Left to right: Yu Dong, President of Bona Film Group; Zeng Maojun, President at Wanda Film; Song Ge, Chairman of Beijing Culture; Cheng Wu, CEO of Tencent Pictures.
Chinese Film Industry’s “New Big Four”
Around 2015 when the Chinese box office was having explosive growth, the term “Big Five” emerged to refer to the top five private Chinese film companies, including Huayi Brothers, Beijing Enlight Media, Wanda Pictures, Bona Film Group and Le Vision Pictures. Over the past three years, the market landscape has changed due to various internal reasons and external conditions, such as shifts of government policies and the arrival of China’s big three tech companies (Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent) in the content-making business. According to WeChat media account yuemuchina‘s analysis, the following four companies have the capabilities and potential to become the “new big four” of the Chinese film industry. They are: Bona Film Group, Wanda Film, Beijing Culture, and Tencent Pictures. Read more on yuemuchina
The 3rd Pingyao International Film Festival Open for Submissions
The third edition of the Pingyao International Film Festival (PYIFF) is set to take place from October 10-19 this year, according the festival’s official website. The festival also announced call for submissions, seeking films from all around the world. The deadline for submitting is August 5. Founded by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke and curated by Italian industry veteran Marco Mueller, the festival strives to discover and support emerging talents as well as showcase great works by established filmmakers worldwide. Read more on Mtime
Thai Comedy ‘Brother of the Year’ Set for March 15 Release
Brother of the Year, a 2018 Thai romantic comedy, released its Chinese trailer today for its March 15 theatrical release in China. Starring Thai actress Urassaya Sperbund, actor Sunny Suwanmethanon, and Thai American singer-actor Nichkhun, the film tells the story of a sister and her elder brother who need to learn to take care of himself when his sister is about to get married and move to Japan. The creators of the film are also behind the 2017 Thai box office hit Bad Genius. The film is produced by Thai film studio GDH559 and distributed by Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd. in China. Read more on Mtime
