Roger Corman’s ‘Palace of the Damned’ to Open in China on November 17
Recently, ‘Palace of the Damned,’ a thriller executive produced by Roger Corman and directed by Hong Kong-based Chinese American filmmaker Antony Szeto, scored a November 17 release date for China. Starring Katie Savoy, JuJu Chan, and Yixin Li, the film is a feature horror with a western and eastern crossover story. Completed in 2013, the film is acclaimed American indie producer Roger Corman’s first film that was made in China. Often called ‘The Pope of Pop Cinema,’ Roger Corman was awarded the Honorary Oscars for Lifetime Achievement in 2009. Read more on Sohu
What Jia Zhangke Has Been Doing after Making ‘Mountains May Depart’?
Celebrated Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke hasn’t released any new feature film over the past two years. So, what has he been doing since the release of ‘Mountain May Depart’ in 2015? In a recent interview with Mtime, Jia Zhangke talks about the projects he’s been working on. Jia reveals that he has completed three scripts and one book. In addition, his film companies Fabula Entertainment and Xstream Pictures have been growing steadily, and his Ping Yao International Film Festival will present its first edition in less than a month. What’s more, he executive produced three films, including ‘One Night on the Wharf,’ ‘Ping Jing,’ and ‘Where Has the Time Gone.’ Jia expresses that, “The sense of urgency is really strong for a man like me who is turning 50, living in an ever-changing country like China, and working in the rapidly growing film industry.” Read more on Mtime
Han Han’s Production Company Raises $46.8 M with $37.8 M from Bona
Recently, Chinese filmmaker and writer Han Han’s production company Shanghai Professional Making Film (PMF) completed a new round of financing and successfully raised 310 million yuan ($46.8 million), of which Bona Film Group invested 250 million yuan ($37.8 million). PMF was founded by Han Han in 2015, and has successfully produced a few films, such as box office hit ‘Duckweed.’ Bona’s partnership with Han Han started even earlier than the founding of PMF. In 2014, Bona invested in and distributed Han Han’s first feature film ‘The Continent.’ After investing $37.8 million in PMF this time, Bona will own 12.5 percent of PMF’s stock. Read more on Jinrong Jie
Financial Analysts Favor Cinema Chains More Than Film Production Studios in China
As China’s box office grows strongly this year with hit action flick ‘Wolf Warrior 2‘ and comedy ‘Never Say Die,’ more and more Chinese investors are interested in buying stock from companies in the entertainment industry. And the suggestion most financial analysts are giving is that buying stock from cinema chains is safer and more profitable than buying stock from film production companies. “While it’s not impossible, it is definitely more challenging for a production company than for a cinema operator to continuously profit in China.” Says Li Bo, a Portforlio Manager from China’s Da Cheng Fund Management Co. Read more on Ent Group
The Merger of Maoyan and Weying Didn’t Intimidate Alibaba’s Tao Piao Piao
After becoming China’s No. 1 online ticketing platform by market share in August, Alibaba’s Tao Piao Paio recently surpassed other Chinese ticketing platforms by number of daily active users. According to data recently released by Quest Mobile, Tao Piao Piao attracts 26.8 percent of daily active ticket buyers while Maoyan Weying only attracts 21.4 percent of them. Tao Piao Piao, Maoyan, and Weying were top three online ticketing platforms in China before the tie-up of Maoyan and Weying in September. Although many predicted that the merger between Maoyan and Weying would create a strong rival to Tao Piao Piao, it seems that this merger hasn’t been able to shake Tao Piao Piao’s market position. Read more on D-Entertainment
