Three Thai Series Added to HBO Go Production Slate

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean tech firm CJ 4DPLEX has struck a deal with Thailand’s Major Cineplex to add two ScreenX locations in Cambodia and Thailand. One will be located at the AEON Mall Mean Chey, have almost 500 seats and have a 75-foot-wide central screen, making it the largest ScreenX auditorium in Southeast Asia. The other will be at Bangkok’s ICONSiam Mall location, debuting on July 27. ScreenX is a multi-projection system with an immersive 270-degree field of view. That creates a virtual reality-like setting with cinema quality resolution. Major’s first ScreenX launched in 2022 at its Siam Paragon location in central Bangkok.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese mystery drama “Lost in the Stars” expanded in its second week on release and gave China its third biggest box office weekend of the year. The film earned $117 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was significantly up from its opening weekend of $70.7 million (RMB502 million) a week earlier and enough to make it the second biggest film on the planet, behind “Indiana Jones,” according to Comscore. After two weekends on release, it has accumulated $320 million. “Lost in the Stars” is a Chinese adaptation of a 1990 Russian movie “A Trap for the Lonely Man,” which itself was adapted from a Robert Thomas stage play. It sees a woman disappear while on an overseas trip with her husband. Just as mysteriously, she reappears at the moment that the search for her is running out of steam. But the man refuses to accept that she is the same woman and believes that she is an imposter.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Universal Music Group has struck an agreement to acquire majority control of the second largest music catalog in Thailand, one of the fastest growing music markets in Asia. It is buying 70% of the music catalog of RS Group, a stock market-listed music distributor and artist management group. In its regulatory filing, RS group said that UMG is paying $45 million (THB1.61 billion) for the stake and that earn-out payments could lift this by a further $44.9 million (THB174 million). The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of the year. The music catalog will then form the core of a new partnership between UMG and RS Group with UMG becoming RS Group’s exclusive music service partner for new releases and new music repertoire worldwide. UMG will also receive exclusive rights of first refusal and matching rights to acquire new releases and repertoire. UMG will become the second-largest player in the Thai music market.

There won’t be a TCA Summer Tour this year, but the Television Critics Association is out with the nominees for its 39th annual TCA Awards. Wrapped HBO Emmy winner Succession, sophomore FX dramedy The Bear and HBO’s freshman drama The Last of Us lead the field with five noms each. See the full list below.

EXCLUSIVE: Shondrella Avery, who starred in Napoleon Dynamite, is developing a slew of unscripted projects after striking a first-look deal with Bling Empire producer Jeff Jenkins Productions.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Warner Bros. Discovery will rebrand its kids’ TV channel Boomerang to Cartoonito in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, with effect from July 28. The company said that the “switch is a result of positive feedback to the Cartoonito-branded block on Boomerang and Cartoon Network launched in 2022, and is focused on being more inclusive to pre-school aged viewers.” Sources close to the company explained that the move is “part of a big regional and global commitment by WBD to preschool content.” It follows Cartoonito rebrands and launches in other international territories including EMEA and LatAm.

The BBC is bringing Enid Blyton's The Famous Five books to life through a new TV series. The three-part series will be the first time the BBC has ever adapted The Famous Five for the screen.

shut down by WGA picketing earlier this month before being placed on an indefinite pause. Other series that have been halted on the East Coast include Disney+’s “Daredevil: Born Again” and Max’s “The Penguin.” In Montana, the “Yellowstone” prequel “1923” was also put on hold until the strike ends.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hong Kong action film “The White Storm: Heaven or Hell” will have its North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival, where it is a late addition to the line-up. The festival runs July 14–30, 2023 at Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Directed by Herman Yau, the film sees Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok and Sean Lau (aka Lau Ching-wan) appear together for the first time. It is set in the ‘Golden Triangle’ region famous for drugs production and trafficking. Kwok plays an undercover cop who infiltrates a drug cartel led by a notorious Thai drug lord (Lau). In classic heroic bloodshed fashion, the two develop a bond of brotherhood. The cop’s only hope of escaping the treacherous jungle region and his ambiguous morality is to somehow contact the superintendent of the Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau, who has solemnly sworn to demolish the cartel once and for all.

Jefferson Hall has been announced as the lead actor in Emirati film director and producer Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller Three.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British actor Jefferson Hall (“House of the Dragons,” “Oppenheimer”) will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed. Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand. Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.

The beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming to life in a new way on Netflix.

Warner Bros Discovery has announced three Thai HBO Asia Originals, including a third and final season of action fantasy Khun Pan and unscripted shows MarkKim + Chef and Deane’s Dynasty.

Stan Refreshes Lionsgate Output Deal

Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Odudu 's TV contest The Big Blow Out will not be back for a second series as Channel 4 has announced it is axing the show. The competition debuted on E4 in September and was made by Love Productions, the company behind smash hits such as The Great British Bake Off and The Great Pottery Throwdown.

Please note, the House of the Dragon screening and panel took place on March 7, 2023.

Canary Islands companies either as service studios or production houses. (The Canary island company is featured in brackets)   “200% Wolf,” (3Doubles Producciones) A 3D animated feature and sequel to “100% Wolf” about Freddy Lupin, the dancing wolf, a teenage heir to a family of wolf hunters. Following a transformation into a dog by an evil sorcerer, Freddy embarks on a quest to reclaim his wolf form. The film sees the return of writer Fin Edquist. The film will be distributed across Australia by Studiocanal, while Studio 100 Film is managing international sales.. The production is currently in the animation phase, with the first lighting shots complete. Produced by Flying Bark Productions.

Programs from Elliot Page’s production company and the team behind comedy Letterkenny are among Paramount+’s latest Canadian slate.

The Golden Globe Awards are no longer a part of the HFPA.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Big changes are afoot for the Golden Globe Awards now that Dick Clark Productions and Todd Boehly’s Eldridge have acquired the assets of the nonprofit Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which will shutter as the awards franchise moves into a new era. The new owners will use the assets and the cash on hand from the HFPA to establish the Golden Globe Foundation, which will continue on the HFPA’s tradition of charitable giving. The awards show itself and related assets will now be part of the for-profit operations of Dick Clark Productions, which has long been allied with the HFPA for the awards show. The move out of the HFPA’s nonprofit status will allow the Globes to pursue many more commercial opportunities than were possible under the HFPA regime.