Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie and Bumblebee in BUMBLEBEE, from Paramount Pictures.
Tencent Pictures to Board Paramount’s ‘Bumblebee’ and ‘Top Gun 2’
Tencent pictures announced that the company would collaborate with Paramount Pictures on upcoming films Bumblebee and Top Gun 2. This marks the first collaboration between the Chinese tech giant and the Hollywood studio. 2018 science fiction action film Bumblebee, which received investment from Tencent and has been set to release in China on January 4, will be promoted by Tencent Pictures in the Middle Kingdom. In addition, Tencent Pictures has boarded Paramount’s upcoming action drama film Top Gun 2 (Top Gun: Maverick) as an investor and marketing partner. Over the past three years, Tencent Pictures has collaborated with several Hollywood Studios, such as Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and Marvel, on box office hits, such as Wonder Woman, La La Land, and Ready Player One. Recently, Tencent Pictures promoted Marvel’s Venom, which has raked in 1.83 billion yuan ($270 million) after being released in China for 27days. It’s also rumored that Venom’s China release will be extended. Read more on entgroup.cn
Aamir Khan’s ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ Set for December 28 China Release
Thugs of Hindostan, a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action adventure film written and directed by Aditya Chopra, has scored a December 28 China release. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan and China’s favorite Indian actor Aamir Khan. Produced on an estimated budget of US$29 million, Thugs of Hindostan is one of the most expensive Indian films. Set in 1795, the film follows a band of Thugs led by Khudabaksh Azaad, who aspires to free Hindostan (the Indian subcontinent) from the rule of the expanding British East India Company. Read more on Mtime
NetEase to Shut Down Live-streaming Platform Bohe
On December 4, Chinese internet company NetEase announced that it would shut down its live-streaming platform Bohe (“mint” in English) on December 31. NetEase CC, the company’s live-streaming platform for gaming and entertainment, is operating normally. Launched in May 2017, Bohe managed to attract over 60 million users after one year in operation. However, that’s still far less the number of users of its competitors. According to an employee of NetEase, Bohe failed to reach revenue goals, which is the main reason why it gets closed. Read more on ifeng.com
