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Jackie, Jet Li and Sarah Marshall storm domestic box office
The long awaited on-screen union of Jackie Chan and Jet Li reaped rewards for Liosgate and The Weinsten Company as The Forbidden Kingdom leapt to number one thanks to an estimated $20.9m three-day gross.The martial arts adventure takes place in modern-day America and a mythical past in China where a ...
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MPA signs agreement with seven Chinese web-sites
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with seven Chinese web-sites to establish a co-ordination mechanism for online copyright protection. The seven websites are popular video-sharing web-sites, or user-generated content sites, including 56.com, 6.cn, tudou.com, youku.com, pomoho.com, ku6.com and ouou.com.The MoU was signed Friday (April 18) ...
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Film in an'anytime, any place anywhere' Martini culture
They call it the Martini culture. Harking back to an iconic advertisement of the 1970s, the idea is that today's consumer wants to be entertained 'any time, any place, anywhere'.It is the sexier big sister of the more prosaic term ICE (information, communication and entertainment), coined in India during the ...
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Beijing Avrio Films to enter production with new backer
Beijing-based film distributor Avrio Films has been acquired by Harbin-based real estate and commerce group, Songlei Group Corporation, and renamed Songlei Avrio Films. Avrio founder and president Johnny Liu remains the president of the new company. Apart from its existing film distribution business, Songlei Avrio Films also plans to enter ...
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Japan's Usen pulls out of film production and acquisition
Japanese media and communications giant Usen Inc has announced its withdrawal from feature film production and acquisitions, which is currently handled by its wholly-owned subsidiary Gaga Communications. The announcement was made by Usen CEO Yasuhide Uno at the semi-annual shareholders meeting yesterday (April 16).Gaga Communications will cease acquisition of foreign ...
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India's IIFA awards to be held in Bangkok
Now heading into their ninth year, the Indian International Film Awards (IIFA) are heading east to Bangkok. IIFA brand ambassador, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, made the announcement of the destination city along with the list of nominations for the awards. IIFA is always held in a country outside of India. ...
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Sticks stays strong for Pathe; Son Of Rambow nears $5m in UK for Optimum
Eros International had an impressive weekend as two new Indian films made represented the highest non-US entrants in the international top 40, with a combined total of $4.6m. The top 40 international films generated $111.3m across 39,818 screens for the period of April 11-13. For the full chart, compiled by ...
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Kore-eda's latest to walk to Japanese theatres in June
Acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest film Even If You Walk And Walk (Aruitemo Aruitemo) will be released on June 28, distributor Cine Qua Non announced today. The announcement comes ahead of the film's potential competition slot at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Other strong Japanese Cannes contenders include Kiyoshi ...
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Rinko Kikuchi, Ryo Kase to voice Sky Crawlers
Oscar-nominated actress Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) and Letters From Iwo Jima star Ryo Kase will voice the two main characters in Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers, distributor Warner Brothers Japan announced today. Actress Chiaki Kuriyama (Kill Bill) and Shosuke Tanimura will provide voices for supporting characters.The announcement was made ahead of ...
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Polybona sets up international sales outfit
Beijing-based distributor Polybona is entering the international sales arena by taking a 51% stake in start-up sales outfit Distribution Workshop, established by Hong Kong film industry veterans Nansun Shi and Jeffrey Chan. Distribution Workshop will handle projects that Polybona has invested in - the company has been quietly moving from ...
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TWC's Shanghai to shoot in UK, Thailand from May
The Weinstein Company has confirmed that Mikael Hafstrom's Shanghai, starring John Cusack, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe, will start shooting on May 5 in London. The film will also shoot in Thailand, and possibly China, for a North American release on Christmas day. It was previously refused shooting permission by ...
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Indian effects house EyeQube opens its doors in Mumbai
Eros International's previously announced visual effects joint venture, EyeQube Studios, has officially commenced operations in Mumbai with two Hindi-language productions, Aladdin and Drona. A joint venture with visual effects talent Charles Darby, EyeQube occupies 20,000 square feet and uses Auto Desk's Maya for 3D work and The Foundry's Nuke as ...
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China Film, XFMedia join forces for Sino-US co-productions
Beijing-based XFMedia Group has announced a strategic alliance with China Film Group to collaborate on the production, distribution and international sales of Chinese films, including Sino-US co-productions. XFMedia has partnered with David Lee, former vice president of The Weinstein Company's Asian Operations, to establish a new subsidiary Xinhua Media Entertainment ...
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Eros strikes co-production deal with Nadiadwala Grandson
India's Eros International has entered into a four-picture co-productionagreement with local production house Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. The deal will encompass two unidentified projects directed by Siddharth Anand (Salaam Namaste), along with Kambakht Ishq, directed by Saabir Khan and featuring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in the lead roles, which goes ...
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Mediaplex to shut down Motion 101 production arm
Major Korean entertainment company Mediaplex is set to close down its upstart production arm Motion 101, giving rise to speculation regarding its parent company Orion Group's future intentions for the film business. Mediaplex houses major investor/distributor Showbox and operates the Megabox theatre chain.It sold off the latter, which it built ...
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Miyazaki's Ponyo On A Cliff set for July 19 release
Japan's Studio Ghibli has announced a release date and other details of director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film Ponyo On A Cliff By The Sea. At a press conference held at the screening facilities of Studio Ghibli's regular distribution partner Toho, Ponyo producer Toshio Suzukisaid the film will open on Saturday, ...
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The Warlords rules the roost at Hong Kong Film Awards
Peter Ho-sun Chan's epic war drama The Warlords dominated the Hong Kong Film Awards last night (April 13), scooping eight prizes including best film, best director and best actor for Jet Li. The film, which was a big hit in China last year grossing more than $29m, was also awarded ...
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Mendoza's Slingshot dominates Singapore awards
Philippine director Brillante 'Dante' Mendoza's Slingshot dominated Singapore's Silver Screen Awards, walking away with best film, best director and the NETPAC award.Actress Inessa Kislova won best performance for Abai Kulbai's coming-of-age tale Swift while Abdellatif Abdelhamid's Syrian comedy Out of Coverage received a special jury award at the ceremony organised ...
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China's Jinyi acquires Guangdong Zhujiang cinema circuit
Guangzhou-based Jinyi Film and TV Investment Co has acquired a majority stake in Guangdong Zhujiang Cinema Circuit, creating a combined chain of 40 cinemas and 170 screens, mostly situated in southern Chinese provinces. The new circuit has been named Guangzhou Jinyi Zhujiang Cinema Circuit.As part of the Guangzhou-based real estate ...
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Celestial launches two movie channels on Now TV
Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures is launching two new movie channels - Celestial Movies Asia (CMA) and Celestial Classic Movies (CCM) - which will be carried by PCCW's now TV IPTV service in Hong Kong. CMA will screen blockbusters from across Asia such as Erika Sawajiri's Closed Note, Francis Ng's One ...