Headlines from China: Top 100 Chinese Film Distributors in 2018

A Still from ‘Dying to Survive’

Top 100 Chinese Film Distributors in 2018

On December 18, WeChat media account “yiqipaidianying” released a list of 2018 top 100 Chinese film distributors based on  the number of distributed films, box office performance, influence of released films, etc. Top 5 companies on the list are Beijing United Entertainment Partners Culture & Media (Dying to Survive, Forever Young), Bona Film Group (Operation Red Sea, Project Gutenberg), Enlight Media (The Island), Maoyan (Monster Hunt 2), and Tao Piaopiao (Hello Mr. Billionaire). Some films were co-distributed by two or more companies. The article suggests that successful film distribution today requires the collaboration of established distributors and newcomers with tech backgrounds. This year, third-party online ticketing companies like Maoyan and Tao Piaopiao have been largely affected by the elimination of ticket price subsidy. Nevertheless, Maoyan and Tao Piaopiao are still the top service providers and industry players in China, since the industry largely depends on big data provided by them. Read more on 36Kr

Baidu Video, Columbia Pictures in Short-video Partnership

Recently, Baidu Video, a video search platform and PGC (professionally generated content) distribution site in China, announced a new content partnership with Sony’s corp Columbia Pictures.The platform has launched a section for short videos derived from Columbia Pictures’ movies. Related movies include “Spider-man” film series, “007” film series, and the latest box office smash hit Venom. In the future, Baidu Video will distribute short videos for upcoming films from Columbia Pictures. The partnership will enrich short-video content for Baidu Video, and help Columbia Pictures reach a broader audience. Read more on Sohu

Johnny Depp, Jackie Chan, Juliette Binoche Share Stage at Hainan International Film Festival Closing Gala

On December 16, the inaugural Hainan International Film Festival closed in the southern Chinese city of Sanya. International celebrities including Jackie Chan, who was named the festival’s ambassador, Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche, Aamir Khan, Mads Mikkelsen, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, attended the closing ceremony. Winners of the festival awards, voted by a selected committee from China Film Critics Association, have also been announced at the gala. Dying to Survive garnered three awards including Film of the Year, Director of the Year (Wen Muye) and Actor of the Year (Xu Zheng). Hong Kong actor Aaron Kwok also won the Actor of the Year award for his performance in Project Gutenberg. Chinese actress Yao Chen, who starred in Lost, Found, received the award of Actress of the Year. Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche, who co-starred in the 2000 film Chocolat, presented the award for Actor of the Year and shared behind-the-scenes stories of the movie. Read more on Mtime