a still from “Fate Express”
Who Is to Blame for Low Screen Share?
Following the dispute between filmmaker Ding Sheng and Beijing Enlight Media over marketing and distribution expenses, director Li Fei recently expressed dissatisfaction with the distributor of his film Fate Express. According to Li, the distributor was paid 4 million yuan ($0.62 million) to help the film get 10% of screen share. However, the film ended up getting only 3.1% on its opening day. While some people criticize the distributor for not doing the job, others believe that low screen share and poor box office performance should not be ascribed to the distributor. Currently, such disputes are more easily embarked between small studios and distributors, as larger Chinese studios usually have their own distribution arms. Read more on yuemuchina
Cui Yongyuan is Determined to Prevent ‘Cell Phone 2’ from Being Released
Huayi Brothers Pictures, the producer of Feng Xiaogang’s Cell Phone 2, recently stated that the shooting of the film is still going on, and the company’s other projects are not affected by the recent tax probe controversy, either. Since the filming of Cell Phone 2 started, Chinese TV presenter and producer Cui Yongyuan has been “attacking” the film on social media by exposing lead actress Fan Bingbing’s contract, claiming how the film’s director Feng Xiaogang and writer Liu Zhenyun took advantage of him while making Cell Phone, and criticizing Chinese entertainment industry’s tax evasion issues. This controversy has led Chinese regulators to investigate a dubious contracting mechanism for hiding the true pay of stars. In a recent interview with a Hong Kong media outlet, Cui said that if a release date for Cell Phone 2 is ever announced, he will continue to reveal more “secrets” and prevent this film from being released. Read more on Mtime
RealD to Partner with the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival
American visual technology provider RealD announces that the company has been chosen by the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival to be its official tech partner. RealD will provide advanced 3D technologies to support the screenings of opening film Animal World as well as James Cameron’s Avatar. This is the first time RealD directly and exclusively works with a film festival to provide tech support. As of April 30, 2018, RealD has installed 4500 3D screens in Chinese theaters, including in 40 LUXE: A RealD Experience theaters. Among the 40 LUXE theaters, 8 are located in Shanghai. Read more on 1905.com
