A Look at BAT’s Investments in The Entertainment Sector
Over the past a few years, Chinese tech giants BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent)’s investing strategies interest many. Here we take a look at the three companies’ investments in the entertainment sector. According to business information service providers ITJUZI and tianyancha, Tencent has invested in 51 entertainment companies, and a large portion of its investments went to animation studios. Alibaba has invested in 48 entertainment firms, covering the entire supply chain from financing and production, to distribution and exhibition. Compared to Tencent and Alibaba, Baidu has been investing much less in entertainment. As of now, Baidu has only invested in 18 entertainment companies, and most of the investments went to content creation firms in support of its video site iQiyi. Data also shows that Tencent prefers to invest in early-stage companies, while Alibaba tends to invest in relatively mature companies. Read more on yiqipaidianying
Cannes 2018: Jia Zhangke’s ‘Ash Is Purest White’ Selected for Competition
The 71st Cannes Film Festival announced this year’s lineup. Acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke‘s latest film Ash Is Purest White appeared in the competition line-up, which includes 18 films in total. This marks Jia’s fifth entry into Cannes‘ main competition section. Starring Zhao Tao and Liao Fan, Ash Is Purest White tells a story of violent love within a time frame spanning from 2001 to 2017. In addition to Ash Is Purest White, Chinese film Long Day’s Journey Into Night (By Bi Gan) was selected into the Un Certain Regard segment. Read more on Sina
10 Films to Open in Chinese Theaters This Friday
This Friday, 10 films will be released in Chinese theaters. Among them, two foreign science fiction films, Dwayne Johnson‘s Rampage and Natalie Portman’s Annihilation, are highly anticipated. Coincidentally, both films hosted preview screenings in Nanjing yesterday. Although both films are science fictions, they have quite different styles in storytelling and visual presentation. Will both find their audiences in China? Read more on entgroup.cn
‘Ready Player One’ Extends Theatrical Run in China
It has been confirmed that Warner Brothers’ Tomb Raider and Ready Player One will stay in Chinese theaters until May. Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, which opened in China on March 30, will extend its release to May 29. The film has become Warner Brothers’ highest-grossing film in China, exceeding 1.1 billion yuan at the box office already. Tomb Raider, which stars Alicia Vikander and Daniel Wu, will extend its theatrical run to May 1. Released in China on March 16, the film has raked in 496 million yuan ($78.7 million) in the middle kingdom. The extensions will allow both films to benefit from the upcoming May Day holiday, which starts on April 29 and ends on May 1. Read more on Mtime
