Netflix is expanding its Japanese animation slate with “My Melody & Kuromi,” a new stop-motion series featuring “Hello Kitty” creator Sanrio’s beloved characters, set to debut globally in July. The series features My Melody, who since her debut in 1975 has continued to be loved by a wide range of fans, and Kuromi, who debuted […]

BOND’S BOUNTY The London Critics’ Circle will present Daniel Craig with its Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film at the org’s 45th annual ceremony, set for Feb. 2 at London’s May Fair Hotel. “This is such an immense honor and I’m incredibly grateful to the London Film Critics’ Circle,” Craig said. Critics’ Circle Film […]

The global box office wrapped up 2024 with a bang, hitting an impressive $30 billion for the year, fueled by a sparkling $3 billion in December alone, according to U.K.-based film industry research firm Gower Street Analytics. December proved to be a blockbuster month, with the combined international (excluding China) and North American markets raking […]

Indian cinema heavyweight Yash marked his 39th birthday with the release of a first-look video from his upcoming feature “Toxic – A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups,” his first project since the blockbuster “K.G.F” franchise. The footage presents Yash in a white suit and fedora, cigar in hand, as he moves through an upscale nightclub setting. […]

Asia’s streaming wars are heating up, with a massive $16.2 billion revenue surge on the horizon through 2029, even as traditional TV faces a steep $8 billion decline, according to a new study from research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA). India emerges as the powerhouse market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, commanding 26% of projected […]

Universal’s “Nosferatu” made a chilling debut at the U.K. and Ireland box office, securing the overall top spot with £5.2 million ($6.5 million), including previews. Over the three-day weekend the gothic horror remake, with $3.8 million, was just behind Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King.” The photorealistic animation continued to roar with $4 million in its […]

The Bangladesh Ministry of Cultural Affairs has launched an ambitious anthology film project titled “Remembering Monsoon Revolution,” selecting eight accomplished directors to create works that will traverse the breadth of the country. The project will produce six fictional stories and two documentaries, each running 40-50 minutes. The initiative’s title is a reference to the events […]

Wamiqa Gabbi has joined the cast of the upcoming Indian spy thriller “G2,” directed by debutant Vinay Kumar Sirigineedi. “G2” is a sequel to hit spy thriller “Goodachari” (2018), written by and starring Sesh. Gabbi stars opposite Adivi Sesh in this next installment of the franchise, continuing the story of Sesh’s character from “Goodachari.” Gabbi […]

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 […]