Tag Archives: box office

MEDIA: Domestic Hits Power China Summer Box Office Surge

Bottom line: Growing sophistication by Chinese film-makers will continue to power strong growth at China’s box office, and will foster a new group of homegrown players that could challenge Hollywood over the next 10-20 years.

China box office surges in July

Two blockbuster films are fueling a sudden wave of excitement over domestic Chinese films, providing new momentum for a growing stable of local film-makers and foreign-backed joint ventures. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the 2 films leading the summer charge are both animated or have animated elements, and both also use a potent combination of Chinese elements and western story-telling skills to appeal to huge audiences of young people that go to see movies during the summer holidays.

The huge success for the animated films “Monkey King: Hero Is Back” and “Monster Hunt” has fueled a big wave of national pride in Chinese film-making. It even has some observers calling for an end to the recent ban on showing foreign films during the important summer vacation period, since these new Chinese movies prove that domestic productions can compete with big foreign rivals like the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise. Read Full Post…

News Digest: July 31, 2015

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on July 31. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Baidu (Nasdaq: BIDU) Announces $1 Bln Share Repurchase Program (PRNewswire)
  • Focus Media May Drop Backdoor Listing, Eyes New Strategic Industries Board (Chinese article)
  • Wine E-tailer Jiuxian Lands 500 Mln Yuan Series G Funding (English article)
  • China Renaissance Earmarks Half of 5 Bln Yuan Fund Raising for VIE Buyouts (Chinese article)
  • China Box Office Posts Monthly Record with 5 Bln Yuan in July (Chinese article)
  • Latest calendar for Q2 earnings reports (Earnings calendar)

MEDIA: Mobile Data, Box Office Boom In Lunar New Year

Bottom line: Mobile data usage will grow by triple-digit amounts this year as telcos boost 4G promotions, while box office growth will start to slow and the ongoing decline in traditional SMS text messaging will accelerate.

Hongbao chatter fuels mobile data surge

The usual rush of Lunar New Year-related data is coming in, painting a mixed picture for traditional and new media. The clear winner in the mix is new media, whose surging popularity helped to fuel a 70 percent jump in mobile data traffic over the holiday period. Traditional movies also performed well, with China’s box office rising 36 percent during the period. It will also come as no surprise that the big loser over the holiday was traditional SMS text messages, whose volume plunged by 25 percent. Read Full Post…

Pangu Trips Up ‘Transformers’ China Debut

Dispute threatens “Transformers” China debut

Everyone loves to talk about the huge potential of the China box office, but equally noteworthy are behind-the-scenes risks due to the market’s many unique uncertainties. Regulation is one of the biggest risks due to Beijing’s strict censorship policies. Now legal issues are also coming into the spotlight with news that a company is trying to delay the Chinese premier of the new “Transformers” movie due to a business dispute. We’ll have to wait and see if the complaint by a company that paid for promotional space in the film wins its request for the delay, which could translate to big headaches for US film studio Paramount. Read Full Post…

Imax Finds Potent Local Partners, Eyes China IPO

Imax ties up with new Chinese investors

Big-screen theater technology company Imax (NYSE: IMAX) is in the headlines today for a savvy move that will make it look more Chinese as it attempts to grab a major slice of the nation’s booming film market. The newly announced deal has Canada-based Imax selling 20 percent of its China unit to 2 local partners, including one with strong ties in China’s commercial capital of Shanghai. Equally interesting, Imax is saying it aims to list its China unit on one of China’s stock exchanges in the next 5 years, in what would become a rare instance of a domestic IPO by a majority foreign-owned company. Read Full Post…

Huayi Bros Jumps On Hollywood Bandwagon

Huayi goes to Hollywood

The list of major Chinese entertainment firms jumping on the Hollywood bandwagon has just gained an important new member with word that Huayi Bros (Shenzhen: 300027) is on the cusp of investing in a major new production house. I’ve been following the China media scene for more than a decade now, and can say that Huayi was one of the nation’s earliest major players to emerge in a space that was extremely difficult for years due to tough restrictions and extreme fragmentation. But Huayi has shown not only an ability to survive, but also to thrive in a market where the movie theater business is suddenly booming and online video has quickly become an important new revenue source. Read Full Post…

News Digest: December 12, 2013

The following press releases and media reports about Chinese companies were carried on December 12. To view a full article or story, click on the link next to the headline.
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  • Wanda Group‘s Wang Jianlin To Enter E-Commerce (Chinese article)
  • Walmart’s (NYSE: WMT) Yihaodian Consolidates Under Shanghai FTZ Company (English article)
  • China’s 2013 Box Office Revenue Exceeds 20 Bln Yuan (English article)
  • Autohome (NYSE:ATHM) Soars In IPO, Supercharged By China Car Market Growth
  • Shanda Cloudary CEO Hou Xiaoqiang Resigns, Removes IPO Barrier (Chinese article)