Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Skyscraper’ Set for July 20 China Release
According to a post on Legendary Pictures’ official Weibo page, American action film Skyscraper, which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, will be released in China on July 20. This time, “The Rock” plays the character of Will Ford, a former FBI agent and amputee, who is responsible for the security of skyscraper “The Pearl” and encounters great danger while carrying out tasks in Hong Kong. Skyscraper is written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, with Chin Han, Neve Campbell, Hannah Quinlivan, and Pablo Schreiber in its cast. The movie will first hit American theaters on July 13. Read more on Mtime
Andy Lau, Sylvia Chang, and Chloe Zhao among Academy invitees
Yesterday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited a record number of 928 new members, making the 2018 class the largest in history. These new members come from 59 different countries, including China. Hong Kong actor Andy Lau, Taiwanese filmmaker Sylvia Chang, screenwriter Yan Geling, Director Lou Ye, Director Chloe Zhao, and actor Takeshi Kaneshiro are among the invitees from the Greater China region. Around 2015 and 2016, the Academy was criticized for lack of diversity, which led the institution to set the goal of doubling its female members and members of color. On the list of this year’s invitees, 49% are female and 38% are non-white. Read more on Mtime
Are Indian Films Losing Popularity in China?
Last year witnessed the rise of Indian movies in the Chinese film market. Following the unexpected success of Indian sports drama Dangal, a slew of Indian films were imported into China over the past year. This year, almost every month sees a new Indian release in Chinese theaters. However, the craze for Indian films will likely cool down soon, as the box office earnings of the latest release Toilet: Ek Prem Katha didn’t even reach 100 million yuan ($15.2 million) after 16 days on release. After all, a film’s content matters more than its origin. When it comes to importing films into China, it’s crucial to pick stories that can truly resonate with Chinese audience. And this has become an increasingly challenging task, as Chinese moviegoers’ tastes are becoming increasingly diversified and sophisticated. Read more on entgroup.cn
