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On Screen China: ‘Surprise’!—Low-Budget Web Series Adaptation Wins the Weekend

Dec 14, 2015 / Box Office /

Surprise (万万没想到)—a low-budget comedy based on a popular web series set for official release next Friday, December 18—stormed into theaters early last weekend, netting $17.3 million from its Friday and Saturday preview screenings, while Hollywood holdovers Point Break ($30.4 million total) and The Martian ($86.9 million total) both withstood a barrage of 15 new releases, hanging on Read More

On Screen China: A Busy Weekend of Theatrical ‘Cannon Fodder’

Dec 10, 2015 / Box Office /

A whopping 15 new films will be cast into Chinese theaters this weekend, representing the largest number of new releases within such a short time frame this year. Such a crowded calendar would be more typically seen in the United States, which had about twice the number of releases as China last year, and represents a relatively Read More

Protecting Copyright Online in China: Regulation of the Cloud

Dec 8, 2015 / Legal /

This is the third in our series on online copyright takedowns. In the first part, we provided a general summary of the regulations that establish the takedown procedures. These regulations enable enforcement of the “right of communication through an information network” as it applies to sound recordings and audiovisual recordings. In the second, we looked Read More

‘Martian,’ ‘Point Break’ Deliver 1-2 Import Punch to Four New Chinese Films

Dec 7, 2015 / Box Office /

Director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi survival saga The Martian held on to its lead at China’s box office for a second weekend, grossing $13.7 million and pushing up its overall take to $75.1 million after 12 days in theaters. The 20th Century Fox film narrowly edged out Alcon Entertainment’s extreme sports action film Point Break, which Read More

China’s Struggling Screenwriters Fear Being Cut by Alibaba Pictures Proposal

Dec 4, 2015 / News /

Last week, Alibaba Pictures vice president Xu Yuanxiang set off a firestorm of controversy among China’s screenwriters when he proposed a new model for crowdsourcing film scripts online that potentially would bypass industry professionals altogether. Read More

On Screen China: Can ‘Point Break’ Ride Out the Crowded Weekend?

Dec 3, 2015 / Box Office /

China’s booming box office hit another milestone Thursday afternoon, passing RMB 40 billion ($6.25 billion) for the first time ever in a calendar year. All 12 months of 2014 produced a box office gross of RMB 29.6 billion. December could add an additional RMB 4 billion – 5 billion to the 2015 gross with the release of Read More

China Contracts: Why Hong Kong Courts Are a Really Big Mistake

Dec 2, 2015 / Legal /

Following is the latest in a series of practical posts for anybody doing business in China brought to CFI readers by the China Law Blog.—The Editors We continue to see contracts rendered unenforceable because the American or European party seeks to avoid application of Chinese law and enforcement in Chinese courts. By their own actions Read More

On Screen China: ‘The Martian’ Warms Up a Frosty Month for Hollywood Imports

Nov 30, 2015 / Box Office /

At the end of a spell of underperforming Hollywood imports that led to November tallying the lowest monthly box office total of the year thus far, The Martian (火星救援)—with its combination of cool, cutting-edge science and old-fashioned, high-wattage star power—struck a chord with Chinese moviegoers over the final weekend of the month, grossing $48.4 million Read More

Protecting Copyright Online in China: Searching, Linking, or Storing?

Nov 26, 2015 / Legal /

This is the second in a series of posts about China’s system for the takedown of copyright subject matter stored or posted online without the copyright owner’s approval. In our first post, we provided a general summary of the regulations that establish the takedown procedures. These regulations enable enforcement of the “right of communication through an Read More

The Force Hits Chinese Fashion With Star Wars Marketing Push

Nov 25, 2015 / News /

Once Darth Vader hits the catwalks, there’s no denying it—the force is now with big names in the Chinese fashion scene as part of a Disney marketing campaign that is spreading across industries to get Star Wars fans excited for the upcoming film. The craze took hold of the Great Wall last month thanks to Read More

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