A Still From Avatar (2009)
China’s Obsession with 3D Film is Waning?
Upcoming Chinese new year films Monster Hunt 2 and Detective Chinatown II will be released in 2D format only, according to sources familiar with the matter. Last year, filmmaker Chen Kaige also made an announcement to stress that he wouldn’t shoot Legend of the Demon Cat in 3D or convert it from 2D into 3D. It seems that China’s obsession with 3D movies is waning. In 2016, only one of the box office top ten films was released in 2D. Yet in 2017, four of the box office top ten were released in 2D. Read more on Mtime
Chinese Film Producers Unite to Fight Box Office Fraud
Limits have been set by China’s Film Bureau for ticket subsidy campaigns during the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday season. Specifically, the price of a single ticket must not lower than 19.9 yuan ($3.1) after discount is applied. In addition, the total number of discounted tickets issued for each film must not exceed 500,000. These new policies were proposed by a group of producers whose films were scheduled to release during the Chinese New Year holiday. Read more on Sohu
Local Arthouse Drama ‘Forever Young’ Continues to Top Daily Box Office
Arthouse drama film ‘Forever Young,’ which was filmed five years ago and stars Zhang Ziyi, continues to top China’s daily box office on January 17 with 52 million yuan ($8.1 million). In total, the film has raked in 248 million yuan ($38.6 million) since it was released last Friday. Following behind Forever Young is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, which gained 40 million yuan ($6.3 million) on the 17th. The third best selling film of the day is The Ex-File: The Return of the Exes, which doesn’t seem to be losing its momentum after 20 days in release. Read more on Mtime
Two Chinese Films Named the Most Anticipated Films of 2018 by Cahiers du Cinéma
French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma released a list of the most anticipated films of 2018 in its January issue. Two Chinese films, including Jia Zhangke’s Ash is Purest White and Bi Gan’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, along with other 15 films are listed. Founded in 1951 by a trio of writers including Andre Bazin, Cahiers du Cinéma is one of the world’s best-known film magazines. Acclaimed filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Éric Rohmer are among its writers during its early years. Read more on 163.com
