‘Lighting up the Stars’ Leads China Box Office Rebound

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorVeteran security exec Roland Cloutier is stepping down after two and half years as TikTok’s global chief security officer. According to TikTok, the change is part of a restructuring in how the app provider, owned by China’s ByteDance, manages data of U.S.-based users — amid heightened scrutiny from some U.S. lawmakers.“Part of our evolving approach has been to minimize concerns about the security of user data in the U.S., including the creation of a new department to manage U.S.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterDisney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth standalone Marvel story about Chris Hemsworth’s hulking God of Thunder, picked up $15.7 million on opening day at the international box office.The film is currently playing in 17 overseas markets, including Germany, Italy, Australia and Korea, and it will debut in North America and several other major territories on Friday.Overall ticket sales are pacing 39% ahead of “Thor: Ragnarok” (which ultimately collected $130 million during its opening weekend) and 24% behind “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (which scored a massive $265 million in its international box office debut).By the time Sunday comes around, the newest “Thor” adventure is expected to rake in at least $145 million to $155 million in North America (with some estimates reaching as high as $170 million) and another $140 million to $150 million from overseas markets. For now, “Love and Thunder” is not playing in China, Russia or France.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterGet ready for more Marvel mania.Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth standalone story about Chris Hemsworth’s hulking God of Thunder and the second (of three) Marvel movies to play in theaters in 2022, is gearing up to turbocharge the domestic box office. The nth sequel in the sprawling MCU is expected to bring in anywhere from $145 million to $155 million over the weekend, with some estimates reaching as high as $170 million.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSentimental local drama film “Lighting Up the Stars” topped the mainland China cinema box office for a second weekend. Its haul was nearly 40% bigger than in its debut session.The film grossed RMB296 million ($44 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, far ahead of second placed “Jurassic World: Dominion” which took RMB65.2 million ($9.7 million).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNi Kuang, one of Hong Kong’s most distinguished screenwriters and novelists, has died. He was 87.He died on Sunday in Hong Kong, with local media reporting skin cancer as the cause of death.Ni wrote some 300 screenplays, many in the martial arts genre and many for the Shaw Brothers studio with co-writer Chang Chen. He wrote the scripts for classic films “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin” and “One Armed Swordsman” and had a hand in two of Bruce Lee’s six movies “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury” though the writing credit went to Wei Lo.As a novelist, Ni wrote the “New Adventures of Wesley” a series of detective stories that often featured aliens and extra-terrestrial creatures.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTiny yellow creatures are taking over the international box office.“Minions: The Rise of Gru” ignited to $93.7 million from 61 overseas markets and notched one of the biggest pandemic-era opening weekends for an animated film in many of those territories.Those returns take the fifth installment in Universal and Illumination’s popular “Despicable Me” franchise past $200 million at the global box office. In North America, “The Rise of Gru” debuted to $108 million over the weekend and looks to reach $127.9 million through Independence Day on Monday.Outside of the U.S. and Canada, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” enjoyed the strongest showing in the United Kingdom and Ireland with $12.9 million, followed by Mexico with $12.4 million and Germany with $4.8 million.

Stranger Things are working on a new Netflix series with Gemma Chan.Production company 21 Laps has optioned Pim Wangtechawat’s forthcoming debut novel The Moon Represents My Heart to make a limited series.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Eternals star Gemma Chan is set to both executive produce and act in the project, telling the story of a British-Chinese family who can secretly time travel.Chan will next be starring in Olivia Wilde’s new film Don’t Worry Darling, and has an executive producer credit on an upcoming biopic about Anna May Wong.Stranger Things returned to Netflix today (July 1) for the second part of season four.The complete official soundtrack was also released on Spotify, with additions from the second part including Metallica‘s ‘Master Of Puppets’, Siouxsie And The Banshees‘ ‘Spellbound’, James Taylor‘s ‘Fire And Rain’ and Rick Derringer’s ‘Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo (Single Version)’.Other artists on the soundtrack include The Beach Boys, Talking Heads, KISS, The Cramps and Dead Or Alive.A CD edition is set to arrive on September 9 ahead of a special 2LP 12″ vinyl pressing of the album being released on November 4. Both versions are available to pre-order from here.Kate Bush recently broke three Guinness World Records with ‘Running Up That Hill’ after the 1985 classic featured prominently in Stranger Things 4.The song – which appears on Bush’s fifth studio album, ‘Hounds Of Love’ – reached Number One on the UK singles chart earlier this month (June 17) almost 37 years on from its initial release.

little too much sway over the King of Rock ‘n Roll. Sure, he helped elevate Presley in the public consciousness but also trapped him in a gilded cage.True to form Luhrmann gives the story an extreme stylistic overlay; songs bleed and warm into each other, remixed frenetically with modern artists and current sensibilities.

Refresh for latest…: A wild weekend was had at the global and international box office with major milestones for Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick and Universal/Amblin’s Jurassic World Dominion, as well as a $50.5M result from Warner Bros’ newcomer, Elvis.

Refresh for latest…: Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick has raced past the $1B mark worldwide, becoming only the second movie of the pandemic era to reach such rarefied air — and Tom Cruise’s first time to the milestone in a career that has spanned 40 years. It took just 31 days for the aviators to get to $1B with the total through Sunday at an estimated $1.006B worldwide, including domestic’s estimated $521.7M and $484.7M from the international box office.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorHollywood producer Janet Yang was feted on Tuesday evening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with a pillar named in her honor.Yang, who worked alongside Steven Spielberg on “Empire of the Sun,” and produced Netflix’s “Over the Moon” and “The Joy Luck Club,” became the first Asian American woman to have a pillar at the museum. She called it “a symbol of how communities can come together.”Some of the most prominent Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Hollywood came out to celebrate the historic moment, including legendary actor James Hong, journalist Lisa Ling, singer Katherine Ho, Gold House CEO and co-founder Bing Chen, actor Daniel Dae Kim and California State Treasurer Fiona Ma.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentOne year after merging with the promotion org TV France International, Unifrance is preparing a series of strategic events in key markets across Europe, the U.S., China and Japan to fast-track the global distribution of local series and movies. The French film and TV advocacy banner will host trade shows bringing together French sales outfits and international distributors in Paris in January, Biarritz (Southwestern France) in September, as well as in Roma in April, Madrid in June, Berlin in November, New York in March and Yokohama in December.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterParamount’s blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” is still flying at sky-high altitudes, surpassing $900 million at the global box office.With $901.8 million in the bank, the sequel to Tom Cruise’s 1986 action flick “Top Gun” stands as the year’s second-highest grossing movie worldwide behind Disney’s Marvel adventure “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($943 million). At this rate, “Maverick” is poised to overtake the crown in the coming weeks.Even without playing in China or Russia, the $1 billion mark looks to be within reach.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Jurassic World Dominion” held on to top spot at the mainland China box office despite a 57% drop and the expected challenge from local newcomer “One Week Friends.”The dinosaur franchise movie picked up $23.3 million (RMB156 million) in China between Friday and Sunday, giving it a healthy cumulative score of $92.4 million after ten days in theaters, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. The film’s performance was a steep decline from its opening weekend, but the competition from new release Chinese youth drama film “One Week Friends” was weaker than had been anticipated.Released only on Saturday, “One Week Friends” earned $5.8 million (RMB38.9 million) from its first two days in Chinese theaters.

The CineEurope conference kicks off here in Barcelona on Monday with distribution and exhibition expected to be in fine spirits, coming off a series of mega-drivers in the first part of the year and heading into a lucrative second half. There’s reason for backslapping and high-fiving, but there are also concerns that all sides need to continue to work together for the ongoing good of the business.

EXCLUSIVE: Julia Chan (Archive 81) has been cast as a series regular opposite Michaela McManus and Parker Young in Criminal Nature, ABC’s drama pilot from Rashad Raisani, 20th Television and A+E Studios. Ian Duff also stars.

More box office milestones here as the theatrical business bounces back and the pandemic eases: Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness crossed $400M yesterday at the domestic box office during its 41st day of release.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentMusic Box Films has acquired North American rights to “Rodeo,” the bold feature debut of Lola Quivoron which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes where it won the Coup de Cœur du Jury special prize. Produced by Charles Gillibert (“Annette”) at CG Cinema and represented by Les Films du Losange, “Rodeo” stars newcomer Julie Ledrue a Julia, a hot tempered and fiercely independent young woman who infiltrates an underground dirt bike community in France.After a chance meeting at an urban ‘Rodeo,’ Julia finds herself drawn into a clandestine and volatile clique and striving to prove herself to the ultra-masculine group, but is she is faced with a series of escalating demands that will make or break her place in the community.

The third installment in the "Jurassic World" franchise, "Jurassic World: Dominion," opened this past weekend with $143.3 million in box office sales in North America alone.The Universal Pictures film also grossed $398 million globally, with studio estimates optimistic as the film heads into its second week in theaters.  "Jurassic World 3" is the sixth in the entire Jurassic Parks franchise, opening in 72 international markets, according to Variety. China rounded in as the top international market, raking in $52.5 million in the film's opening weekend.  The newest Jurassic World includes several reprisal roles from the original cast, including Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.  Despite its successful opening, "Dominion" falls behind the "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" opening weekend ($148 million) and the original 2015 "Jurassic World" opening weekend ($208.8 million).