Ang Lee’s ‘Gemini Man’ Scores China Release Date
Directed by Ang Lee and starring Will Smith, the blockbuster Gemini Man has been officially scheduled to release in China on October 18, a week later than its October 11 U.S. release. Gemini Man marks Lee’s third 3-D format movie following Life of Pi and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. The film tells the story of Henry, an aging government assassin, who finds himself being hunted by his younger clone. Sources said that the 120 fps version of the film will be also screened in China. Read more on Mtime
Alibaba Plans to Sell Stake in Beijing Enlight Media
On September 2, Beijing Enlight Media announced that Hangzhou Alibaba Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd plans to sell 58.772 million shares of Enlight Media through centralized bidding or block trading. The transaction will start in 15 trading days after the announcement and will complete within 6 months. The news came as a surprise to many people, especially since Enlight Media’s most recent film Ne Zha just became the second highest-grossing film of all time in China. So why did Alibaba decide to cut its stake in Beijing Enlight Media? According to the analysis in this article, Enlight Media has built stronger connections with Tencent in recent years, which might have made Alibaba gradually disconnect itself with Enlight. The movie ticketing platform Maoyan, backed by Enlight Media and Tencent, is a major competitor of Alibaba’s ticketing platforms Tao Piaopiao and Damai. Meanwhile, Enlight Media transferred its ownership of New Classic Media to Tencent’s China Literature Group. The CEO of Alibaba Pictures Fan Luyuan also resigned from the board of Elight Media in 2018. All these signs suggest that Enlight Media’s business activities will become more independent from Alibaba. With that said, the two companies will continue to explore collaboration opportunities in the future, according to the announcement from Enlight Media. Read more on Ent Group
