Vue Cinemas’ Chain: Fall In Ticket Sales Cuts Company Value In Half To $785Bn

Cineworld, the world’s second largest cinema chain, faces fresh uncertainty after its second largest shareholder cut its stake, causing shares to fall in value for a second day.

Minions: The Rise Of Gru, drastically changing the fate of the titular antihero.The animated prequel follows Gru in his teenage days, before setting up his evolution into the supervillain fans of the franchise have come to know.However, the Chinese version of the film features a very different ending for Gru and his mentor Wild Knuckles.Instead of riding off into the sunset together, Wild Knuckles ends up in jail while Gru “becomes one of the good guys”.According to posts and screenshots shared on Chinese microblogging site Weibo, subtitled stills had been added to the credits to alter the film’s original ending.In these subtitles, it’s revealed that Wild Knuckles was arrested by the police and locked up for 20 years after a failed heist. He also develops a “love of acting” and sets up a touring theatrical group.Gru, meanwhile, “returned to his family” after fathering his three daughters became “his biggest accomplishment”.DuSir, a film blogger with more than 14 million followers on Weibo, called the changes  “outrageous” and questioned why only Chinese people required “special guidance and care”.In an article, he wrote: “How weak and lacking judgment do they think our audiences are?”These alterations are the latest example of Chinese authorities editing a Hollywood film’s ending.Earlier this year, Warner Bros.

“Minions: The Rise of Gru,” were in for a surprise after the ending was altered to have Gru, the main villain of the Illumination franchise, turned from an evil man to a good dude.The Chinese version of the animated film has an array of post-credit scenes in which a variety of subtitles say Gru “eventually became one of the good guys” who was “dedicated to raising his family.”In the United States, viewers find out how Gru tricked the police and learned to defeat his enemies to become the ultimate villain.Since “Minions” takes place before the “Despicable Me” series, Gru is not supposed to be the hero.Other post-credit scenes also feature the cops arresting Gru’s mentor, Wild Knuckles.In the Chinese adaptation, though, the police are not deceived and instead apprehend Knuckles, who is later jailed for two decades for his crimes.

Continuing its hypersonic run, Paramount/Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick has, in its 13th weekend of release, crossed the $1.4B mark worldwide, lifting the cume to a touch over $1.403B through today.

China’s Bona Film Group, producer of such hits as The Battle At Lake Changjin, made its debut on the Shenzhen stock exchange on Thursday, with shares closing the day at RMB 7.24 ($1.07). This was a 44% increase from the initial public offering price of RMB 5.03 ($0.74) per share and put the market capitalization at just under RMB 10B ($1.47B), according to the South China Morning Post. The company raised RMB 1.38B ($203M) from the deal.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKevin Macdonald’s drama thriller “The Mauritanian” is poised to receive a belated theatrical release in mainland China.The film, which charts the ordeal of a man held without trial at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison, will hit Chinese theaters on Aug. 23, 2022. That is more than a year after its theatrical outing in North America and multiple international markets in February 2021.International rights to the picture were handled by STX International.

TIFF announced its Short Cuts section today comprised of 39 live-action narrative, documentary, and animated short films from directors repping 18 countries.

$3 billion in 2020 and nearly $710 million before tax in 2021. While 2022 has produced several box office hits, the volume of wide releases is far below pre-pandemic years.

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.

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A handful of smaller films will start to test audience enthusiasm for movie theaters without big tentpoles. It’s been a rocky summer for specialty releases, and an uphill climb as arthouses emerge from Covid jitters with franchise films sucking up oxygen and screens. But superheroes are on hiatus.

Weezer will not be moving forward with their Broadway residency according to the band’s frontman, Rivers Cuomo.

Weezer canceled its September Broadway residency due to “low ticket sales and unbelievably high expenses,” frontman Rivers Cuomo announced. The Los Angeles rock band had planned a six-night stand at the Broadway Theatre to celebrate its “SZNZ” project, which consists of four 2022 releases that correspond with the four seasons.“I just learned that our Broadway shows have been cancelled (due to low ticket sales and unbelievably high expenses.) I’m very sorry to be telling you this now after we’ve already invested so much time, thought, and emotion,” Cuomo, 52, wrote on the band’s Discord server Wednesday.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Asian Project Market, the film financing event attached to the Busan festival’s Asian Contents & Film Market, will return this year as an in-person event. To increase the focus on regional projects it has selected 29 titles and excluded those from outside Asia.The APM will be held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) and run Oct.

Weezer have cancelled their 2022 Broadway residency due to “low ticket sales”.The Los Angeles band announced a five-date series of back-to-back shows at the Broadway Theatre in New York in June. Each concert was set to focus on a different ‘SZNZ’ EP, beginning with ‘Spring’ on September 13.The group were then due to showcase ‘Summer’ the following night (September 14), before airing ‘Autumn’ and ‘Winter’ on September 16 and Saturday 17, respectively.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief“Minions: The Rise of Gru” has been given a mainland China theatrical release date of Aug. 19, 2022.