Still from ‘The House That Never Dies II’
How Did Ghosts Disappear from Chinese Films?
If you go to a movie theater in China to see a so-called “Ghost Movie,” don’t expect to see any real ghosts in it. Most likely, you will see humans pretending to be ghosts or paranoid people worrying about ghosts in these movies. So how did ghosts disappear from Chinese films? The main reason is that the Chinese government has secular principles, which prohibit ghosts from appearing in movies. This article (in Chinese) gives a comprehensive introduction to all the quasi-ghost movies ever released in China as well as the receptions these movies received. Read more on infzm.com
Is Hiring Chinese Ambassadors Effective to Help Promote Hollywood Films?
Recently, Nic Crawley, CEO of The H Collective and former Paramount’s President of International Marketing and Distribution had an interview with Mtime to talk about ‘Transformers,’ Chinese movie ambassadors, and the upcoming ‘xXx 4.’ Nic Crawley admits that ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ is a disappointment. In addition, He reveals that The H Collective and The Paramount will co-produce ‘xXx4,’ which they plan to release at the beginning of 2019 with a world premiere in China. When it comes to the effectiveness of hiring local pop stars to promote Hollywood films, Crowley says that he hasn’t looked into the effectiveness of this strategy, but he believes it is very important to attract and connect with young Chinese audience, and local pop stars have a big influence on this group of audience. Read more on Mtime.
LeEco’s Leshi Reports $252 Million Loss in First Three Quarters of 2017
On October 13 (Beijing Time), Leshi, the listed arm of LeEco Group, announced that the company saw 1.66 billion yuan ($252 million) loss in the first three quarters of 2017, which was largely due to the drop of advertising revenue and membership revenue. During the same period in 2016, the company made a profit of 2 billion yuan ($31.7 million). The company explains in the announcement that the company’s profitability was negatively affected by its cashflow problem and LeEco’s damaged reputation. Read more on TMT Post
Seven More Hollywood Movies to Meet Chinese Audiences This Year
Recently, the list of imported films for the last quarter of 2017 has been revealed. Seven Hollywood movies, including, ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle,’ ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ ‘Murder on the Orient Express,’ ‘Justice League,’ ‘Geostorm,’ and ‘Coco’ will hit the Chinese screens and compete with several domestic movies over the next two months. The two months between mid-October and mid-December are considered low season for China’s movie business. Looking back, the films released between mid-October and mid-December never appeared on the lists of China’s monthly or annual box office top 20. Will any of the seven films make a breakthrough this year? Read more on yuledujiaoshou
Bona Film Group Seeks IPO, Aiming to Raise $220 Million
On October 13 (Beijing Time), a prospectus from Bona Film Group appeared on the website of China Securities Regulatory Commission, which indicates that the company currently is seeking IPO. According to Bona’s prospectus, the company plans to issue no less than 122 million stock shares at Shenzhen Stock Exchange with the aim of raising 1.4 billion yuan ($220 million). The company plans to invest about 605 million yuan in producing films and 820 million yuan in building and renovating movie theaters. Read more on China.com
