Christmas Box Office Falls to Record Low in 8 Years
According to data from online ticketing platform Maoyan, this year’s Christmas box office has only totaled RMB 202 million (US$29.37 million), the lowest in the past eight years. In 2015, the Christmas box office was RMB 584 million (US$84.9 million). The poor box office result, however, was not a big surprise to many film professionals, as this year’s Christmas slate lacks blockbusters and the timing is unfavorable. Christmas is not an official holiday in China and people don’t get time off for this holiday. In the past, Christmas is on the weekend, it usually is a good opportunity for festive films and romantic dramas to attract audiences. However, this year’s Christmas is a Tuesday, which deters many from going out to see a film. Among the top 10 grossing films of the 2018 Christmas, 4 of them are foreign films. Aquaman has been maintaining its No.1 position since it opened three weeks ago. Read more on yiyuguancha
Alibaba Pictures’ Peppa Pig Film Features Chinese Actors
Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year, China’s movie adaptation based on British cartoon character Peppa Pig, released a poster and a trailer yesterday, which unveiled it would be a combination of live action with animation. In the film, Peppa Pig will have a New Year’s Dinner with a Chinese family played by Chinese actors. Set as a family-friendly animated drama, the film has been scheduled to release on Chinese New Year’s day of 2019 (February 5), the Year of Pig according to the Chinese Zodiac. Read more on Sohu.
Lionsgate’s ‘Uncle Drew’ Set for January 11 China Release
Uncle Drew, a 2018 American sports comedy film, has been set to release in China on January 11th, 2019. The film stars Kyrie Irving along with former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, and Nate Robinson, as well as former WNBA player Lisa Leslie. The film follows Dax Winslow, a streetball team manager, who finds the legend Uncle Drew and convinces him to lead the team in the Rucker Classic streetball tournament. The film was released this summer and has grossed US$45 million in North America. Read more on Mtime.
