Photo: VCG
Alibaba Now Holds Shares In All Major Film Companies
Alibaba is currently a shareholder in multiple film-related companies, including Huayi Brothers, Enlight Media, Bona Film Group, Amblin Entertainment, Wanda Film Holdings, Dadi Cinema, YKSE, and Taopiaopiao. These are the highest-grossing companies across the Chinese film industry, covering the entire supply chain from funding, production to distribution. With its very own film company Alibaba Pictures, which operates the film crowdfunding service Yulebao, Alibaba is definitely making its name in the film industry. Read more on entgroup.cn
“Monster Hunt 2” To Collaborate With CCTV New Year’s Gala
Cast members from the upcoming Monster Hunt 2, including Tony Leung, Jing Boran, and Li Yuchun will be joining the annual Spring Festival Gala produced by China Central Television (CCTV) on Chinese New Year Eve; the protagonist of the film, a baby-faced, green-haired monster named Huba, along with other animated characters will also be present at the gala, and the audience and viewers will have the opportunity to be counting down to the new year with the “monsters.” This is the first time CCTV has collaborated with a domestic film; apart from being a hit IP film, the fact that Monster Hunt 2 is a family-friendly film made it an even better fit for the festive times. The fantasy action film, set to be released on Feb 16, has reached 100 million yuan ($15.9 million) in presales so far and has collaborated with over 50 brands, including McDonald’s, making it the one of the hottest IP works this year. Read more on dafenghao
Hong Kong Film Awards Nominations 2018
The 37th Hong Kong Film Awards has announced its nominations; Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come leads the race with 11 nominations, and Sylvia Chang’s multigenerational relationship drama Love Education and Wilson Yip Wai-shun’s brutal action thriller Paradox each had 9 nominations. Kearen Pang was nominated for Best Director with her film debut 29+1, while Sylvia Chang was nominated for both Best Director and Best Actress. Tian Zhuangzhuang from Love Education was nominated for Best Actor, and he is to compete with veteran actors Andy Lau, Louis Koo, and Ronald Cheng. Youth and Wolf Warrior 2 were nominated for Best film from mainland and Taiwan. Read more on Mtime
How the Partnership between Wanda Film and Alibaba May Impact China’s Online Ticketing Sector
Wanda Film Holdings has announced that an Alibaba affiliate has become the second largest shareholder of Wanda Film, with an investment of 4.68 billion yuan ($745 million). The two will be partnering on many fronts, including online ticket sales. Analysts believe that with Wanda Film’s support, Taopiaopiao will be on the fast track to gaining more market share. Taopiaopiao’s competitor, Tencent-backed Maoyan, which merged with ticketing platform Weiying late last year, and the combined market share reached 37.8%, ahead of Taopiaopiao. Read more on Xinhua
