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China’s film industry

China’s film industry
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China’s film industry. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Children pose for photos on Sunday in front of a poster at the Singapore premiere of the Chinese animated film “Ne Zha 2”, which saw its global box office haul top US$2 billion on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Asian cinema: Chinese films

China’s Ne Zha 2 still flying high as highest-grossing animated movie of all time

Gone are the days when Chinese filmmakers were left scrambling to recreate the economic success of foreign offerings such as Kung Fu Panda.

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Shenzhen

Opinion | What Hong Kong can take away from Ne Zha 2’s creative success

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Hong Kong society

Mainland China’s Ne Zha 2 earns HK$5.6 million on first day in Hong Kong

Chinese culture

Opinion | At last, Chinese folklore adds new flavour to global pop culture

Drawing on ancient myths, China’s film and gaming industry is offering the world refreshing alternatives to the traditional Western canon.

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Buildings are lit up with characters from the movie Nezha 2, in Chengdu, in China’s southwest Sichuan province, on February 12. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

Mainland China’s record-breaking Ne Zha 2 to hit cinemas in Hong Kong, Macau

Animated tale from Chinese mythology has broken box office records on mainland, earning 9.7 billion yuan.

China's economic recovery

Quiet on set: China’s film industry fights for relevance as admissions flag

With lower ticket sales and fierce competition from online entertainment, China’s film industry faces demotion in cultural status.

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Golden week

China’s National Day box office breaches billion-yuan mark on day 3

The second entry in a historical war trilogy leads the way, with a sci-fi action film on its tail, but China’s film industry is still chasing pre-pandemic interest.

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The family-friendly comedy Panda Plan, starring Jackie Chan, is currently among the top-10 movies in China. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
TV shows and streaming video

Plot twists, revenge, cheating. The rise of Chinese micro dramas

China’s US$5 billion micro drama industry is booming, but its sometimes ‘pornographic’ and ‘vulgar’ content has the government concerned.

China’s Communist Party

China regulator says short films must follow the script for overseas screenings

Producers of all movies made in China must now follow existing approval rules if filmmakers wish to show their works abroad.

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US-China relations

Chinese state media say Netflix’s 3 Body Problem pushes US ‘cultural hegemony’

Official military site publishes blistering critique of sci-fi drama based on Hugo Award-winning novel by Chinese author Liu Cixin.

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While some Chinese viewers praised the Netflix series’ detailed depiction of the Cultural Revolution, others said it painted China in a bad light and portrayed non-Chinese characters as saviours. Photo: Netflix
Human rights in China

Chinese hit film is ‘fairy tale’ about right to self-defence, legal experts say

Top filmmaker Zhang Yimou’s new drama about justifiable defence filled mainland cinemas over Lunar New Year but is it realistic?

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Zhang Yimou’s new hit movie, which explores the controversial issue of the right to self-defence in China, stands in sharp contrast to the country’s legal realities, according to experts. Photo: IMBD
Asian cinema: Chinese films

China’s big holiday films spark social media debate about body issues and justice

Actor, writer and director Jia Ling is drawing attention for dramatic 50kg weight loss as netizens discuss beauty standards in China.

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Trending in China

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s TV hit, Blossoms Shanghai, sparks business boom

Businesses in China are cashing in on the huge popularity of Hong Kong movie director Wong Kar-wai’s new mainland TV series, Blossoms Shanghai.

Tibet

Tibetan film world mourns loss of groundbreaking director Pema Tseden

The award-winning director, who died aged 53 last week, was regarded as a pioneer of the Tibetan new wave who offered a glimpse into local life and culture.

Pema Tseden with the trophy for best screenplay at the 2018 Venice Film Festival. Photo: Getty Images
Marvel

Marvel movies return to Chinese cinemas after nearly 4 years

Chinese audiences welcome return of Marvel films to mainland cinemas after nearly 4 years
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China's economic recovery

Censorship, bankruptcies and Covid scars cloud China’s film industry rebound

China’s film industry had a strong start to the year, but it faces long-term challenges in the form of shrinking investment, rigid censorship and scars from the coronavirus pandemic.

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China stock market

Avatar 2, zero-Covid pivot keep China brokerages upbeat on market outlook

China’s biggest filmmakers and cinema operators are getting a dose of optimism from Hollywood blockbuster Avatar 2 and Beijing’s zero-Covid pivot.

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Cinema

Chinese film-goers return to the cinema

Chinese cinemas reopen after weeks of closure with easing of Covid curbs
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Asian cinema

Hong Kong actor Anthony Wong wins at Taiwan’s Golden Horse film awards

Wong won the best actor award for playing a Hong Kong taxi driver helping a Pakistani refugee boy in The Sunny Side of the Street.

Asian cinema: Chinese films

China’s theatres try to lure back film-goers with industry-wide discounts

Some cinephiles welcome the discount scheme, valued at 100 million yuan, but others lament what they see as a lack of quality movies to lure them back.

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A-shares

Chinese movie studio Bona Film set for Shenzhen IPO after Nasdaq exit

The maker of last year’s top-grossing war movie The Battle of Lake Changjin and Chinese Doctors is due to price its stock offering later this week, ending a five-year wait.

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A still image from The Battle at Lake Changjin. Photo: Handout
Chinese culture

China has 28-point plan to boost soft power overseas, increase cultural exports

Analysts say the ambitious initiative is a ‘top-level design’ to boost China’s cultural trade, and it comes at a time when geopolitical tensions are on the rise.

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China is looking to increase its cultural exports as part of a soft-power push over the next three years. Photo: AP
Tencent

Tencent Pictures to prioritise ‘social responsibility’ over making money

Tencent Pictures, which has invested in Hollywood blockbusters such as the Terminator trilogy and Venom, will pull back from commercial films to focus on patriotic content that promotes ‘core socialist values’.

Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

The ‘heavy burden’ of Zhang Yimou’s second Olympics opening ceremony

Acclaimed director is again overseeing the event and says it is important to show the ‘love, unity, and grand visions and values of the Chinese people’.

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Books and literature

China’s leading foreign actor on his first book and being ‘erased’ from films

Jonathan Kos-Read – aka Cao Cao – would have had no trouble drawing on his experiences navigating China’s film industry to evoke the treacherous atmosphere of Jin dynasty hierarchy in The Eunuch.

Jonathan Kos-Read has worked alongside the likes of Donnie Yen, Aaron Kwok, Kelly Lin, Chen Kun, Angelababy and Mike Tyson.
Live streaming

Screenwriters hope selling scripts through live streaming will help the industry recover

With China’s film and TV industry struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, screenwriters are the latest people trying to cash in on live streaming ecommerce

Using an online education tool called Xiaoe Tech, viewers can leave comments and pay during a live stream. (Picture: Bianjubang/WeChat)
Fan Bingbing

Inside China’s largest film studio

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