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HKIFF49 honours Louis Koo as this year’s Filmmaker in Focus for his outstanding performances and dedication to fostering the growth of local cinema. After the screening of Paradox, one of his most iconic works, the star actor-turned- producer took the stage at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre, engaging in an inspiring Face to Face session with the moderator, actor Neo Yau, and the public.

What defines a good actor and a successful actor? Koo believed that a good actor not only excels in performances, but also embodies good human qualities – patience, and humility, serious and dedicated in filming, and willing to help others. A good actor may not be always successful; many good actors make great contributions to the cinema without any recognition. Filmmaking is a collective effort, a good actor should not focus only on his/her own performance, but the entire film as a whole.

Exclusive: Cairo-based Mad Solutions has added rising Egyptian actor Youssef Omar to the cast of UK-Chinese action thriller Shashou, which the company will also release across Arabic-speaking territories.

“It’s an Arab spin on the packaging strategy that Hollywood has long deployed,” said Mad Solutions co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab.

“We remain adamant that Arab creative talents should enjoy the same standing in the global entertainment market as their peers from other regions.”

Founded in 2010 to fill a gap in the international promotion of Arab cinema, Mad Solutions’ activities now span distribution, talent management, content, marketing and international sales.

Shashou marks a first international role for Omar, who was seen most recently at home in the high-profile Ramadan series A Woman’s Youth (Shabab Emraa), co-starring opposite Egyptian actress Ghada Abdel Razek.

The movie is being produced by Hong Kong’s Phoenix Waters Productions together with London-based Berkeley Media Group and Ostara Pictures,...

The 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival will kick off on April 10 with dual opening features, Japanese drama The Brightest Sun and Malaysia-Hong Kong co-production Pavane for an Infant. Berlin Golden Bear winner Dreams (Sex Love), directed by Norway’s Dag Johan Haugerud, will then bring the curtain down on the event on April 21 as the closing film. The festival’s lineup was unveiled Monday at a press conference at Hong Kong’s Filmart Content Market.

The Brightest Sun is filmmaker Tetsuya Nakashima’s adaptation of a novel by popular Japanese author Bunzo Uchikai. It’s the first film from Nakashima (Kamikaze Girls, The World of Kanako) in seven years. Pavane for an Infant, meanwhile, directed by Chong Keat Aun, is a drama exploring the issue of baby abandonment through the eyes of a female social worker (Malaysian-born Hong Kong actress Fish Liew).

Two local Hong Kong features have been...

From a celebrated television actor to a multi-award-winning film star and the founder of One Cool Group, Koo is renowned for his outstanding performances and dedication to fostering the growth of local cinema. He has actively nurtured talent and breathed new life into the industry, cementing his legendary status through his remarkable accomplishments and lasting influence.

HKIFF49 will take place from 10 to 21 April. As a tribute to Koo’s contribution to Hong Kong cinema, it will showcase his ten most influential works, publish a commemorative book, and produce a limited-edition notebook in collaboration with long-term festival partner Moleskine. The star actor-turned-producer will also engage in a Face to Face session to share his insights and vision with the public.

Albert Lee, Executive Director of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs), paid tribute to Koo, stating, “After serving as the Hkiff ambassador for five consecutive years since 2014, we are...

The almost unimaginable grief of a husband and father is chronicled in “Papa,” an affecting drama based on the true story of a 15-year-old boy whose murder of his mother and sister shocked Hong Kong in 2010. Featuring an outstanding lead performance by Sean Lau, “Papa” is played in a low key that produces high emotional impact — giving great depth and complexity to its protagonist’s unwavering determination to still love his son and understand what caused this tragedy. With expert tonal control over a non-linear screenplay that follows the aftermath of the crime and examines the love story that brought this family into being, writer-director Philip Yung’s delicately crafted film should find a large and appreciative audience when it opens in Hong Kong on December 5, following its world premiere in competition at Tokyo.

A big change of pace from the flashy-trashy glitz of his fact-based 2022 cops-‘n’-triads saga “Where the Wind Blows,...

Touted as Hong Kong’s first radiation-disaster blockbuster, Anthony Pun’s Cesium Fallout chronicles the political and frontline responses to a national catastrophe as it unfolds on the outskirts of the city. Emulating the blockbusters of Irwin Allen and Roland Emmerich, the rampant urban destruction is complemented by a star-studded ensemble of some of the local industry’s most prominent talent. Andy Lau takes top billing as the scientist drafted to advise Karen Mok’s bullheaded politician when a fire breaks out in a landfill site riddled with illegal radioactive waste. As the leadership bickers over the appropriate response and who is to be reprimanded, it falls to the blue collar heroes of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department to tackle the inferno head on.

Yu Bai and Louise Wong are among the heroes in helmets putting their lives on the line for the sake of seven million innocent souls,...

Asian sales and production firm Distribution Workshop is using the Busan International Film Festival’s market to re-launch ambitious “Sons of the Neon Night,” a film it first became attached to in 2015. Only this time the Juno Mak-directed project is now in post-production, has a stellar cast and has expanded to become the highest-budget movie ever hatched in Hong Kong.

“Sons of the Neon Night” is pitched as a high-octane yet highly-stylized, police-crime-action-thriller set in a deconstructed and reimagined Hong Kong. It boasts an A-list cast headed by Takeshi Kaneshiro (“House of Flying Daggers”), Tony Leung Ka-fai (“Cold War”), Sean Lau Ching-wan (“Life Without Principle”), Louis Koo (“Warriors of Future”) and Ritchie Jen (“Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In”).

The original music score was composed by Nate Connelly, with the title theme by the late Sakamoto Ryuichi (“The Last Emperor”).

With a production budget of over $50 million, the movie is...

Actor Louis Koo is a household name in Hong Kong but off-screen, he’s an influential entertainment industry investor, producer and entrepreneur.

Rising to prominence during the “golden age” of Hong Kong cinema, Koo built a respected career over the decades but less flashy are his businesses and investments.

One Cool Group is one such revenue stream. Launched by Koo in 2013, the company has transitioned from a local film production entity to a dominant force in the Asian film industry. With over 300 staff across offices in Hong Kong, mainland China, Thailand and South Korea, the company manages every aspect of filmmaking from financing to distribution.

One Cool Group announced a slate of five films March 11 during FilMart.

“Diversified development has always been our major goal, like last year, when we broadened our business scope to music concerts and theatrical play production,” said Sean Man, One Cool Group’s business development and communications director.

In recent years, there have been a lot more people out there interested in cryptocurrency, wanting to know more about how it works and seeking out new methods through which to learn about its mechanisms. There are endless articles, blogs, educational videos, and even books on the subject matter. But one form of media still remains fairly unused in relation to crypto: cinema. That is, until recently. Directors and production companies are beginning to see the benefit of using digital currencies in their works, either through involving it in the plot or using it as part of a wider marketing strategy.

Asia, in particular, has successfully woven Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into their movies in the past decade. Through documentaries and blockbusters, crypto is mentioned and even explained, giving audiences a deeper understanding of how it can be used and how it was created in the first place. There are...

A Hong Kong superstar, Louis Koo has appeared in everything from thrillers and sci-fi blockbusters to romances and comedies. This year he received the Extraordinary Star Asia Award at the New York Asian Film Festival.

The festival showcased three of his recent projects: In Broad Daylight, a drama about abuse in an assisted living facility; The White Storm 3, part of a trilogy of action films about drug cartels; and Vital Sign, a drama about emergency service workers. Koo’s One Cool World produced the first film; he stars in the other two.

As the veteran in a three-man ambulance crew, Koo plays a moodier character in Vital Sign than his fans usually see. A father and widower, Ma Chi-yip is nearing the end of his career, struggling with bureaucracy and his own physical ailments.

“I saw a different side of him, maybe because of the story,” director Cheuk Wan-chi said about Koo’s performance.

Mystery drama has proved a massive hit at the China box office.

China’s Blossoms Entertainment has secured a pan-Asian and Cis release for sleeper box office hit Lost In The Stars as the Chinese film industry gets back on its feet in a dynamic summer season post-Covid.

The Chinese mystery drama is dated to open in Malaysia and Brunei on July 27, Singapore (August 3), Cambodia (August 18), all through Purple Plan, and Indonesia (August 31) through Encore Films.

In August, it is also set to open in Hong Kong and Macau (Intercontinental Films), Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Philippines (all through Encore Films...

The acclaimed actor accepted an honorary award at the New York Asian Film Festival.

Filmmakers will never be surpassed by artificial intelligence (AI), according to acclaimed Hong Kong actor and producer Louis Koo.

Speaking on stage at the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), Koo referenced the SAG-AFTRA strikes in the US, which has seen tens of thousands of actors and screenwriters walk out over concerns about pay, working conditions and the industry’s use of AI.

“I know that in America there has been strikes, writers strikes as well as actors strikes,” he told a packed cinema on Wednesday...

On July 14, 2023, the New York Asian Film Foundation and Film at Lincoln Center will kick off the 22nd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), with 60+ new and classic titles, a greatly expanded selection of short films, and an exciting slate of celebrated guests from Asia and the diaspora. The festival runs from July 14–30, 2023 at Film at Lincoln Center (Flc), with a special weekend of screenings (July 21–23) at a new venue, the historic Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the birthplace of the motion picture industry in America.

“As filmmakers from Asia continue to earn the lion's share of top awards (and attention) on the international film festival circuit, this year's selection shows that those are still trees hiding a forest of talent,” said Samuel Jamier, executive director of Nyaff and president of the New York Asian Film Foundation. “We are thrilled to offer a platform...

Hong Kong star and producer to be honoured for his contribution to the film industry.

Acclaimed Hong Kong star and producer Louis Koo is set to receive the highest honour bestowed by the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff) next month.

Koo will receive the Extraordinary Star Asia Award for Exceptional Contribution to Asian Cinema at New York’s Film at Lincoln Center on July 19.

As one of Hong Kong’s biggest stars, Koo has more than 100 credits to his name including sci-fi action thriller Warriors Of Future, which became the highest-grossing Asian film of all time in the territory following its release last August.

The move is part of plans to expand its footprint in the Asia Pacific region.

Hong Kong-based One Cool Film Production has opened a new operation in Malaysia, with The Locksmith as its first feature filmed in the country and La Luna as its first Singapore-Malaysia co-production.

The new venture was officially launched on April 20 by Sam Kan, director of One Cool Film Malaysia, and But Tang, Hong Kong-based executive director of One Cool Film Production. The move is in line with the company’s plans to expand its footprint in the Asia Pacific region.

Its first made-in-Malaysia feature is suspense action thriller The Locksmith,...

The film is a remake of a 2016 Spanish mystery thriller.

Chinese streamer iQiyi is to commence sales on a Chinese remake of mystery thriller The Invisible Guest and crime action film Suspect, starring Nick Cheung, at the Cannes market next week.

The Invisible Guest is directed by Chen Zhuo and stars Greg Hsu from recent time-travel romance hit Someday Or One Day alongside Janine Chang (The Soul) and Yin Zheng (Post Truth). It follows a woman who must work with a police officer to clear her name after her lover is found dead in a locked room.

The Spanish original,...

The ceremony was held on Sunday evening.

Mabel Cheung’s controversial documentary To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self was named best film at the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa), which also saw Wai Ka Fai’s Detective Vs. Sleuths walk away with best director.

Held on Sunday evening (April 16), the awards ceremony returned to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre for the first time since 2019. It was a star-studded event with a big presence of nominees and guests on the red carpet. Most notable was Michelle Yeoh who recently won the best actress Oscar.

As the first presenter of the night, Yeoh...

’The Dream, The Bubble, And The Shadow’ is from ‘Ip Man’ director Wilson Yip.

Hong Kong-based One Cool Pictures is launching a string of new titles featuring Louis Koo, Jennifer Yu, Kay Tse and Lim Min Chen as it returns to Hong Kong Filmart, the company’s first physical market since 2019.

The Dream, The Bubble, And The Shadow, directed by Wilson Yip, produced by Soi Cheang and starring Koo, reunites the same team behind 2017’s Paradox from the Spl franchise, which won Koo the best actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Asian Film Awards.

The upcoming suspense...

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was awarded best feature at this year’s Asian Film Awards (March 12), along with prizes for best editing and best original music. The multiple award-winning Japanese film premiered at Cannes film festival in 2021 and also won the Oscar for Best International Feature last year.

Another Japanese filmmaker, Hirokazu Kore-eda, took best director for Broker, the Korean-language film that has also been on an awards streak since premiering at Cannes film festival last year.

Best actress went to Chinese actress Tang Wei for her role in Korean director Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave, while Hong Kong’s Tony Leung Chiu-wai took best actor for Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows and was also presented with the Asian Film Contribution Award. Decision To Leave was also awarded best screenplay, for a script written by Park and Chung Seo-kyung, as well as best production design.

Hong Kong’s Filmart content market has for 27 years positioned itself as both the largest of its kind in Asia and the most influential, what with its hundreds of exhibitors from the far reaches of the region and its seminars which seek to chart the course of the industry’s future.

But for three years — like most of the pandemic-hit world — Filmart lay mostly dormant, in a physical sense at least, forced online due to circumstance and safety almost at the very moment in 2020 that Bong Joon-ho’s phenomenal Oscars success with the dark, dystopian comedy Parasitehad fixed the global industry’s focus on Asian storytelling, and Asian talent.

But this week – from March 13-16– Filmart returns to its home at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and its 27th edition is again appearing in physical form, with guests converging over the past few days, and (almost) all signs...

‘Decision To Leave’ won three and Hirokazu Kore-eda named best director.

The Asian Film Awards (Afa) celebrated its comeback edition in Hong Kong tonight (March 12) and named Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car best film.

The Japanese film, which premiered at Cannes in 2021 and won best international feature at last year’s Oscars, won a further two awards at the AFAs: best editing for Azusa Yamazaki and best original music by Eiko Ishibashi.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave went into the night as the favourite, with a leading 10 nominations for the South Korean film,...

The much-decorated Japanese drama “Drive My Car” was named the best film Sunday at the Asian Film Awards, defeating hot favorite “Decision to Leave.”

Other notable awards went to Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda whose “Broker” debuted at Cannes, but which was largely shunned in his home country.

“Decision to Leave,” which started the evening with ten nominations, was nevertheless rewarded with three awards, best screenplay, best production design and best actress for China’s Tang Wei.

While nominations were geographically diverse, the awards on Sunday skewed heavily towards North East Asia –Japan, Korea and Greater China – to the total exclusion of films from India, Indonesia and The Philippines. Snubs included the exclusion of Indonesia’s “Autobiography” and Happy Salma, both of which have been widely lauded on the festival circuit.

The awards ceremony returned to Hong Kong after detours to Macau and Busan and a Covid hiatus in previous years.

At previous in-person editions of Filmart, Hong Kong’s major film companies, including Edko Films, Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp), One Cool Group, Universe Films and Media Asia, always anchored the trade show floor with huge, elaborate booths promoting the latest Hong Kong films, animation and TV series.

Despite a difficult few years, during which they’ve had to navigate Covid-related cinema closures, stringent travel restrictions and Hong Kong’s political upheaval, all these companies and more are re-erecting their stalls at the first physical edition of Filmart in three years, and even have some good news to share.

Just last week, Edko Films’ legal drama A Guilty Conscience, starring Dayo Wong as a sharp-tongued barrister defending a single mother against ruthless tycoons, became the first Hong Kong film ever to gross more than Hk$100M (US$12.7M) at the local box office. The film is also currently topping the mainland China box office,...

Milestone has only previously been surpassed by Hollywood blockbusters.

Courtroom drama A Guilty Conscience has made history at the Hong Kong box office as the first local film ever to reach Hk$100m ($12.75m), a figure only previously achieved by Hollywood tentpoles.

The feature from first-time director Jack Ng reached the milestone on February 21, just 32 days after its release on January 21 – the eve of Chinese New Year.

Only a handful of Hollywood films have previously hit Hk$100m at the Hong Kong box office, with recent titles including Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way Of Water. Others include Marvel...

Spring has arrived.

For the Hong Kong film industry, the harsh three-year-long winter of the Covid era — with multiplexes forced to close for extended periods, industry professionals losing their livelihoods, and an indifferent administration that didn’t deign to lift a finger to help this once-mighty cultural industry that put the auteurs from the tiny former colony into the annals of global cinematic history — has finally come to an end.

Despite cinemas reopening their doors only in April 2022, two Hong Kong-made films released in late 2022, Warriors of Future and Table for Six, have become the top-grossing local productions of all time, taking in 10.5 million and 10 million in Hong Kong, respectively. And a third, A Guilty Conscience, released this January, is now the highest-earning Hong Kong film ever, grossing 11 million in its first three weeks of release. Hongkongers have rediscovered their love for homegrown films that tell stories they can relate to,...

An unusual five films picked up ten or more nominations for the Hong Kong Film Awards, with court room drama, “The Sparring Partner” picking up 16. But the event was partially overshadowed by a row over “To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self,” a documentary feature.

“To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self” is a warm portrait of six girls at a Hong Kong school that was made over a period of ten years. It was co-directed by the veteran Mabel Cheung, who has tackled thorny historical subjects in “The Soong Sisters,” and was producer of 2010 hit “Echoes of the Rainbow,” a nostalgic elegy to old Hong Kong.

The film played at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in August last year and was released theatrically earlier this year. But it was withdrawn from the city’s cinemas this week after one of the youngsters featured in the film published a complaint in a newspaper, saying that...

‘My Nineteen-Year-Old Self’ withdrawn over public screening consent issues.

Courtroom drama The Sparring Partner has received 16 nominations for the 41st Hong Kong Film Awards, which saw the last-minute withdrawal of Mabel Cheung’s documentary To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self.

The Sparring Partner, which marks the feature directorial debut of Ho Cheuk Tin, leads the pack with nominations in all but three categories. Based on the true story of a gruesome double murder case, its nods include best film, best director and five nominations for performers including lead actors Mak Pui Tung and Yeung Wai Lun. The film has become Hong Kong...

Bill Kong, Asia’s leading film producer, has turned quietly optimistic about the prospects for Chinese cinema. The sales and distribution arm of his Hong Kong-based Edko Films has picked up international sales rights to “Full River Red,” the Chinese film that’s the world’s highest grossing movie with a 2023 release.

The Chinese film industry had a torrid time in 2022, seeing box office plunge to 11-year lows, censorship and bureaucracy take an additional toll, and only a handful of mainland films make it to overseas festivals.

Now, selected distributors in Berlin could be in for a treat.

Directed by venerable Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, period drama “Full River Red” was the number one film in mainland China over the recent Lunar New Year holiday and continues to ride high at the Middle Kingdom box office. To date, it has grossed 541 million in the space of 11 days.

Set in the 12th Century,...

Everything Everywhere All At Once has received 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. This is great news. It is not often that a science fiction film is in the running for this level of Academy acclaim, still less one that asks such big questions. Questions like: “Do we have free will?;” “how can our actions have meaning within the context of an infinite universe?;” “how can we reconcile our love for our families with the intergenerational trauma they inflict?;” and “what if humans had evolved giant wobbly hot dog fingers?”

Among the many alternate timelines Everything Everywhere All At Once shows us is a distant dimension where the human race evolved into having giant wobbly hot dog fingers. It’s also the world that served as a backdrop for the love story between Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn, and Jamie Lee Curtis’ Deidre, an alternate timeline...

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Warriors Of Future’ among top 10 titles.

Local films helped turned the tide of a tough year at the Hong Kong box office with Warriors Of Future and Table For Six among the top 10 titles of 2022, in the face of strict Covid restrictions.

Hollywood tentpoles Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way Of Water also contributed to the partial recovery, leading the highest grossing titles of the year (see below for top 10).

The total box office generated in Hong Kong across 2022 was 146.3m (HK1.14b), down by 5.38 from 2021 according to data provided by Hong Kong Box Office,...

Hong Kong’s box office managed to stage a partial recovery in the second half of 2022, despite cinemas being closed for nearly four months earlier in the year, due to US titles including Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way Of Water and a strong line-up of local movies.

Total box office for 2022 came in at HK1.14bn (US146.41m), according to figures from Hong Kong Box Office Limited, which was only 5 down on 2021. However, these figures were more than 40 down on the 2019 pre-pandemic box office tally of HK1.92bn (US246.17), prompting Hong Kong Box Office to state that “the situation of the film industry is still very severe”.

Hong Kong cinemas were closed from January 7 to April 20 in 2022, wiping out the lucrative Chinese New Year and Easter periods, compared to a shutdown of 48 days in 2021. When cinemas finally reopened last year, they were subject to a 50 seating capacity for one month,...

A succession of locally-made hit films released in the second half of the year helped the cinema box office in Hong Kong to stage a remarkable comeback in 2022.

Aggregate box office for the year was HK1.14 billion (147 million), some 40 lower than pre-pandemic 2019, according to new data from Hong Kong Box Office Limited. In its annual assessment, the organization echoed its earlier alarm and described the situation in 2022 as “very severe.”

The full year total was only 5 lower than in 2021 and was achieved despite cinemas being closed for 104 days on government orders in 2022, following local authorities’ attempt to limit the spread of Covid.

Closures meant that Hong Kong cinemas were dark during the 2022 Chinese New Year and Easter peak periods.

And even after cinemas were allowed to reopen in late April 2022, the government continued to intervene in the sector, maintaining seating limits on cinemas for almost all of the year. Theaters...

Exclusive: Released in August, Louis Koo’s sci-fi action thriller Warriors Of Future has become not just the highest-grossing local film in Hong Kong ever, but the highest-grossing Asian film ever released in the territory, with a gross of HK81.7M (US10.5M). The film also raked in 100m in China over the summer and is currently number four in Netflix’s global ranking of non-English language films after launching worldwide on December 2.

It’s an encouraging result for Hong Kong’s film industry, which suffered through some of the most frequent and lengthy cinema shutdowns during the pandemic – the last one only ending this April. It’s also an extraordinary achievement for a Hong Kong sci-fi movie, as the territory has never before attempted to produce a film of this genre and at this scale.

Directed by visual effects specialist Ng Yuen-fai (Bodyguards And Assassins), the 56m film was...

The courtroom drama is also being rolled out in the US, UK, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

Hong Kong courtroom drama The Sparring Partner has emerged as the fourth highest grossing local film of 2022 and the third highest grossing Chinese-language film of all time with a restrictive category III rating, as it rolls out in other territories around the world.

The feature directorial debut of Ho Cheuk Tin had taken 4.6m (HK37m) at the Hong Kong box office as of December 12, following its opening on October 27.

It retained the top spot from November 28 to December 10 (except December 4), despite facing...

Hong Kong actor Louis Koo loves science fiction and collects “Stars War” merchandise so it is no surprise that he would produce a sci-fi film financed by his own company “One Cool Film Production”. Although it would take him a few years to finish his expensive personal project, it eventually paid off big time to the tune of over HK80 Million and became the highest grossing domestic film at the local box office. Furthermore it went worldwide due to it being streamed on Netflix.

Visual effect artist Ng Yuen Fai’s directional debut takes the viewers to the year 2055 in which the world is in pretty bad shape because of climate change and wars, and the polluted atmosphere is barely livable. Moreover, domes known as “Skynets” now cover the cities so their inhabitants can breathe and survive. One day, a meteor crashes into B-16, a district of futuristic Hong Kong...

Don’t let the #1 slot on iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu fool you: There’s lots more going on beyond “Black Adam” (Warner Bros. Discovery/19.99). In a landscape packed with franchise fare and Christmas contenders, “Bullet Train” (Sony/5.99) placed on all three charts and #1 as a new availability at Netflix.

The success of “Bullet Train” also speaks to the value of a film first enjoying a major theatrical presence. Its #1 slot Netflix comes after a 100 million+ domestic gross, followed by multiple weeks of VOD success. It replicates the platform’s immediate interest in Sony’s “Where the Crawdads Sing,” which spent more than a week at #1 (and is still #10).

The battle within that holly-jolly battle: Four Christmas-themed titles occupy nearly a third of the top 10 chart positions. The clear winner is Universal’s 2018 animated “The Grinch” (3.99), which ranks as high as #2 at iTunes, top 10 elsewhere. Universal’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas...

The Hong Kong -produced science fiction feature "Warriors of Future", directed by VFX artist Ng Yuen-fai, stars Louis Koo, Sean Lau and Carina Lau, streaming December 2, 2022 on Netflix:

"...in 2055, wars have ravaged the Earth with the invention and use of military robots, as global warming and disasters have destroyed and polluted the atmosphere entirely. Many people are born with birth defects and die, with sky nets built to protect the remnants of people in Earth. 

"Now the city of 'B-16'' is bombarded by a meteor during the construction of the skynets, as 'Pandora', an alien plan form, emerges from the meteor..."

Click the images to enlarge...

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Len Blavatnik and Ruben Dishdishyan producing.

An Media has reported a strong response to its AFM action thriller Mira with multiple territory sales led by the US, Germany, Australia and South Korea in the latest example of the longer deal-making tail at markets.

Germany-based Capelight Pictures has acquired rights for the US, Germany and Australia, while Korea Screen will distribute in South Korea and Cine Y Video in Latin America. An Media is continuing talks for other territories.

Dmitry Kiselev (Spacewalker) directs Mira, which centres on Lera, the 15-year-old daughter of an astronaut, Arabov, who left many years ago on...

Len Blavatnik and Ruben Dishdishyan producing.

An Media has reported a strong response to its AFM action thriller Mira with multiple territory sales led by the US, Germany, Australia and South Korea in the latest example of the longer deal-making tail at markets.

Germany-based Capelight Pictures has acquired rights for the US, Germany and Australia, while Korea Screen will distribute in South Korea and Cine Y Video in Latin America. An Media is continuing talks for other territories.

Dmitry Kiselev (Spacewalker) directs Mira, which centres on Lera, the 15-year-old daughter of an astronaut, Arabov, who left many years ago on...

Art-house title “Return to Dust” was a surprise weekend winner, topping the mainland China box office in its ninth weekend of release.

The astonishing feat occurred on an otherwise depressed weekend in which China’s cinema box office dipped to a three-month low. This reflected the summer season winding to an end and anti-covid measures once again forcing major Chinese cities into retreat.

Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway showed “Return” grossing 5.3 million (RMB36.2 million) between Friday and Sunday. Those three days accounted for nearly half of the 12.7 million (RMB87.4 million) cumulative total it has earned since release on July 8, 2022.

Directed by Li Ruijun, the film tells the tale of two middle-aged adults who agree to an arranged marriage in a rural town where state-ordered demolition is under way. It premiered in competition at the Berlin festival in February this year and subsequently played at the Udine and Hong Kong festivals.

Louis Koo is the star and producer of the sci-fi action blockbuster.

Action sci-fi film Warriors Of Future has recorded Hong Kong’s best box office opening weekend for a local feature since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Generating 2.5m (HK19.5m) from its first four days on release (August 25-28), this also made it the first local film to have an opening that reached pre-pandemic levels. This is despite the occupancy rate in Hong Kong cinemas being capped at 85 as caution over Covid remains.

Warriors Of Future opened top, benefiting from a wide release with a daily average of 63 cinemas and 676 screenings,...

Chinese animation film “New Gods: Yang Jian” was the top film at the mainland China box office for the second successive weekend.

Unchallenged by major new releases, the film earned 13.0 (RMB88.3 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That was a drop of 34 compared with its 19.8 million opening session.

Some 1.5 million of the weekend total was scored from the film’s outing on Imax screens.

After ten days on release “Yang Jian” has a cumulative total of 43.7 million (RMB297 million). Of that, its Imax total is now 4 million.

“New Gods: Yang Jian” is a continuation of the “New Gods” franchise from Light Chaser Animation, the studio behind 2021 hit “New Gods: Nezha Reborn” and 2019’s “White Snake.” The new film revolves around Yang Jian, a mythological figure from the Ming Dynasty and who was featured in historical novel “The Investiture of the Gods.”

Previous chart...

The 21st Dragon Ball film landed at the top of the global box office with an estimated 32.1m.

World box office August 19-21 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (various) 32.1m 50.2m 12m 30.1m 31 2. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) 30.2m 883.6m 26.7m 483.6m 84 3; Bullet Train (Sony)

20.1m 150m 12.1m 81m 62 4. New Gods: Yang Jian (various) 19.8m 19.8m 19.8m 19.8m 1 5. Moon Man (various) 17.8m 397.9m 17.8m 397.9m 1 6. Top Gun Maverick (Paramount)

14.6m 1,403.4m 8.7m 720m 64 7. Warriors Of Future (various) 12m 52.1m 12m 52.1m 2 8. Beast (Universal) 14.4m 21.9m...

Chinese animation film “New Gods: Yang Jian” was the top film at the mainland China box office over the latest weekend. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” opened in third place.

“New Gods: Yang Jian” earned 19.8 million (RMB134 million) on its debut between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. It places ahead of previous winner “Moon Man” which slipped from first to second place with a 17.8 million (RMB121 million) fourth weekend. “Moon Man” now has a 397 million (RMB2.70 billion) cumulative.

“New Gods: Yang Jian” is a continuation of the “New Gods” franchise from Light Chaser Animation, the studio behind 2021 hit “New Gods: Nezha Reborn” and 2019’s “White Snake.” “Nezha Reborn” earned 67.6 million (RMB456 million).

The new film revolves around Yang Jian, a mythological figure from the Ming Dynasty and who was featured in historical novel “The Investiture of the Gods.” (The same book was also mined by...

Warriors of Future Trailer — Yuen Fai Ng‘s Warriors of Future / Ming jat zin gei (2022) movie trailer has been released. The Warriors of Future trailer stars Louis Koo, Sean Lau, Carina Lau, Philip Keung, Tse Kwan-ho, and Nick Cheung. Crew Ho-Leung Lau, Chi-Leung Law, and Tin Shu Mak wrote the screenplay for Warriors of [...]

Continue reading: Warriors Of Future (2022) Movie Trailer: An Alien Vine & A Conspiracy Lands on Earth Near Hong Kong...

"This is an unprecedented operation." Whoa!! There's a Hong Kong sci-fi action movie called Warriors of Future that has finally opened in theaters in China and Hong Kong this summer. It was being prepped for release in 2019, with an early trailer dropping years ago. But after all the pandemic delays and lockdowns, it's only being released now. Set in the year 2055, a meteorite brings an extraterrestrial to the Earth in the form of an alien vine that "purifies the planet but kills everything in its path." (Is this anti-climate change propaganda?) When powerful alien creatures threaten humanity, Cmmdr. Sing Lee's elite forces are almost wiped out, and the surviving soldier Tai Loi discovers an even bigger conspiracy. Starring Louis Koo, Sean Lau, Carina Lau, Philip Keung, Tse Kwan-ho, and Nick Cheung. This looks Extra epic, from a VFX supervisor making his directorial debut. It's even being marketed as the...

Space comedy Moon Man held on to the top spot at the mainland China box office for a third weekend. It has now accumulated 363 million.

Released on July 29, “Moon Man” earned RMB217 million (32.4 million) between Friday and Sunday earning some 45 of the nationwide weekend total, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

The film’s invulnerability underlines once again how the Chinese exhibition and distribution sector has become focused on major hits and top-heavy.

There could scarcely be more powerful demonstration of that than the photographs carried over the weekend by Mainland Chinese of Hong Kong star Louis Koo apparently in tears over the disappointing box office stars for “Warriors of Future,” the sci-fi fantasy that he starred in, financed and produced.

“Warriors” opened in second place on the weekend of Aug. 5, 2022, and over the latest session fell to third place. It earned 12.0 million (compared with an opening shot of 20.8 million.

Chinese sci-fi comedy returned to the global top spot in its third week of release.

World box office August 12-14 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Moon Man (various) 32.1m 359.5m 32.1m 359.5m 1 2. Bullet Train (Sony)

30.4m 114.5m 17m 60m 62 3; The Fallen Bridge (various) 18.1m 18.1m 18.1m 18.1m 1 4. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) 15.7m 790.4m 10.8m 446.7m 81 5. Top Gun Maverick (Paramount) 15.5m 1,378m 8.4m 704.2m 65 6. DC League Of Super Pets (Warner Bros) 149m 109.7m 7.7m 51.4m 70 7. Warriors Of Future (various) 12m 52.1m 12m 52.1m 2 8. Nope (Universal) 11.6m 113.9m 6.3m 6.4m...

Brad Pitt starrer is being billed as the biggest opening for a US studio original-ip film since ’Tenet’.

Worldwide box office August 5-7 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Bullet Train (Sony) 62.5m 62.5m 32.4m 32.4m 58 2. Moon Man (various) 59.9m 296.3m 59.9m 296.3m 1 3. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) 23m 757.9m 15.9m 423.3m 81 4. DC League Of Super Pets (Warner Bros) 22.6m 83.4m 11.4m 38.3m 68 5. Warriors Of Future (various)

20.6m 29.9m 20.6m 29.9m 2 6. Thor Love And Thunder (Disney) 18.7m 698.9m 11.1m 382.8 49 7. Top Gun Maverick (Paramount) 17.3m 1,352.5m 10.3m 690m 65 8. Emergency Declaration (various) 11.2m...

Chinese sci-fi comedy “Moon Man” held station at the top of the mainland China box office, albeit at a lower orbit. After ten days in cinemas its cumulative total is a fraction of a degree short of 300 million, and it operated at a higher elevation than new launch sci-fi actioner “Warriors of Future.”

The strong figures came despite some cinemas remaining closed in key cities and capacity limitations remaining in place in others. Hainan Island went into lockdown over the weekend as a cluster of Covid cases emerged. Consultancy, Artisan Gateway calculates that the weekend haul of 91.8 million propels the nationwide year to date box office total at 3.3 billion. Its deficit compared 2021 was reduced to 30.

There were no Hollywood titles in the latest weekend top five, giving Chinese films all the kudos. This time of year is traditionally considered an unofficial blackout period or ‘Chinese film support month,’ when major...