50 Chinese Film Companies to Watch in 2019
2018 saw further consolidation of the Chinese film industry. Some companies went out of business during this turbulent time while some emerged to become important players. WeChat media account yiqipaidianying took a look at the local films to be released in 2019 and created a list of 50 film companies that could make big waves this year. The 50 companies are put into the following categories: 1. Traditional film studios: Bona Film Group, Wanda Pictures, Huayi Brothers, Beijing Enlight Media and Le Vision Pictures (Le Chuang Entertainment); 2. Internet-giant-backed firms: Maoyan, Alibaba Pictures, Tencent Pictures, Penguin Pictures, and iQiyi; 3. Companies founded by prominent filmmakers, such as Ning Hao’s Dirty Monkey Pictures, Han Han’s Tingdong Film, and Wu Jing’s Dengfeng Culture; 4. Hong Kong companies: Edko Films, Emperor Entertainment Group, Sil-Metropole Organization, and Media Asia Group; 5. Animation Studios: Light Chaser Animation, Fantawild, and Beijing Enlight Media’s Coloroom Pictures. 6. Others: Huanxi Media, Beijing Culture, New Classics Media among others. Read more on yiqipaidianying
Chinese Fans are Not Happy with NBA’s New Ambassador?
On January 18, NBA released a Chinese-New-Year-themed promotional video along with an announcement of appointing Chinese singer Cai Xukun as its new Chinese New Year ambassador. The announcement soon caused backlash among NBA fans in China. On hupu bbs, a major online community for Chinese NBA fans, many expressed their disapproval and even anger towards NBA’s choice. Meanwhile, on other Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, the news was widely shared by fans of Cai Xukun with excitement and pride. Born in 1998, Cai Xukun rose to fame in 2018 through Chinese variety show Idol Producer. Currently, he has over 20 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. It remains to be seen if this is a smart move for NBA. While Cai Xukun is surely helping NBA reach new audiences in China, true NBA fans’ feelings might have been compromised. Read more on dumou
‘Some Like It Hot 2’ Changes Release Date Amid Wu Xiubo Scandal
2019 Chinese romantic comedy film Some Like It Hot 2, which was previously set for February 5 release, has been rescheduled to open in theater on January 24. This decision was made as Wu Xiubo, the male lead of the film, got caught up in a “break-up” fee blackmail scandal. It was exposed last year that Wu had extramarital affairs with actress Chen Yulin and other women. The news became a heavy blow to Wu’s career, as he was known and well liked by audiences for being a model male character both on and off screen. On January 19, Chen Yulin’s parents posted a public letter on Weibo, claiming that their daughter was detained by police because Wu had reported her for blackmailing him. The news soon became a hot topic and has been making the headlines. Due to Wu Xiubo’s scandal, the presale of Some Like It Hot 2 has dropped significantly. Industry professionals believe it’s a wise choice to release the film early in order to save its box office and to avoid the risk of being banned as the scandal continues to escalate. Read more on yiyuguancha
