Hollywood Reporter – August 30, 2018

Netflix Picks Up Chinese Drama Series ‘The Rise of Phoenixes’

Netflix is set to stream 70-part Chinese drama series The Rise of Phoenixes starting Sept. 14 in over a dozen languages. The costume drama about princes and warriors, set in ancient China, is also now seeing Netflix serve as co-producer with China’s Croton Media.

Billboard – August 14, 2018

Disney Shares First Look at Live-Action ‘Mulan’

Disney’s Mulan has begun production, and has unveiled the first look at star Liu Yifei in the titular role. The actress (also known as Crystal Liu), is playing the heroine, who disguises herself as a man in order to spare her elderly father from having to join the military.

Hollywood Reporter – June 21, 2018

Shanghai: UCFTI Expo Unveils Plans for Expanded Fifth Edition

The growing annual event, which brings together decision-makers from the U.S. and Chinese entertaiment industries, will have a bigger presence at the American Film Market in Los Angeles this year.

Shine.cn – June 19, 2018

US China Film & Television Industry Expo to be held in LA in September

The 5th US-China Film and TV Industry Expo was launched at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 19. It will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on September 26-27.

Variety – March 19, 2018

FilMart: Chinese Record-Breaker ‘Operation Red Sea’ Set for Action Follow-Up

Dante Lam, the Hong Kong director whose “Operation Red Sea” recently became the second largest film in Chinese history, has set a new actioner as his next film.

China Film Insider – November 1, 2017

Headlines from China: ‘Have A Nice Day’ Passes Chinese Censorship with “Slight Adjustments”

Liu Jian’s animated noir film ‘Have A Nice Day’ has passed Chinese censorship with “slight adjustments,” according to the film’s producer Yang Cheng. The film will be released before the 2018 Chinese New Year, though a release date for the film is yet to be confirmed.

Deadline – October 19, 2017

Lorenzo di Bonaventura On Moviegoing In A Streaming World: “We Still Have The Advantage Of Spectacle”

While some in the industry worry that moviegoing will eventually cave into in-home streaming, Transformers franchise producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura offered up a pragmatic perspective.

Hollywood Reporter – October 29, 2017

Golden Screen Awards: China’s ‘This Is Not What I Expected’ Takes Top Honor

Hong Kong director Derek Hui’s romantic comedy This Is Not What I Expected was one of the big winners Sunday night at the second annual Golden Screen Awards, a growing film business occasion which celebrates co-productions between China and movie industries around the world, particularly Hollywood.

The Wrap – June 26, 2017

China Now Has More Movie Screens Than US

China’s box office may not catch the U.S. anytime soon after flatlining last year, but the Middle Kingdom has just taken top billing on another notable movie metric: total screens.

The Hollywood Reporter – June 14, 2017

China’s Weying Buys Into Paramount’s ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’

Chinese online ticketing giant Weying Technology has taken a stake in Paramount Pictures’ Transformers: The Last Knight. The firm will be a strategic marketing and promotion partner for the film in the Middle Kingdom.

Reuters – May 11, 2017

Disney’s ‘Pirates’ rolls out red carpet for rare China premiere

Walt Disney Co’s latest outing of “Pirates of the Caribbean” rolled out the red carpet in Shanghai on Thursday in a rare world premiere in China for a Hollywood blockbuster as U.S. producers look to woo moviegoers in the Middle Kingdom.

Variety – May 3, 2017

Wanda’s $1 Billion Bet to Transform Legendary Into Global Media Giant

Give the Dalian Wanda Group this much: It is nothing if not brash. Much of Hollywood did a double take when the Chinese conglomerate shelled out $3.5 billion for Legendary Entertainment last year. Jaws dropped further when Wanda announced it was paying $1 billion for Dick Clark Prods. — a deal so exuberant that the Chinese government was moved to kill it.

Deadline Hollywood – October 9, 2016

China’s Alibaba Takes Stake in Steven Spielberg’s Amblin; Will Team On Global Pics

In the most significant move by Alibaba Pictures to date, the company has taken a minority equity stake in Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners.

The Hollywood Reporter – October 4, 2016

China and Hollywood Converge for Third Annual UCFTI Expo

Execs from Fox, Huayi Brothers, Le Vision, Warner Bros., STX and more will gather to discuss the future of dealmaking and collaboration between the world’s two…

The Hollywood Reporter – August 31, 2016

China’s Le Vision Pictures Hires Ex-Paramount Pres Adam Goodman to Run L.A. Office

The veteran film exec will spearhead Le Vision’s plans to produce an ambitious slate of U.S.-China co-productions with various Hollywood studio partners.

Variety – August 24, 2016

What Is Fueling Wanda’s Hollywood Dealmaking?

Wang Jianlin, the 64 year-old chairman of China’s Dalian Wanda group, is in too much of a hurry to worry about having his corporate wrist slapped by regulators…

Los Angeles Times – August 22, 2016

With two kung fu films, HBO cautiously tests the waters in China

For American film and TV show creators and distributors, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing in China recently.

The Wrap – August 23, 2016

Wanda Plans to Acquire 2 Billion-Dollar US Film Companies This Year

“My goal is to buy Hollywood companies and bring their technology and capability to China,” says chairman Wang Jianlin

Hollywood Reporter – August 19, 2018

Weekend Box Office: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Wins With $26.5M for $35M Five-Day Launch

In yet another reminder that diversity pays off at the box office, Jon M. Chu’s groundbreaking romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians led the weekend nuptials with a three-day North American debut of $26.5 million and a five-day bow of $35.3 million, according to final weekend numbers.

Variety – August 9, 2018

China’s iQIYI Expands Nickelodeon Content Deal

Chinese video streaming platform iQIYI has renewed a content supply deal with Viacom’s Nickelodeon. The deal is a fourfold expansion of the amount of content iQIYI is buying.

Hollywood Reporter – March 25, 2018

China Box Office: ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’ Stomps Its Way to Strong $65M Opening

The Steven S. DeKnight-directed sequel opened well ahead of Guillermo del Toro’s first film and scored Hollywood’s second-best debut in the Middle Kingdom so far this year. Legendary’s and Universal’s Pacific Rim Uprising romped its way to a strong $65 million start in China over the weekend.

The Wall Street Journal – March 12, 2018

Hollywood’s Latest Power Brothers Hunt for the Next China-Backed Blockbuster

China’s largest private film company is backing the Russo brothers and their production company Agbo with $250 million in development fund. The Russo brothers made their name in Hollywood directing “Captain America.” Their next effort, like many in Hollywood, will be captained by China.

Hollywood Reporter – October 22, 2017

UCFTI Expo Panel: VR Work Continues as AR Shows Potential

“It’s not an industry yet, but it’s going to get there.” Several panelists at the U.S. China Film & Television Industry Expo acknowledged that this current wave of virtual reality business isn’t taking off as fast as many stakeholders would hope, but asserted that it’s progressing.

Hollywood Reporter – August 16, 2017

U.S. China Film & TV Industry Expo Partners With BAFTA LA

The expo will take place in October in Los Angeles. U.S. China Film & TV Industry Expo has announced a BAFTA LA as a new partner for their fourth annual expo.

CNBC – July 9, 2017

Dalian Wanda to sell hotels, tourism projects to Sunac for $9.3 billion

China’s Dalian Wanda said in a statement that it will sell 76 hotels and 13 cultural and tourism tourism projects to Sunac, a Tianjin-based property developer for 63.18 billion yuan ($9.29 billion).

The Hollywood Reporter – July 9, 2017

China Box Office: ‘Despicable Me 3’ Smashes Animation Records With $66M Opening

It was the biggest launch ever for an animated film in the country, and the huge debut dwarfs Despicable Me 2’s entire $53 million China run in 2014.

Deadline – May 23, 2017

Bona Film Group Stakes $80M On Roland Emmerich/Mark Gordon WWII Battle Pic ‘Midway:’ Cannes

French studio Gaumont and Shanghai-based production company Aim Media will co-produce the film, to be released in China in 2018.

The Hollywood Reporter – June 18, 2017

China’s Huayi Brothers to Remake Sophie Marceau’s ‘The Party’

French studio Gaumont and Shanghai-based production company Aim Media will co-produce the film, to be released in China in 2018.

Variety – May 8, 2017

Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment Bought by China’s Camsing International

Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment has been bought by Hong Kong-based Camsing International Holding for an undisclosed price.

Variety – May 3, 2017

Global streaming giant Netflix has struck its first licensing deal in China with one of the massive market’s leading streaming platforms, iQIYI.

Give the Dalian Wanda Group this much: It is nothing if not brash. Much of Hollywood did a double take when the Chinese conglomerate shelled out $3.5 billion for Legendary Entertainment last year. Jaws dropped further when Wanda announced it was paying $1 billion for Dick Clark Prods. — a deal so exuberant that the Chinese government was moved to kill it.

The Hollywood Reporter – April 18, 2017

Imax Strikes New 40-Theater Deal in China

Omnijoi is acquiring more giant screens to show Chinese films like ‘Journey to the West’ alongside Hollywood titles in its multiplexes.

The Hollywood Reporter – October 14, 2016

Wanda to Unveil Massive 40 Percent Incentive to Lure Hollywood Film Shoots to China

The production subsidy plan will be among the most generous in the world and could be a game changer for the Chinese film industry.

Deadline Hollywood – September 21, 2016

China’s Wanda Forming Major Alliance With Sony Pictures

EXCLUSIVE: Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group is about to broaden its Hollywood footprint in a substantial way.

Deadline Hollywood – August 30, 2016

Former Paramount & Disney Exec Named CEO Of China-Based Alpha Animation

Bob Bacon, a former executive at Disney and Paramount Pictures, has just been named CEO of Alpha Animation, a new division of the China-based Alpha Group Co.