Legendary Hollywood director and producer Charles ‘Chuck’ Russell says that the breakout film “The Mask” was originally conceived by New Line Cinema as a horror movie. Instead, the 1994 action comedy went on to be a career-defining picture for Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz, a global box office hit and a defining moment for the […]

“Stree 2,” already Bollywood’s biggest hit film of the year, and India’s second highest grossing film of 2024, is poised to be joined by one or more sequels, its director Amar Kaushik said on Wednesday. Kaushik was speaking at a Knowledge Series seminar which is part of the Film Bazaar project market that sits alongside […]

Female director Tribeny Rai once took on hard labor in her native Sikkim, India, in order to prove that women are not weak. But she found that even those drastic efforts did not solve the problems of patriarchy and long-standing traditions that favor male decision-making, male children and even how women view their own roles […]

“Star Wars: Visions,” a Lucasfilm anthology series of animated shorts from around the world celebrating the mythology of Star Wars through different cultural perspectives, will return for a third season, Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige said on Wednesday. Feige was a surprise guest at the annual Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific Showcase held in Singapore.“Star […]

It is close to a decade since “Baahubali – The Beginning” shifted the paradigm for how a South Indian film should have been made and might normally have performed – the Telugu and Tamil-language fantasy actioner achieved nationwide distribution, broke records for international performance, supercharged the stardom of its leads and, naturally, sparked a sequel […]

The opening ceremony of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa on Wednesday crammed in several Bollywood-style performances. But it also took some time to deal with the business of cinema, as well. The spectacle came from “The Perfect Couple” breakout star Ishaan Khatter dancing to a medley of Bollywood hits and […]

Sony Group Corporation is in talks to acquire fellow Japanese conglomerate Kadokawa, according to media reports that emerged this week. The firm’s animation and games properties may underlie the possible M&A activity. Kadokawa is a 79-year-old company that spans film, games, publishing and animation and is listed on the main Tokyo Stock Exchange. Its shares […]

Boman Irani’s movie “The Mehta Boys” will have its Asian premiere this weekend at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, marking one of the few places it will have a theatrical screening before heading to streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. The company will claim other prominent positions during the festival with the […]

‘HARBIN’ TO BE PRESENT AT CHRISTMAS Poised to be one of the biggest blockbusters of an uneven year for Korean cinema, “Harbin” is finally confirmed to release on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). The movie had its premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival but its distributor and financier CJ ENM chose to hold […]

Veteran Australian broadcaster Alan Jones was charged on Monday with two dozen offenses of sexual and indecent assault. The alleged crimes go back some 20 years. Jones was arrested at his home in Sydney on Monday morning by New South Wales police and taken to the police station, where he was charged and remanded on […]

“The Last Dance,” a funeral parlor-set drama film directed by Anselm Chan, has broken Hong Kong’s single day box office record. The story depicts a former wedding planner who changes career and enters the funeral business instead. He partners up with a Taoist priest who has doubts about the man’s suitability. Together, through various funeral […]

Drama film “To Gather Around” topped the mainland China box office over the weekend and deposed “Venom: The Last Dance.” The film, which also goes by the title “Brave New World,” is directed by Liu Xunximo and stars Deng Chao and Deng Jiajia in a tale of an internet company employee who is caught up […]

“Gladiator II” topped the box office in South Korea through its opening sessions. But it did little to transform the recent dismal trend in Korean cinemas. The Ridley Scott-directed sequel earned $2.31 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Over its full […]

After a strategic launch in Japan in September and an end-of October debut in the much smaller New Zealand market, Warner Bros, Discovery’s Max streaming platform gets a much bigger rollout in seven more East Asian territories from Tuesday. “Asia Pacific is probably our single biggest region in terms of opportunity for growth, largely because […]

Alibaba Group, China’s e-commerce, entertainment and tech giant, reported a 5% increase in revenues to RMB237 billion ($33.7 billion) in the three months to September. It reported a 63% increase in net profits to RMB43.7 billion ($6.25 billion), but said that the bottom line surge was primarily attributable to the mark-to-market changes from equity investments, […]

Dinosaurs and Vietnam War jungle action are both on the agenda in the first footage from “Primitive War” released by producers Sparke Films. The survival thriller stars “Entourage” star Jeremy Piven, Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica,” “Lucifer”), Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood,” “Red Hill”) and Nick Wechsler (“Revenge,” “The Boys”). Written and directed by Luke Sparke (“Occupation Rainfall,” “Bring Him To […]

‘ “Her Story,” a Mainland Chinese comedy-drama film told from a largely female perspective, is set for a release in major international territories later this month that are coordinated with its wide opening in China. The film is directed by Shao Yihui, who previously made a mark with her 2021 picture “B For Busy.” Its […]

Sometimes described as the world’s largest games company in revenue terms, China’s Tencent increased its net profits by 47% in the three months from July to September. Gains were driven by both its domestic and international games businesses. In addition to games, Tencent is China’s largest social media company, thanks toits ubiquitous WeChat/Weixin messaging platform) […]

COLDPLAY: HOTTER THAN EVER Due to fan demand, British rock band Coldplay has announced a fourth show in India for its “Music of the Spheres” world tour. The band will perform at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on Jan. 25, 2025, for a potential audience of 100,000 fans, making it the biggest stadium show of their career. The multiple Grammy-award winning band is already […]