is Ci Sha Xiao Shuo Jia (Assassin in Red), which is a fantasy suspense film to be co-produced with Huace Media and MORE VFX. Read more on entgroup.cn
‘The Grinch’ Set for December 14 China Release
2018 American 3D computer-animated Christmas film The Grinch has been scheduled to release in China on December 14. Based on the 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, it is the third adaptation of the story. The film is produced by Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios and directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier. Benedict Cumberbatch dubbed the main character in the English version. The Mandarin version will be dubbed by Chinese actor Pan Yueming. Read more on Mtime
Chinese Regulators Tighten Control Over Celebrity Pay From Variety Shows
On November 9, China’s National Radio and Television Administration issued a notice regarding TV and online audio-visual programs. The notice requires variety show producers and distributors prioritize social benefits over commercial return, reducing reality shows and talent shows that feature celebrities and enhancing programming of shows that are educational and beneficial to the society. According the notice, prime-time variety shows are required to submit names of participating celebrities, their salaries, and overall production budget. Celebrity salaries should not make up more than 40% of a show’s total production cost. Read more on Mtime
