OpinionIn the midst of a festival season like Durga Puja and Dasara, where the killing of an Asura (meaning demon or devil) is celebrated, a movie named 'Asuran' has become a big box-office hit.Ravikiran ShindeAsuran, a Tamil film starring Dhanush, released on October 4 and has become his biggest hit. It has also become the highest grossing Indian film at the Malaysian box-office this year, beating Bollywood’s multi-starrer War. Asuran is the life story of Sivasamy (Dhanush), a Dalit man who avenges the death of his family members who are victims of caste-based violence. Based on Sahitya Akademi award winner Poomani’s novel Vekkai, the movie deals with panchami land rights — the land given by the British to Scheduled Castes, which cannot be transferred to others. Clearly, Sivasamy is the protagonist of Asuran. The story is based on his struggle and is narrated from his point of view.
- 10/21/2019
- by Sowmya
- The News Minute
You can tell from a glance that these are no ordinary horses. Tall, immaculately brushed and each costing tens of thousands of dollars, the 33 thoroughbreds and warmbloods gleam like polished coins in their newly built stables, at odds with the construction cranes and empty housing developments of semirural China around them.
Until the “Fengshen Trilogy” fantasy epic started shooting at the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis in August of last year, the world’s most populous country didn’t have any film horses. But the production team wasn’t fazed. It scoured the planet for the finest beasts money could buy, recruited a top Hollywood handler, built facilities from scratch and trained the animals in record time, making the seemingly impossible possible within months.
It was par for the course for “Fengshen,” the most ambitious and expensive production in Chinese history. With a crew of more than 2,000 and a planned budget of $445 million,...
Until the “Fengshen Trilogy” fantasy epic started shooting at the Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis in August of last year, the world’s most populous country didn’t have any film horses. But the production team wasn’t fazed. It scoured the planet for the finest beasts money could buy, recruited a top Hollywood handler, built facilities from scratch and trained the animals in record time, making the seemingly impossible possible within months.
It was par for the course for “Fengshen,” the most ambitious and expensive production in Chinese history. With a crew of more than 2,000 and a planned budget of $445 million,...
- 8/14/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Film Festival is often regarded as a bubble where world-class cinema launches to great fanfare before retreating to its niche. The 2018 Jury Prize winner “Capernaum,” a crowdpleaser from Lebanese director Nadine Labaki, went on to gross $1.6 million in the United States and garner an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film — solid prestige business, but not the greatest triumph for a $4 million movie released in the same month that saw “Aquaman” make nearly $68 million in its opening weekend.
However, a year after “Capernaum” premiered at Cannes, the drama about an imprisoned 12-year-old boy who sues his parents for neglect grossed $12 million in China on its first weekend. It came in second behind “Avengers: Endgame,” a result that’s unfathomable in the United States. However, these success stories are becoming more familiar in China, where many Cannes breakouts now stand the best shot at finding audiences beyond the insular festival circuit.
However, a year after “Capernaum” premiered at Cannes, the drama about an imprisoned 12-year-old boy who sues his parents for neglect grossed $12 million in China on its first weekend. It came in second behind “Avengers: Endgame,” a result that’s unfathomable in the United States. However, these success stories are becoming more familiar in China, where many Cannes breakouts now stand the best shot at finding audiences beyond the insular festival circuit.
- 5/13/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
In today’s film news roundup, Sabrina Carpenter gets a starring role, Spike Lee’s “Son of the South” adds to its cast and inspirational drama “Edie” gets North American distribution.
Castings
Singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter will star in Stx’s dance-themed comedy “Work It” from STXfilms and Alloy Entertainment.
Alicia Keys is producing with Elysa Koplovitz Dutton and Leslie Morgenstein from Alloy Entertainment.
Liza Koshy and Keiynan Lonsdale will co-star. Laura Terruso will direct and do a rewrite of the original script, which was penned by Alison Peck. Peck also wrote Stx’s upcoming “Uglydolls.”
Carpenter will portray an awkward teenager who, after being rejected from her high school’s dance team, assembles a crew of misfits to compete against them in a national dance championship. She is currently starring in “Short History of The Long Road,” and her credits include “The Hate U Give” and “Tall Girl.”
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American actor Matt William Knowles,...
Castings
Singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter will star in Stx’s dance-themed comedy “Work It” from STXfilms and Alloy Entertainment.
Alicia Keys is producing with Elysa Koplovitz Dutton and Leslie Morgenstein from Alloy Entertainment.
Liza Koshy and Keiynan Lonsdale will co-star. Laura Terruso will direct and do a rewrite of the original script, which was penned by Alison Peck. Peck also wrote Stx’s upcoming “Uglydolls.”
Carpenter will portray an awkward teenager who, after being rejected from her high school’s dance team, assembles a crew of misfits to compete against them in a national dance championship. She is currently starring in “Short History of The Long Road,” and her credits include “The Hate U Give” and “Tall Girl.”
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American actor Matt William Knowles,...
- 5/3/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Felix Chong’s film surpassed ‘Hello, Mrs Money’ and ‘Shadow’.
The first week of October (Oct 1-7) is traditionally one of the most lucrative Chinese box office windows, but disappointment looms over this year’s National Day holiday.
It collected $277.62m (RMB1.91b) over seven days, down 27.5% from the same period in 2017 (although the holiday lasted eight days last year). This is the second time the National Day holiday recorded negative growth over the last 10 years.
Last year, the first seven days of the holiday period raked in over $43.6m (RMB300m) daily, but only the first two days of...
The first week of October (Oct 1-7) is traditionally one of the most lucrative Chinese box office windows, but disappointment looms over this year’s National Day holiday.
It collected $277.62m (RMB1.91b) over seven days, down 27.5% from the same period in 2017 (although the holiday lasted eight days last year). This is the second time the National Day holiday recorded negative growth over the last 10 years.
Last year, the first seven days of the holiday period raked in over $43.6m (RMB300m) daily, but only the first two days of...
- 10/8/2018
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
China’s theatrical box office is running $1 billion ahead of last year, showing a gain of nearly 17% in the first months. That is despite an uneven summer period.
According to data from local consultancy and researcher Ent Group, Chinese cinema-goers spent $6.79 billion (including ticketing fees) in the first eight months of 2018. The figure compares with a like-for-like $5.79 billion in the same period of 2017.
The continuation of double-digit growth in 2018 puts the year-long stall, between July 2016 and June 2017, further in the past. That is good news for Chinese cinema operators who continue to add capacity. Ent Group data shows 57,300 screens in operation at the end of August, a 6% increase on the end-2017 figure of 53,900.
The summer period saw an 8% gain on last year with July and August together worth $2.03 billion, compared with $1.87 billion in 2017.
The summer season was characterized by a succession of hits and an equally important number of flops.
According to data from local consultancy and researcher Ent Group, Chinese cinema-goers spent $6.79 billion (including ticketing fees) in the first eight months of 2018. The figure compares with a like-for-like $5.79 billion in the same period of 2017.
The continuation of double-digit growth in 2018 puts the year-long stall, between July 2016 and June 2017, further in the past. That is good news for Chinese cinema operators who continue to add capacity. Ent Group data shows 57,300 screens in operation at the end of August, a 6% increase on the end-2017 figure of 53,900.
The summer period saw an 8% gain on last year with July and August together worth $2.03 billion, compared with $1.87 billion in 2017.
The summer season was characterized by a succession of hits and an equally important number of flops.
- 9/4/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Two weeks after it became the most expensive flop in Chinese history, the fate of fantasy film “Asura” remains unclear, with one of its stars telling Variety that he has no knowledge of any re-release plans, despite the producers’ pledge to relaunch the film.
The fantasy epic reportedly cost $115 million to make and was helmed by first-time director Zhang Peng, a well-known stunt performer and coordinator. The producers, including Alibaba Pictures, yanked “Asura” from theaters July 15 after just three days, during which the film limped to a measly $7 million at the box office.
Although they promised to re-release the film, presumably after tinkering with it, the producers have given no further word of their plans. One executive involved with the production told Variety that “the decision lies in the hands of the investors.”
With a busy schedule of summer and early autumn releases, there looks to be no obvious window...
The fantasy epic reportedly cost $115 million to make and was helmed by first-time director Zhang Peng, a well-known stunt performer and coordinator. The producers, including Alibaba Pictures, yanked “Asura” from theaters July 15 after just three days, during which the film limped to a measly $7 million at the box office.
Although they promised to re-release the film, presumably after tinkering with it, the producers have given no further word of their plans. One executive involved with the production told Variety that “the decision lies in the hands of the investors.”
With a busy schedule of summer and early autumn releases, there looks to be no obvious window...
- 8/1/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
China has added a pair of Hollywood titles to its August release roster with Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation checking in on August 17 and Disney/Marvel’s Ant-Man And The Wasp making a beeline for August 24. As we wrote on Friday, Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout is going August 31, and as previously noted, Universal’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is tuned up for August 3. Along with Warner Bros/Gravity Pictures’ The Meg on August 10, that sets up a month of Middle Kingdom Fridays with splashy fare attached.
Neither Sony nor Disney could be reached for comment regarding the HT3 and Am&Tw releases at the time of writing. However, local media and ticketing sites in China roundly cite the dates. There are also new posters for both films.
With the influx of studio movies next month, the July blackout is curtailed this year versus last. In...
Neither Sony nor Disney could be reached for comment regarding the HT3 and Am&Tw releases at the time of writing. However, local media and ticketing sites in China roundly cite the dates. There are also new posters for both films.
With the influx of studio movies next month, the July blackout is curtailed this year versus last. In...
- 7/30/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Chinese fantasy epic Asura now ranks among the most notorious big-budget flops ever. Produced for $113 million (750 million yuan), it was China's most expensive movie ever made, involving some 200 foreign crew and cast from more than 35 countries, including at least one Oscar winner. Then it opened on Friday, July 13 to disastrous results, earning just $7.1 million.
But Asura's backers have a bold — some might say futile — plan to jump-start the troubled release.
Late on the Sunday evening of its opening weekend, Asura's producers released a statement announcing that they were pulling the ...
But Asura's backers have a bold — some might say futile — plan to jump-start the troubled release.
Late on the Sunday evening of its opening weekend, Asura's producers released a statement announcing that they were pulling the ...
- 7/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chinese fantasy epic Asura now ranks among the most notorious big-budget flops ever. Produced for $113 million (750 million yuan), it was China's most expensive movie ever made, involving some 200 foreign crew and cast from more than 35 countries, including at least one Oscar winner. Then it opened on Friday, July 13 to disastrous results, earning just $7.1 million.
But Asura's backers have a bold — some might say futile — plan to jump-start the troubled release.
Late on the Sunday evening of its opening weekend, Asura's producers released a statement announcing that they were pulling the ...
But Asura's backers have a bold — some might say futile — plan to jump-start the troubled release.
Late on the Sunday evening of its opening weekend, Asura's producers released a statement announcing that they were pulling the ...
- 7/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Chinese Fantasy extravaganza “Asura” has broken few records in the past weekend, unfortunately not the kind of records to be proud of.
The film is allegedly the most expensive Chinese film ever made, with the cost of a hefty 750 million Yuan (Us$113.5 million). But “Asura” has also turned into the biggest loss ever recorded as it took in just over Us$7.4 million at the opening weekend and by Sunday night the film was removed from theaters. With the estimated loss of Us$106 million “Asura” is therefore a contender as fifth biggest flop in movie history worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo).
Based on Tibetan Buddhist mythology and rich in special effects, “Asura” is backed by Alibaba Pictures, together with Zhenjian Film Studio and Ningxia Film Group, and it was meant to be the first installment of a franchise trilogy, in the style of Hollywood epics such as The Lord of the Rings.
The film is allegedly the most expensive Chinese film ever made, with the cost of a hefty 750 million Yuan (Us$113.5 million). But “Asura” has also turned into the biggest loss ever recorded as it took in just over Us$7.4 million at the opening weekend and by Sunday night the film was removed from theaters. With the estimated loss of Us$106 million “Asura” is therefore a contender as fifth biggest flop in movie history worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo).
Based on Tibetan Buddhist mythology and rich in special effects, “Asura” is backed by Alibaba Pictures, together with Zhenjian Film Studio and Ningxia Film Group, and it was meant to be the first installment of a franchise trilogy, in the style of Hollywood epics such as The Lord of the Rings.
- 7/18/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Dismal first-weekend takings and suggestions of organised trolling responsible for film’s withdrawal by producers
The massively hyped Chinese fantasy epic Asura has been pulled from cinemas after a disastrous opening weekend.
With a production budget reported at 750m yuan (£85m), Asura – with its complex special effects, big-name stars and huge crew – was hailed as China’s most expensive film ever made. However, its opening weekend takings totalled 49m yuan (£5.5m), and it was immediately withdrawn from cinemas.
The massively hyped Chinese fantasy epic Asura has been pulled from cinemas after a disastrous opening weekend.
With a production budget reported at 750m yuan (£85m), Asura – with its complex special effects, big-name stars and huge crew – was hailed as China’s most expensive film ever made. However, its opening weekend takings totalled 49m yuan (£5.5m), and it was immediately withdrawn from cinemas.
- 7/16/2018
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Ant-Man And The Wasp crosses $150m internationally; Fox Star’s Sanju nears $60m in India.
July 16 Update: China’s Dying To Survive ruled international box office for the second consecutive weekend on an estimated $66.6m as Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation used a strong Latin American performance to lead the Hollywood pack and dominate global box office over the session on $89.9m.
Skyscraper from Universal and Legendary grossed $40m, while Universal’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom scored the studio’s highest Japan debut, and Pixar’s mighty Incredibles 2 opened top in the UK.
China Update
Update: Accentuating...
July 16 Update: China’s Dying To Survive ruled international box office for the second consecutive weekend on an estimated $66.6m as Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation used a strong Latin American performance to lead the Hollywood pack and dominate global box office over the session on $89.9m.
Skyscraper from Universal and Legendary grossed $40m, while Universal’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom scored the studio’s highest Japan debut, and Pixar’s mighty Incredibles 2 opened top in the UK.
China Update
Update: Accentuating...
- 7/16/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Social drama “Dying to Survive” continued its domination of the Chinese box office, despite a challenge from new revenge drama “Hidden Man.” “Dying to Survive’s” $68.5 million take was the highest outside North America this weekend and the second highest worldwide.
By contrast, big-budget Chinese fantasy “Asura,” which was seen as a potential franchise-launcher, limped to third place in its opening weekend with a meager score of $6.88 million. The film, one of the largest-budget movies ever made in China, will be withdrawn from release, producer Zhenjian Studio announced on social media. It may be re-released at a later date.
The race between the top two finishers was closest on Friday, when pharmaceutical story “Dying” earned $18.3 million, according to data tracker Ent Group. “Hidden Man,” the highly anticipated tentpole from director-actor Jiang Wen, earned $17.9 million on its opening day. But in subsequent days it slipped, finishing with $46.5 million after three days.
By contrast, big-budget Chinese fantasy “Asura,” which was seen as a potential franchise-launcher, limped to third place in its opening weekend with a meager score of $6.88 million. The film, one of the largest-budget movies ever made in China, will be withdrawn from release, producer Zhenjian Studio announced on social media. It may be re-released at a later date.
The race between the top two finishers was closest on Friday, when pharmaceutical story “Dying” earned $18.3 million, according to data tracker Ent Group. “Hidden Man,” the highly anticipated tentpole from director-actor Jiang Wen, earned $17.9 million on its opening day. But in subsequent days it slipped, finishing with $46.5 million after three days.
- 7/15/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
With large Hollywood studio films making hundreds of millions of dollars in China alone it seems insane that the highest budget Chinese film made until recently was Stephen Chow's The Mermaid for $60 million. The Mermaid has made $553 worldwide so far. The average budget for a tentpole Chinese films is around $50 million.
Asura is an fantasy film loosely based on a Buddhist mythological realm of "pure desire" that becomes threatened by a lower heavenly kingdom, cue epic battles and a $100 million budget.
To mitigate the risk of the film's epic production budget China is tapping Oscar-winning winning talent and Hollywood veterans. Peng Zhang is directing and has 20 years of experience as a stunt coordinator on films like Ant-Man, Kingsman, 47 Ronin, Kick-Ass, and The Chronicles of Riddick. Ngila Dickson is costume designer and won an Oscar for her work on The Lord of The Rings. Charlie Iturriaga is visual effects supervisor...
Asura is an fantasy film loosely based on a Buddhist mythological realm of "pure desire" that becomes threatened by a lower heavenly kingdom, cue epic battles and a $100 million budget.
To mitigate the risk of the film's epic production budget China is tapping Oscar-winning winning talent and Hollywood veterans. Peng Zhang is directing and has 20 years of experience as a stunt coordinator on films like Ant-Man, Kingsman, 47 Ronin, Kick-Ass, and The Chronicles of Riddick. Ngila Dickson is costume designer and won an Oscar for her work on The Lord of The Rings. Charlie Iturriaga is visual effects supervisor...
- 11/18/2016
- by Free Reyes
- GeekTyrant
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