Do Classic Movies Have Box Office Potential in China?
As the restored version of classic Hong Kong movie ‘A Better Tomorrow’ announced its November 17 China release, many people become interested in the box office potential of classic movies in China. As re-showing classic movies also involves licensing fees and marketing expenses, it’s not guaranteed that such endeavours will bring profit. Looking back, most of the classic movies re-released in Chinese theaters over the past decade didn’t perform impressively at box office. The highest grossing film among them is Stephen Chow’s 1995 film ‘A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella,’ which only raked in 170 million yuan ($25.6 million) from its 2017 release. Read more on Beijing Business
Feng Xiaogang’s ‘Youth’ to be Released across China on December 15
Celebrated Chinese filmmaker Feng Xiaogang’s latest film ‘Youth,’ which was previously scheduled to release during China’s National Day holiday then got cancelled, has been rescheduled to open across China on December 15, according to sources familiar with the matter. In addition to ‘Youth,’ another eight films, including ‘The Thousand Faces of Dunjia,’ ‘Bleeding Steel,’ and ‘Legend of the Demon Cat,’ have been scheduled to release in December. ‘The Thousand Faces of Dunjia,’ an action movie written by Tsui Hark and directed by Woo-ping Yuen, has also scored a December 15 China release. Read more on Mtime
Russian Historical Epic ‘Viking’ Set for December 1 China Release
Russian film ‘Viking’ has been scheduled to open across China on December 1, according to the film’s official Chinese poster and trailer. One of Russia’s most expensive films of 2016, ‘Viking’ costs 7 years and RUB 1.2 billion ($20.2 million) to make. Directed by Andrei Kravchuk, best known for 2005 drama film ‘The Italian,’ the film is based on the accounts of medieval prince Vladimir the Great’s life in exile across the frozen sea in Sweden in the 10th century. It’s reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin is also a fan of the movie, and even invited the cast and crew to meet in person. Read more on Mtime
Even Liquor Companies Start Making Animations in China?
‘I am Joybo,’ an upcoming Chinese animation, released its trailer on streaming site Bilibili. If you are familiar with Chinese liquor brands, you will notice that the main character of the movie Joybo is also the image of Chinese liquor brand Joybo. So what’s the connection between the animation and the liquor brand? While Chinese liquor is traditionally consumed by older generations in China, liquor brand Joybo strives to attract the younger generations, and the 2-D world is where the company hopes to engage with the young Chinese. Different from traditional approach to product placement, the liquor brand decided to insert its brand image in the animation while its products didn’t appear in it at all. Read more on Ent Group
