(CFI) The organizing committee of Pingyao International Film Festival held a press conference on October 9 (Beijing Time) to announce the lineup of the festival’s inaugural edition. Feng Xiaogang’s ‘Youth,’ which was previously cancelled for China’s National Day holiday release, will open the festival. In addition to ‘Youth,’ Kitano Takeshi’s ‘Outrage: Final Chapter,’ Richard Linklater’s ‘Last Flag Flying,’ Bruno Dumont’s ‘Jeannette,’ and Arnaud Desplechin’s ‘Les fantômes d’Ismaël’ are also included in the lineup. The festival will also present a retrospective for French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, and “Crouching Tiger” and “Hidden Dragon” sections to showcase films made by emerging filmmakers. The inaugural PYIFF will take place from October 28 to November 4.
‘Wolf Warrior 2’ to be Released in Japan
China’s box office smash hit ‘Wolf Warrior 2‘ has been scheduled to open in Japan on October 28. The film will play in select theaters as a part of a film series organized by arthouse cinema chain ‘Cinemart.’ Director of ‘Cinemart’ selected 14 films from all around the world to screen as a series, and ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ is the one he strongly encourages Japanese audiences to see. ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ has been released theatrically in many other countries so far, but its overseas box office is nowhere close to its domestic box office. According to Box Office Mojo, the film made $2.72 million in North America, $81,000 in Australia, and $11,200 in New Zealand.
Box Office Fraud Resurged during China’s National Day Holiday
Much less box office fraud had been exposed in China since the distributor of ‘Ip Man 3’ was published last year by China’s regulators for such activities. However, during this year’s National Day holiday, many industry professionals and ordinary audiences started exposing and complaining about such phenomena again. Complaints about unfair competition practices mainly center around three movies. They are ‘Sky Hunter,’ ‘The Foreigner,’ and ‘Chasing the Dragon.’ ‘Sky Hunter’ was accused of large-scale ticket subsidies. Meanwhile, ‘The Foreigner’ and ‘Chasing the Dragon’ were accused of unfairly getting much more screenings per day than other films. ‘The Foreigner’ and ‘Chasing the Dragon’ are backed by Yaolai Cinema and Bona Group, respectively. Both backers are distributors as well as cinema operators.
“Little Fresh Meat” Star Lu Han Announces Relationship, Causing “Earthquake” on Chinese Social Media
On October 8, Chinese pop star Lu Han, one of China’s most popular “Little Fresh Meats”, introduced his new girlfriend Guan Xiaotong to his followers on Weibo, which caused temporary shutdown of the social media platform. According to data released by Weibo, Lu Han’s post reached 820 million Weibo users within a few minutes. Among all his followers, the most disappointed ones are the ones who became obsessed with him through Chinese variety show ‘Keep Running,’ in which he appeared flirtatious with another actress Dilraba. The rumor about Lu Han having a relationship with Dilraba is likely orchestrated by the show, and has brought significant amount of attention and financial return to the show as well as the two stars.
Ryan Gosling Encourages Chinese Audience to Support the November 10 China Release of ‘Blade Runner 2049’
Sci-fi thriller ‘Blade Runner 2049‘ has been scheduled to released in China on November 10. Recently, two exclusive posters and a trailer specifically designed for Chinese audiences have been released in China. Star Ryan Gosling, who plays ‘K’ in the film, appears at the beginning of the trailer, encouraging Chinese audiences to see the film in theater. One of the posters released in China includes many elements from the classic ‘Blade Runner’ made in 1982, and is the only version worldwide that pays homage to the original ‘Blade Runner.’
Source: China Film Insider