AMBASSADORS ASSEMBLE The Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA) has tapped actor Dean Fujioka as Ambassador for its upcoming 18th edition, along with four Youth Ambassadors who are fellow actors – Aokbab Chutimon (Thailand), Austin Lin (Taiwan), Lo Chun Yip (Hong Kong) and Okada Masaki (Japan). Fujioka, known for “Fullmetal Alchemist” and winner of Best Actor […]

Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning composer A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and the KM Music Conservatory have unveiled the Bharat Maestro Awards, a new initiative celebrating Indian classical music and its practitioners. The awards program features three distinct categories: four awards for promising young musicians, a lifetime achievement honor for educators, and a state medallion […]

The South Korean box office witnessed “Harbin” fortify its dominant position during the weekend of January 3-5, 2025, while “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” made a notable ascent into fourth place. According to Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council, “Harbin” added KRW4.71 billion ($3.2 million) to its gross, maintaining the top spot […]

The Chinese box office opened 2025 with “Octopus with Broken Arms” leading the first weekend, earning $16.1 million (RMB117.5 million), according to data provided by consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. The As One Production release climbed from its second-place debut last week to take the top spot. Directed by Jacky Gan, the crime thriller follows Zheng […]

India’s MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is rolling out round two of its MAMI Select – Filmed on iPhone program, expanding to four languages with a high-profile mentor lineup of Indian cinema heavyweights. The initiative has assembled a mentor panel including actor-director Konkona Sen Sharma (“A Death in the Gunj”), and filmmakers Lijo Jose Pellissery (“Jallikattu”), […]

Singapore’s adaptation of South Korean hit game show “I Can See Your Voice” invites viewers to solve a musical mystery alongside some of the nation’s most beloved entertainers. The show enlists resident celebrity detectives Benjamin Kheng, Gurmit Singh, Najip Ali and Xixi Lim to assist — or mislead — contestants in their decisions. The series […]

December 2024 delivered a robust close to the year for the U.K. and Ireland box office, generating £115.5 million ($143.5 million), a 21% increase compared to December 2023’s £95.5 million ($118.6 million). The year’s total stands at £1.06 billion ($1.31 billion), matching 2023 and showing an 8% growth over 2022. The month’s success was driven […]

India’s Maddock Films has unveiled its most ambitious slate to date: a cinematic universe combining horror-comedy and superhero narratives. The studio, known for releasing films like “Stree 2,” “Munjya,” and “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya” in a blockbuster 2024, has unveiled a slate of eight interconnected films set to release over the next four […]

India’s KVN Productions and Thespian Films have partnered for an untitled Malayalam-language feature, bringing together “Manjummel Boys” director Chidambaram and “Aavesham” writer Jithu Madhavan. The Malayalam-language “Manjummel Boys” and “Aavesham” were among the biggest Indian hits of 2024. A title and genre for the new project have not been revealed yet. The project assembles key […]

Indian film and television veteran Siddharth Roy Kapur points to increasingly polarized theatrical results and a period of strategic recalibration in streaming as key trends that shaped Indian entertainment in 2024, characterizing it as a “hiatus year” dominated by business-to-business developments rather than consumer-facing initiatives. “People are getting much more particular about which films they […]

Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” raced to the top of the U.K. and Ireland box office with a £11.7 million ($14.7 million) opening weekend, according to numbers from Comscore. In its second weekend, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” continued to draw audiences, adding £4.2 million for a cumulative total of £12.6 million. Universal’s “Wicked” stayed […]

Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor has found new creative territory as antagonist Danger Lanka in Rohit Shetty’s “Singham Again,” marking a calculated departure from his traditional leading man roles. The pic marks the fifth entry in Shetty’s popular cop universe. The franchise – initially based on Hari’s 2010 Tamil-language “Singam,” starring Suriya – kicked off with […]

Vyjayanthi Movies’ ambitious Indian sci-fi mythological epic “Kalki 2898 AD” made waves in 2024, grossing over $140 million globally before being overtaken by “Pushpa 2: The Rise” in December. The film, which blends Hindu mythology with dystopian future tech, represents a significant milestone for Indian cinema’s expanding global footprint. Set in a dystopian future, “Kalki […]

The independent production banner RASA Film Group is broadening its reach, welcoming tech and hospitality veteran Rohit Bhayana as the latest addition to its partnership ranks as the collective sets its sights on expanding its South Asian storytelling ventures. The New York-based collective, which made its debut in 2024, has already established a track record […]

Woo Min-ho’s historical drama “Harbin” stormed to the top of the South Korean box office for the weekend of Dec. 27-29. The film, set in 1909, follows Korean independence activists plotting the assassination of Japan’s Prime Minister during their quest for independence. Starring Hyun Bin, Park Jeong-min and Jeon Yeo-been, “Harbin” earned $5.9 million over […]

The final weekend of 2024 witnessed a significant upswing in China’s box office, with Gengxi Pictures’ “Big World” leading the charge by grossing $28.2 million (RMB200 million), according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. Directed by Yang Lina, the film stars Jackson Yee as Chunhu, a young man with cerebral palsy who assists his […]

Manmohan Singh, India’s 13th Prime Minister and a pivotal figure in the country’s economic transformation, died in a New Delhi hospital on Dec. 26 of age-related medical conditions. He was 92. Singh served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014, leading a coalition government under the banner of the Indian National Congress. Known for his […]

M.T. Vasudevan Nair, celebrated Indian screenwriter, director and novelist, died on Dec. 25 at a hospital in Kozhikode after being admitted for breathing difficulties. He was 91. His contributions to Malayalam-language cinema and literature redefined storytelling in the southern Indian state of Kerala where he was born. Nair’s early exposure to traditional folktales and the […]

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” roared to the top of the U.K.-Ireland box office in its debut weekend with £4.4 million ($5.5 million), according to numbers from Comscore through Dec. 23. As the holiday season reaches its peak, Universal’s “Wicked” continues to enchant in its fifth frame, conjuring £2.5 million for a robust £48.2 million […]