Jonathan Papish
About the author Jonathan Papish currently covers the Chinese film industry out of New York City, but previously spent 8 years working in China. Jonathan has been a social media and digital assistant for dGenerate Films, a distributor of Chinese contemporary independent cinema and, most recently, he covered the Chinese market for BoxOffice.com. Jonathan is also an audiovisual Mandarin to English translator and has subtitled several high-profile Mainland films and television programs.
On Screen China: The Force Flags in Opening Weekend
After months of a Disney marketing blitz targeting an audience largely unfamiliar with the franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (星球大战:原力觉醒) debuted in China on Saturday, and grossed a two-day estimated total of $52.7 million. Read More
On Screen China: The ‘Star Wars’ Force Is Strong for the Future
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will finally invade Chinese theaters this Saturday, January 9 and the hype is at a fever pitch — in Hollywood. However, the tone in mainland China has been more muted, especially in interior cities where the franchise comes nowhere near being the cultural phenomenon it is in other countries. Read More
On Screen China: 2016 Opens With a Record Weekend
After China’s roaring box office posted nearly 50% growth in 2015 over the previous year, moviegoers in the world’s second largest film market rang in 2016 with more record-shattering numbers. Read More
On Screen China: Booming Box Office Ends 2015 Up 48.7%
In 2015, China’s booming box office grew an incredible 48.7% to reach a record $6.8 billion (RMB 44.07 billion) according to a statement released late Thursday by SARFT (State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television). The yearly growth was the second highest since China’s modern film industry began to develop in 2004, second Read More
On Screen China: Appealing to the Lowest Common Denominator
Actor-director Deng Chao was accused of pushing Chinese comedy “to a new low in terms of racist and homophobic humor” after Deng himself donned blackface in last year’s The Breakup Guru, yet that film still managed to haul in $103 million from Chinese moviegoers. Read More
On Screen China: Christmas Eve Date Night at the Movies
After a quiet start to the annual Chinese box office “New Year’s period” (贺岁档)—just $212 million grossed during the first 17 days of December—ticket sales exploded last weekend as homegrown blockbuster Mojin—The Lost Legend (寻龙诀) debuted with a record $93 million. Mojin will continue its trek this weekend as it attempts to topple Monster Hunt as the highest-grossing film of all-time in China. But the distributors of two new releases will try to take advantage of the considerable space left over in the market by an underwhelming run from Surprise (万万没想到). Read More
On Screen China: ‘Mojin’ Racks Up the Box Office Records
While the rest of the world flocked to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Chinese moviegoers instead rushed to catch a homegrown blockbuster, Mojin—The Lost Legend (寻龙诀), buying tickets worth $91.9 million in just three days and helping the film from Wanda Pictures, Enlight Pictures, and Huayi Brothers to set several box office records for Chinese-language films. As predicted, Mojin and runner-up Surprise (万万没想到)—which grossed a modest $22.9 million over the three-day weekend—completely dominated China’s box office, accounting for a weekend market share of over 96%. Read More
On Screen China: ‘Mojin’ Boasts Major Mojo
Get ready for an unprecedented weekend at the global box office, with a twist in China. While North America and the rest of planet Earth prepare for the outbreak of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Chinese audiences will be flocking to theaters for what is almost certain to be the highest-grossing weekend in the history Read More
On Screen China: ‘Surprise’!—Low-Budget Web Series Adaptation Wins the Weekend
Surprise (万万没想到)—a low-budget comedy based on a popular web series set for official release next Friday, December 18—stormed into theaters early last weekend, netting $17.3 million from its Friday and Saturday preview screenings, while Hollywood holdovers Point Break ($30.4 million total) and The Martian ($86.9 million total) both withstood a barrage of 15 new releases, hanging on Read More
On Screen China: A Busy Weekend of Theatrical ‘Cannon Fodder’
A whopping 15 new films will be cast into Chinese theaters this weekend, representing the largest number of new releases within such a short time frame this year. Such a crowded calendar would be more typically seen in the United States, which had about twice the number of releases as China last year, and represents a relatively Read More
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