John Woo’s Highly Anticipated ‘Manhunt’ to World Premiere at Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival recently announced another batch of films in their lineup, including Hong Kong director John Woo’s highly anticipated ‘Manhunt’. The film will have its world premiere at the festival in the non-competition section. Adapted from a Japanese novel, ‘Manhunt’ tells the story of a prosecutor who is accused of crimes he didn’t commit and go on a mission to clear his name. The 1976 Japanese classic action movie ‘Manhunt’ was adapted from the same novel. Read more on Mtime
The Company that Bought 9 Films at Cannes Forms a Partnership with E-Commerce Giant JD.com
On August 7, Weiying Technology, the company that bought 9 films at Cannes back in May, signed a deal with JD.com, one of the two largest online retailers in China, to form a strategic partnership. According to their agreement, the two companies will collaborate in areas including film distribution and online ticketing, performing arts, merchandising, and IP development. Read more on Ent Group
From a DVD Salesman to the Producer of ‘Wolf Warrior II’
‘Wolf Warrior II’ has grossed 3425 million yuan ($510.9 million) after 13 days in release. One of the important people who made this all possible is the film’s producer Lv Jianmin, who is also the CEO of Spring Era Films. Growing up in a small village in south China, Lv entered the film business as a DVD salesperson. He then started producing arthouse movies and commercial thrillers, and received acclaim in the industry. His next military movie ‘Sky Hunter’ will open across China on September 30. Read more on 1905.com
Documentary about ‘Comfort Women’ to Open on ‘Comfort Women’ Memorial Day in China
Telling the stories of comfort women during the World War II, documentary ‘Twenty Two’ is scheduled to open in China on August 14, which is also the ‘Comfort Women’ Memorial Day. Since the announcement of its release date, the film has been gaining enormous attention nationwide. Especially, China’s state broadcasting station CCTV featured the film twice in their programs, which created high anticipation for the film’s theatrical release. Read more on Mtime
While Failing in Box Office, ‘Once Upon A Time’ Profits Hugely from Merchandising
‘Once Upon a Time’ has been receiving tons of negative feedback from audiences since it opened in theater last week. Some audiences even call the film ‘the worst in 2017’. As one of the major investors and producers of the film, Alibaba Pictures has been striving to fully actualize the film’s commercial potential. Since early 2017, Alibaba has been licensing the film’s IP to a large number of merchandisers. As of today, the film’s estimated merchandise sales is 300 million yuan. Read more on National Business Daily
