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Box Office: ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Plumbs Another $55 Million on Friday, Powering Up to Biggest Ever Animated Global Opening - variety.com
variety.com
08.04.2023 / 16:01

Box Office: ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Plumbs Another $55 Million on Friday, Powering Up to Biggest Ever Animated Global Opening

J. Kim Murphy It’s a box office Koopa d’état. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” continues to super smash its opening projections, drawing $55 million from 4,343 theaters on Friday. Released Wednesday, the film has already earned $137 million in domestic ticket sales. If every dollar were a coin, that would amount to 1.37 million 1-Up mushrooms. That’s a lot of extra lives. The Universal and Illumination film is still on track for a $195 million opening in North America over the five-day Easter weekend frame. That’s way ahead of the $150 million projections that were being reported at the start of the week. Even more impressively, “Super Mario Bros.” now looks to leap to a $368 million global debut. That would become the biggest ever opening for an animated film, though that comes with a huge caveat. The current record holder, 2019’s “Frozen II,” earned $358 million over a traditional three-day window.

Udine Festival Unveils Stunning Selection of Asian Films for 25th Anniversary Edition - variety.com - Italy - South Korea - North Korea - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong
variety.com
05.04.2023 / 10:03

Udine Festival Unveils Stunning Selection of Asian Films for 25th Anniversary Edition

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine will open with a double bill of He Shuming’s “Ajoomma” and Kai Ko’s “Bad Education.” It will close with Zhang Yimou’s blockbuster period epic “Full River Red.” In between, the festival will showcase a stunning 78-title array of commercial and art-house films from across East Asia. Operating according to a motto of diversity –implying cultural asymmetries and artistic multiplicities – the 25th edition of the festival will run April 21-29. Organizers say that their selection “shows in real time how the cinemas of East and Southeast Asia have re-emerged from the gruelling period of the pandemic, not all in the same way and not all with the same results.”

China Box Office: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Opens in Fourth Place as ‘Suzume’ Reigns - variety.com - China - Japan
variety.com
03.04.2023 / 04:03

China Box Office: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Opens in Fourth Place as ‘Suzume’ Reigns

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” opened in fourth place at the mainland China box office with a muted $5 million haul. Top honors belonged to Japanese animation film “Suzume” for the second weekend. “Suzume” incurred a 55% week-on-week drop, falling from $49.6 million in its opening weekend, to $22.1 million in is second, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. After ten days in Chinese theaters, “Suzume” now has a cumulative total of $80.6 million. Nevertheless, its lead at the top of the box office chart was unassailable. The weekend’s best-placed new release title was “Hachiko,” a Chinese retelling of the Japanese tale of a dog which faithfully waited at a station for its master years after his death. (The story was previously given a U.S. version with Richard Gere in the lead human role.) It earned $8.9 million (RMB61.2 million) in its opening weekend.

Korea Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Reigns for Fourth Weekend as ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Makes Second Place Start - variety.com - South Korea - Japan - North Korea
variety.com
03.04.2023 / 01:45

Korea Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Reigns for Fourth Weekend as ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Makes Second Place Start

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” landed into second place at a depressed South Korean box office with a market share barely a fifth that of chart leader “Suzume.” The Japanese animation film earned $4.46 million in its fourth week of release, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). While that was a 26% week-on-week drop, its hold on the chart remained at over 60%. Since releasing on March 8, it has grossed $29.9 million, making it the second highest film of the year in Korea – behind another Japanese animation “The First Slam Dunk” on $35.1 million. “D&D” was the weekend’s top-placed new release and earned $958,000 for a 13% market share. Over the full five days since its opening on Wednesday, it achieved $1.36 million.

Box Office: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Rolls $38.5 Million in Opening Weekend - variety.com - USA
variety.com
02.04.2023 / 14:21

Box Office: ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Rolls $38.5 Million in Opening Weekend

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” emerged victorious at the box office, rolling $38.5 million from 3,855 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Buoyed by positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth, Paramount and eOne’s adaptation of the popular role-playing game landed on the higher end of expectations of $30 million to $40 million. And the ticket sales for the $150 million-budgeted film are expected to remain strong in the coming weeks. Inaugural audiences may be hardcore D&D players, but analysts believe it’ll appeal to broader audiences, who may not know as much about the game, as it continues its run on the big screen. “The opening weekend performance of ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ is just the first step in the journey for this well-reviewed film,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst.

Box Office: ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ Rolls $5.6 Million in Previews - variety.com - Jordan
variety.com
31.03.2023 / 15:03

Box Office: ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ Rolls $5.6 Million in Previews

Jordan Moreau Paramount and eOne are launching their new fantasy film “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” this weekend, and the adaptation of the popular role-playing game picked up $5.6 million in previews at the domestic box office. It opens in 3,855 theaters on Friday. After rolling for initiative, it will prepare for combat against “John Wick: Chapter 4,” last weekend’s box office champion — and it’ll be a close battle. Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, “Dungeons and Dragons” is hoping to conjure up $30 million to $40 million in its opening weekend, and Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick 4” is muscling its way to around $36 million in its sophomore outing.

Wattpad and Thailand’s GMMTV Team For ‘Beauty Newbie’ Webtoon Adaptation - variety.com - Thailand - North Korea
variety.com
29.03.2023 / 07:51

Wattpad and Thailand’s GMMTV Team For ‘Beauty Newbie’ Webtoon Adaptation

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Online story platform Wattpad and Thai media firm GMMTV have joined forces to adapt digital comic “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty!” for TV. The show will begin production this summer and be known as “Beauty Newbie” when it begins airing on GMMTV in early 2024. The adaptation will follow Liu, a young woman who feels the need to get plastic surgery, and Guy, who is seen as having a perfect face. The show asks whether, in a world that judges and criticizes based on appearance, romance can blossom between two people who see themselves so differently?  The underlying webtoon by Maenggi Ki has been viewed 1.4 billion times and has a significant following in Thailand, where Korean culture is popular and beauty pageants remain a mainstay of mass TV.

Indie Animation ‘Lendarys’ Scores String of Pre-Sales – Global Bulletin - variety.com - Spain - France - Mexico - Sweden - Canada - Norway - Portugal - Denmark - North Korea - Greece - Poland - Cyprus - Israel - state Baltic
variety.com
28.03.2023 / 09:29

Indie Animation ‘Lendarys’ Scores String of Pre-Sales – Global Bulletin

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Indie sales agency All Rights Entertainment has achieved a string of pre-sales on “Lendarys,” a family adventure animation film that is currently in advanced stages of production and set for delivery later this year. The film was licensed to KMBO (France); Flins & Piniculas (Spain); Another World Entertainment (Denmark and Norway); Njuta Films (Sweden); Outsider Films (Portugal); Blitz Film (Ex-Yugoslavia), Five Stars Distribution (Israel), Selim Ramia and Co. (Middle East and North Africa), The Film Group (Greece & Cyprus), Kino Swiat (Poland), Nashe Kino (CIS excluding Baltics), ACME Film (Baltic States) and Madness Entertainment (Mexico).

China Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Japanese Animation Debuts With $50 Million, Year’s Biggest Non-Holiday Opening - variety.com - China - South Korea - Japan - Berlin
variety.com
27.03.2023 / 05:45

China Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Japanese Animation Debuts With $50 Million, Year’s Biggest Non-Holiday Opening

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animation film “Suzume” made just shy of $50 million on its opening weekend in mainland Chinese theaters. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, shows “Suzume” grabbing the top spot at the box office with $49.6 million (RMB342 million) between Friday and Sunday. That is the biggest opening score by any film this year outside of the Chinese New Year holiday week in late January. The next best is “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” which opened with $19.4 million in mid-February. Directed by Shinkai Makoto, “Suzume” was a hit in Japan where it was released late last year and has remained on screens for a $105 million total. It played in February at the Berlin Film Festival, where it came away largely empty-handed, but has subsequently performed strongly in the Asian territories where it has released. (In South Korea, where it is now the second highest grossing film released in 2023, its third weekend is its strongest to date.)

Korea Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Expands in Third Week as Japanese Animation Extends Strong Year - variety.com - South Korea - Japan - North Korea
variety.com
27.03.2023 / 02:25

Korea Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Expands in Third Week as Japanese Animation Extends Strong Year

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hit Japanese animation “Suzume” improved its box office performance in its third week of release in South Korea and remained far ahead of all competing titles. “Suzume” earned $6.06 million over the weekend between Friday and Sunday, a 7% increase on its previous weekend, itself a strong hold that almost equalled its opening session. Data is sourced from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). The film, which has been a huge hit in Japan and some other Asian territories, enjoyed a 66% share of the entire Korean cinema box office over the most recent weekend and expanded its cumulative haul to $23.9 million after 19 days on release.

Box Office: ‘John Wick 4’ Crushes Franchise Record With $73.5 Million Opening Weekend - variety.com
variety.com
26.03.2023 / 16:03

Box Office: ‘John Wick 4’ Crushes Franchise Record With $73.5 Million Opening Weekend

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “John Wick: Chapter 4” knocked down the box office competition, collecting a remarkable $73.5 million in its opening weekend. Boosted by positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth, the fourth installment in Lionsgate’s action series, led by Keanu Reeves as a legendary assassin, landed the best start of the franchise. It’s one of the rare original properties to keep growing and improving upon the last, in terms of box office ticket sales. The original “John Wick” opened to a modest $14 million in 2014, its sequel “John Wick: Chapter 2” took in $30.4 million to start in 2017, and the third film “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” previously held the opening weekend record with $56.8 million in 2019. 

Five Series Pitched at Series Mania as Taiwan Strengthens its Claim in Chinese-Language TV Production - variety.com - China - North Korea - Taiwan
variety.com
24.03.2023 / 15:21

Five Series Pitched at Series Mania as Taiwan Strengthens its Claim in Chinese-Language TV Production

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Taiwan has become a go-to destination for Chinese language series production over the past few years, as international streamers have taken the initiative and as the local content trend has become entrenched in Asia. While some of Taiwan’s advantage may have been handed to it as a result of regional political factors, the movement has led to greater interest in Taiwan stories, both historical and modern.Five Taiwan TV projects are being pitched at Series Mania, that are deemed to have international appeal according to Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), a government-backed agency that has become noticeably proactive over roughly the same period.

Hybe to Sell SM Entertainment Stake After Losing to Kakao in K-Pop Bid Battle - variety.com - North Korea - Beyond
variety.com
24.03.2023 / 11:41

Hybe to Sell SM Entertainment Stake After Losing to Kakao in K-Pop Bid Battle

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hybe Corp., the talent powerhouse behind K-pop sensation BTS, said on Friday that it will sell its share stake in agency rival SM Entertainment. The move would finalize Hybe’s admission of defeat in a dramatic takeover battle in which it was out-gunned by Korean tech leader Kakao Corp. Hybe initially bought a 14.8% stake in SM in February from SM’s founder and K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man. Hybe expected to be able to buy the remaining 3% tranche held by Lee according to agreed conditions and then launched an open offer to other shareholders to buy a further 15%. But SM’s management opposed Hybe’s quasi-takeover and harnessed Kakao and its subsidiary Kakao Entertainment with a range of measures. These included a content distribution deal and the sale of newly issued shares and bonds to the Kakao pair.

‘Reborn Rich,’ Hit Korea Drama Series, Set for Thai Remake at Viu - variety.com - Thailand - North Korea - city Bangkok - Beyond
variety.com
24.03.2023 / 09:33

‘Reborn Rich,’ Hit Korea Drama Series, Set for Thai Remake at Viu

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Multi-territory Asian streaming platform Viu is to deliver a Thai version of hit drama series “Reborn Rich.” The 16-episode Korean drama was produced by Korea’s JTBC Studios and Viu, aired on JTBC in Korea between November and December 2022 and was branded as a Viu Original in the 16-territoires in which it operates. Its story sees a long-term employee of a large family-run conglomerate falsely accused of embezzlement. After he is shot on an overseas business trip, he finds himself in the body of the family’s grandson and decides to use his new identity as a means by which to take revenge on the family and the corporation.

Box Office Preview: ‘John Wick 4’ Targets Huge $70 Million Opening Weekend - variety.com - USA
variety.com
22.03.2023 / 20:27

Box Office Preview: ‘John Wick 4’ Targets Huge $70 Million Opening Weekend

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “John Wick: Chapter 4” is aiming to set a new franchise record in its box office debut. The fourth installment in Lionsgate’s action-thriller series, led by Keanu Reeves as a legendary assassin, looks to collect a mighty $65 million to $70 million from 3,800 North American theaters over the weekend. The movie also debuts this weekend in 71 territories at the international box office. By Sunday, ticket sales should climb to at least $100 million to $115 million worldwide. It’s impressive that each film in the “John Wick” franchise has managed to dramatically improve upon its predecessor at the box office, beginning with 2014’s “John Wick” ($14 million to start), 2017’s “John Wick: Chapter 2” ($30.4 million) and 2019’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” ($56.8 million). “Chapter 4,” earning some of the best reviews of the already well-received pack, should continue the trend. It cost more than $100 million to produce, giving it the highest price tag in the series.

Paramount+ Sets Release Date for Korean Series ‘Yonder’ - variety.com - Australia - France - Brazil - Italy - Canada - Austria - Germany - Switzerland - North Korea
variety.com
21.03.2023 / 16:07

Paramount+ Sets Release Date for Korean Series ‘Yonder’

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Streaming platform Paramount+ has set a release date for Korean series “Yonder” that is one of the first titles flowing from Paramount Global’s alliance with CJ ENM. The show will premiere on April 11 in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France.  Set in 2032, “Yonder” is a science fiction-drama series about a man who receives a message from his deceased wife inviting him to a mysterious space. The space is designed for the dead to be able to live on by uploading memories of their lifetime from their brain. The show raises questions about life and death and what it means to have eternal happiness as humanity faces a world altered by advancements in science and technology.

‘Burning’ Star Yoo Ah-in to Face Criminal Probe After Drug Tests - variety.com - South Korea - city Seoul
variety.com
21.03.2023 / 15:03

‘Burning’ Star Yoo Ah-in to Face Criminal Probe After Drug Tests

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in, star of “Burning,” “The Throne” and Netflix series “Hellbound,” must report to the police on Friday in connection with the alleged use of a variety of drugs. Allegations of Yoo’s drug use emerged a month ago and he has previously spoken with authorities. The Yonhap news agency now specifies that he will be considered as a criminal suspect when he presents himself to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Friday. It is unclear whether Yoo will be formally arrested at that time. Yoo became a person of interest in early February after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revealed that he had bought suspicious quantities of the sedative Propofol in a series of purchases starting in 2021. Propofol is a strong sedative that can also be used as an anesthetic. The authorities have looked into several doctors’ offices and clinics in Seoul that may have administered the drug.

Box Office: ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Stumbles With $30 Million Opening Weekend - variety.com - city Sandberg
variety.com
19.03.2023 / 19:37

Box Office: ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’ Stumbles With $30 Million Opening Weekend

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Shazam wasn’t the magic word at the weekend box office. “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” opened to No. 1 in North America, but the Warner Bros. and DC Comics sequel fell short of expectations with its disappointing $30.5 million debut from 4,071 theaters. Heading into the weekend, the film was expected to collect $35 million to $40 million, which already wasn’t all that spectacular since it cost north of $110 million to make and another $100 millions more to market. It’s a substantial drop from 2019’s “Shazam,” the first comic book installment starring Zachary Levi’s quirky hero, which opened to $53.5 million and ended its box office run with $140 million domestically and $366 million globally. It’s also one of the worst starts in the DC Cinematic Universe, other than pandemic-era releases like “Wonder Woman 1984” ($16.7 million) and “The Suicide Squad” ($26 million), which both opened simultaneously on HBO Max.

Box Office: ‘Shazam 2’ Flies to $3.4 Million in Previews - variety.com - Jordan - city Sandberg
variety.com
17.03.2023 / 18:29

Box Office: ‘Shazam 2’ Flies to $3.4 Million in Previews

Jordan Moreau The “Fury of the Gods” may not be all that furious. Warner Bros. and DC’s “Shazam” sequel is taking flight with $3.4 million at the domestic box office in Thursday previews, behind the original movie’s preview haul in 2019. The sequel to Zachary Levi’s superhero movie will land with a smaller opening than its predecessor. The first “Shazam” movie had $5.9 million in Thursday previews before opening with $53.5 million in April 2019. It went on to gross $140 million domestically and $366 million globally. However, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is only expected to bring in $35 million to $40 million. Each of the “Shazam” movies cost $100 million to produce, but that’s a significant drop from the original.

Udine Far East Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years of Asian Films - variety.com - Italy - South Korea - Thailand - Japan - Hong Kong - city Hong Kong - Mongolia
variety.com
14.03.2023 / 02:15

Udine Far East Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years of Asian Films

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, is back in full force in 2023, celebrating its 25th anniversary edition from April 21–29. A key component of the celebrations will be a focus on the Asian films of the 1980s. “We have never programmed these films, nor put together this kind of program before,” says Thomas Bertacche, the FEFF’s co-head. “But these were the films and directors that inspired us to shape Udine into the festival that it is today.” Pitching the historical lineup as “hidden treasures,” the selection is expected to include early works by Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Thailand’s Nonzee Nimibutr and South Korea’s Jan Sung-woo.

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