‘Moon Man’ $130 Million Opening Puts China Box Office in New Orbit

Universal/Illumination’s Minions: The Rise Of Gru bowed in China today (Friday), grossing an estimated RMB 21.74M ($3.2M), including midnights. This was good for the biggest opening day of a Hollywood animated film during the pandemic.

New Music Friday! It's every audiophile's favorite day of the week, and some of our favorite artists from all different genres have blessed us with new tunes.Demi Lovato shared her latest album, featuring the fiery, viral anthem «29.» K-pop sensations BLACKPINK dropped their latest single, «Pink Venom.» Maren Morris and Zedd teamed up again for a new single, «Make You Say,» featuring BEAUZ. And Blake Shelton brought back his '90s mullet for the music video for his latest, «No Body.» Ahead of 88rising's Head In The Clouds Festival this weekend, Thai rapper MILLI and Chinese singer Jackson Wang partnered on a new single, «Mind Games.» Both artists will be performing at the Los Angeles festival, alongside acts like mxmtoon, keshi, Jay Park and more.Also new this week, new singles from Offset, Anitta feat.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe third decade of the millennium looks quite different for the Korean entertainment scene compared with just a few years earlier.In March 2020, “Parasite,” a Korean-made film noir made history by winning three Oscars, including best picture. The following year, Korean veteran Youn Yuh-jung took the Oscar for best supporting actress in “Minari,” while in 2022 “Squid Game” leading man Lee Jung-jae looks poised for Emmy accolades.K-pop has broken out to become a phenomenon that tops charts, fills global stadiums and airwaves, and the social media warriors of group BTS, who call themselves “ARMY” would even claim to have had a small influence at the last U.S.

‘How To Train Your Dragon’s Bonnie Arnold Ties With ‘Moley’ Creator’s Two Daughters Entertainment

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefSpace 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.

EXCLUSIVE: With today’s business included, Universal Pictures is crossing the $3B mark at the global box office for 2022 so far, becoming the first studio to reach the milestone since 2019. The grosses broken out to date are $1.74B at the international box office and $1.281B domestically. This is the eighth time Uni has topped $3B worldwide.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThomasin McKenzie (“Life After Life,” “Jojo Rabbit”) and Devon Terrell (“Rap Shit”) star in “Totally Completely Fine,” a series co-production between Sundance Now and Australia’s Stan, which has now started production in Sydney. McKenzie plays a young woman whose life was a mess even before she inherited her grandfather’s coastal clifftop house and became tasked with helping people who come too close to the edge. Strangely though people respond to her chaotic, nihilistic brand of psychology.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese 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.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterHook, line and sinker. “Top Gun: Maverick” has toppled “Titanic” as the seventh-biggest film ever at the domestic box office, earning $662 million in ticket sales.For Paramount, “Top Gun: Maverick” has also overtaken “Titanic” as the studio’s biggest film in its 110-year history.

Holidays might be on people’s minds, but there’s no rest for the hospitality folk, with a raft of new openings coming this month. Here are some of the best new places to check out in August...

Conor Ryan is currently starring in the National Tour of the Tony-winning musical Moulin Rouge and we caught up with the rising star to learn more about him!

Tiffany Haddish has a twirl moment on the red carpet at the premiere of her new movie, Easter Sunday, held at TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday night (August 2) in Hollywood, Calif.

Lily Ooi Jay Chou likes to think big. His latest music release, “Greatest Works of Art,” is not just the Mando-pop king’s first full-length album after a six-year hiatus. The album’s elaborate, international production of its eponymous first single and the accompanying music video, features the “cameos” of some of the biggest names in art history.It sets Chou up nicely for the his next creative chapter: an art film.“This music video has received a lot of good feedback, including from the French Tourist Office, so I will consider preparing a film project that tells a story revolving around an artist.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefJapanese electronics and entertainment group, Sony Group Corp. revealed JPY2.31 trillion of revenue ($17.5 billion) in the three months between April and June, representing the first quarter of its financial year. Group profits JPY218 billion ($1.65 billion) in the quarter were.

From a reported revenue of $74 million — up 45% year-over-year from $51 million in Q2 2021 — Imax reported a diluted loss per share of 5 cents. That is up from a diluted loss per share of 23 cents last quarter and loss per share of 16 cents in Q2 2021, though below the profit of 17 cents per share reported in Q4 2021 off the success of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”Imax’s write-down is largely attributable to COVID-19 closures at 400 of their Chinese locations to start the quarter, including all locations in Shanghai.

Actor Jason Momoa was involved in a head-on crash involving a motorcyclist on a Los Angeles-area highway over the weekend, according to the California Highway Patrol. The "Aquaman" and "Game of Thrones" actor was driving along Old Topanga Road in Calabasas, California, just before 11 a.m. on Sunday when a 21-year-old man on a motorcycle crossed the center line and smashed head-on into his 1970 Oldsmobile.