China’s box office remained firmly in the grip of “Ne Zha 2,” which continued its extraordinary run, grossing RMB 1.1 billion ($152.9 million) over the Feb. 21–23 weekend, according to Artisan Gateway. The Enlight Pictures/Cococartoon release has now amassed $1.89 billion in the Middle Kingdom since its debut on Jan. 29, further cementing its place […]
Indian superstar Yash’s upcoming “Toxic – A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups” is being simultaneously shot in the English and Kannada languages, Variety has confirmed. The ambitious project is helmed by festival circuit darling Geetu Mohandas (“Moothon”). While the Indian industry routinely dubs films in multiple languages post-production, shooting films in two languages simultaneously is not […]
Indian auteur filmmaker Anurag Kashyap is set to present the Hindi-language version of Malayalam-language thriller “Footage,” starring powerhouse performer Manju Warrier. The found-footage feature, which gained critical acclaim in Kerala last year, will hit theaters nationwide. The film marks the directorial debut of veteran editor Saiju Sreedharan, known for his work on Indian National Film […]
Dechen Roder’s “I, The Song” achieved a near clean sweep at Bhutan’s National Film Awards, winning most of the major categories including best film, director, screenplay and acting honors. The film had its world premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where Roder won best director, and its Asia premiere at the International Film Festival […]
India’s Hindi studio powerhouse Junglee Pictures is making its first foray into Malayalam-language cinema with “Ronth” (“Night Patrol”), a gritty police drama helmed by award-winning filmmaker Shahi Kabir. The film, which has wrapped production and is currently in post, stars acclaimed actors Dileesh Pothan (Berlinale selection “Tiger’s Pond”) and Roshan Mathew (Busan winner “Paradise”) as […]
Titan Content has secured a strategic partnership with Republic Records’ Imperial Music division for its upcoming K-pop girl group AtHeart, while simultaneously revealing the complete lineup and dropping the group’s first teaser video along with official social media channels. The seven-member group, which will make their official debut this summer, consists of Michi, Katelyn, Seohyeon, […]
Red Hill Creative is stepping up to bat with “Strikers,” a new cricket-centered comedy series starring “Queer Eye” personality Bobby Berk and creator-actor Dana Abraham. The six-episode, half-hour series is set to begin production in summer 2025. The indie project follows Amar Farooqi (Abraham), a former MLB pitcher whose career-ending injury leads him back to […]
The BBC has pulled its controversial Gaza documentary from its streaming platform iPlayer after revelations that its teenage narrator is the son of a Hamas official. The doc, “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which initially aired on BBC Two, featured young Abdullah Al-Yazouri chronicling daily life in the war-torn region. The broadcaster faced immediate […]
Indian screen legend Kamal Haasan has been tapped to head the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) Media and Entertainment Committee South, as announced at the org’s Media & Entertainment Business Conclave South Connect 2025 in Chennai. The two-day conference, inaugurated by Haasan alongside actor and producer Udhayanidhi Stalin, who now serves […]
The long-running Australian soap opera “Neighbours” is set to end its run once again, with the final episode scheduled to air in December. The announcement comes barely two years after Amazon rescued the series from cancellation, marking a bittersweet end to the show’s 40-year legacy. The beloved series, which launched the careers of global superstars […]
Piece of Magic Entertainment has acquired theatrical rights from Mercury Studios for “One to One: John & Yoko” across a broad swath of European territories, including France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The documentary from Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King […]
Southeast Asia’s premium video-on-demand market saw robust growth in 2024, with total industry revenues jumping 14% to $1.8 billion and viewership hitting 440 billion minutes, according to fresh data from Media Partners Asia (MPA). Netflix dominated the landscape with a 52% viewership share and 42% revenue share, while capturing nearly half of all new subscriptions […]
Netflix has greenlit a new Korean romantic comedy series “Boyfriend on Demand” (working title), featuring Blackpink member Jisoo alongside Seo In-guk (“Doom at Your Service,” “Café Minamdang”) in lead roles. The high-concept drama centers on an overworked webtoon producer who discovers romance through a subscription-based virtual reality dating program. Jisoo will portray Seo Mi-rae, a […]
Sony’s Columbia Pictures has secured the rights to remake “366 Days,” the Japanese romantic drama that has taken the box office by storm, for English-speaking audiences. Co-produced and co-distributed by Shochiku and Sony Pictures Japan, the film has been a major hit locally since its Jan. 10 release. Propelled by strong word-of-mouth, “366 Days” climbed […]
South Korean director Park Ri-woong’s “The Land of Morning Calm” won the top prize, the Golden Cyclo, at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema. The jury, headed by Chinese auteur Jia Zhang-ke, said: “”Watching this film is like taking a dive into the sea. The director led us dive from the calming surface into […]
FESTIVAL FORTUNES India’s 2025 box office kicked off in high gear, powered by a Sankranthi holiday-fueled Telugu-language onslaught that pushed local grosses past the INR10.13 billion ($116.6 million) mark. Leading the charge was “Sankranthiki Vasthunam,” starring Venkatesh, a genre-bending blockbuster that towered over the month’s chart with a commanding $23 million haul. Per Ormax Media, […]
Los Angeles-based film and television studio Happy Accidents has partnered with Australian production companies Total Fiction and Screen Invaders on the genre-bending drama-comedy series “Gnomes” (6×30′). The studio, which specializes in high-end content across multiple genres including films, scripted and unscripted series, documentaries and formats, has come aboard as co-producer and international distributor for the […]
U.K. entertainment financier Goldfinch is making power moves in Southeast Asia’s largest market, inking a landmark joint venture to launch Goldfinch Indonesia. The deal, unveiled in Jakarta, brings heavyweight local players Synco and Goshen Group into the fold as the company aims to transform Indonesia’s creative industries. The venture, which was officially witnessed by Indonesia’s […]
Chinese auteur Vivian Qu’s latest drama “Girls on Wire” received an emotional response at its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, with audiences both laughing and weeping during the screening. An intimate portrait of two cousins navigating personal ambition and family obligations against the backdrop of China’s rapid social transformation, the drama, which is […]