20 LIFE | Film Thursday, March 22, 2018 CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Black Panther clings to lead, close to record LOS ANGELES — Digging in its claws, Black Panther has clung to its boxoffice lead for a fifth straight weekend, taking in an estimated $27 million in North American theaters while fending off two new films, website Exhibitor Rela tions said on Sunday. The Disney/Marvel super hero film has now earned a domestic total of just over $600 million while becoming the first film since Avatar in 2009 to hold the top spot for five straight weekends. Black Panther, starring Chadwick Boseman as the Clockwise from top: Posters of popular Chinese TV superhero king of a utopian series Candle in the Tomb, Rural Love Story, BBC’s African country, has almost nature documentaries Planet Earth II and Blue singlehandedly kept the Planet II. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY year’s box office total slightly above the same period last year. It is only days away from overtaking another Marvel un Zhonghuai and his est two seasons, starting from film, The Avengers, as the all colleagues from Chi the ninth season, have been time topgrossing superhero na’s Tencent Hold produced by Penguin Pictures film in North America, Variety ings Ltd were once and Zhao’s production firm, reported. Scurious about the economics CASHING IN Benshan Media Group. It easily fended off a chal of HBO’s hit television series The popular online series lenge from Warner Bros Pic Westworld, a scifi thriller Tencent is making its own series and purchasing copyrights Candle in the Tomb, adapted tures’ newly released Tomb depicting rebellious androids. from author Zhang Muye’s Raider, an adventure reboot Based on their experience for TV dramas for exclusive streaming. Xu Fan reports. bestselling novel of the same starring Swedish actress Alicia of investing in TV shows, it title, is another example. The Vikander as the fearless and would have been difficult for story about three explorers’ ferocious Lara Croft. The mov the bigbudget series — with adventure in a desert in ie, also starring Dominic West 10 episodes reportedly cost northwestern China, the and Kristin Scott Thomas, net ing about $100 million to series’ first and second sea ted $23.5 million for the three make — to earn back the mon sons, respectively, gained 3.1 day weekend. ey. billion “clicks” in 2016 and 2.7 In something of a surprise, But HBO told them it was billion views in 2017. The third place went to a lowbud made for a reason: To produce third and fourth seasons are get, faithbased drama, I Can a hit beyond expectations so being produced. Only Imagine, which took in that the broadcaster would be While speaking about big $17.1 million — the biggest net able to retain its paying view data, which was once reck ever for a film from Roadside ers. oned as a significant index to Attractions. Westworld, which bagged research what audiences Made for a modest $7 mil five awards at the Emmy want, Sun says he thinks it lion, the movie stars J. Michael Awards last year and earned won’t work if a production is Finley as the lead singer of a 8.8 points out of 10 on the built on just digital analysis. popular Christian band. Den popularity barometer IMDb, “The process of making a nis Quaid and Cloris Leach is such a hit. series is long. You cannot man also star. “It (Westworld) was inspi guarantee a hot topic will still In fourth, down two spots rational. But we too have be attractive after two years,” from last week, was Disney’s invested in some good pro he says. science fantasy adventure A jects that might not be profit Besides television series, Wrinkle in Time, at $16.6 mil able. And although none of documentaries are also being lion, a 50 percent drop from them is as good as Westworld, welcomed by Chinese viewers. last weekend. The story of a I hope our team or others in And working with top pro girl’s search through time and the entertainment industry ducers, Tencent Video has space for a missing father, will produce a worldclass joined the production of stars Storm Reid, Oprah Win production in the future,” says BBC’s classic nature docu frey, Reese Witherspoon and Sun, the vicepresident of mentaries such as Planet Chris Pine. Tencent and chief executive Earth II and Blue Planet II — And in fifth place was new officer of Tencent Penguin which have won acclaim in Fox release Love, Simon, at Pictures, the online content China after being streamed $11.5 million. The film stars producing arm of the parent According to industry music, novels and animation, ful franchises and raising online. Separately, they have Nick Robinson in what would company. researcher Vlinkage, Tencent says Sun. subscription levels. announced plans to team up be a classic love story — except To achieve the goal, Tencent 62.59 Video broadcast 80 percent of He says the online market “For example, Rural Love with Chen Xiaoqing, the pro that it is said to be the first has been making popular the most popular 20 televi for paid content has become Story now has 10 seasons. The ducer of the hit Chinese docu romantic comedy from a series and purchasing the million sion series online in 2017, top mature as Chinese netizens length is rare for domestic tel mentary A Bite of China, to mainstream studio to be told copyright of expensive televi paid subscriptions of Ten ping the charts in this field. are now willing to pay for evision series,” says Sun. produce Savoring China, a from a gay teen’s perspective. sion dramas to be exclusively cent Video up to Feb 28 And the user number of quality content and are com Created by comedian Zhao documentary franchise about Rounding out the top 10 streamed on its video plat videostreaming sites reached fortable paying online. Benshan, the series centers on gourmet food. were: form. 565 million, or 75.2 percent of And, television series are a group of farmers and their But the main challenge for Game Night ($5.6 million) On Sunday, Tencent Video, China’s total netizen popula the top choice for internet love stories in a fictional vil videostreaming sites is still Peter Rabbit ($5.2 million) the streaming subsidiary of 565 tion by July, China Netcasting viewers, followed by movies lage located in northeastern profit. And with the rapid rise Strangers: Prey at Night Tencent, announced its paid million Services Association says in and variety shows. China. The drama was first of copyright fees and produc ($4.8 million) subscriptions had reached its latest report. The fans’ enthusiasm for aired on China Central Televi tion budgets in recent years, Red Sparrow ($4.5 million) number of users of video 62.59 million as of Feb 28, The numbers show that the popular series has made pro sion in 2010 and quickly Sun says most players in Chi Death Wish ($3.4 million) streaming sites in China enhancing its status as the Chinese have become used to ducers greenlight their became one of the highest na’s online market are still fac as of July largest video site in China. paying for online series, sequels, generating success rated television series. Its lat ing financial losses. AGENCE FRANCEPRESSE Concert in tribute to Hong Kong cinema coming to Beijing
By CHEN NAN of 67 years, he is also a big fan [email protected] of Hong Kong films, especially the martial arts films. Yao Shuo can still recall the And one of his favorite Hong time he first watched the Hong Kong actors is Leslie Cheung Kong movie, A Chinese Ghost (19562003), the awardwin Story, in his university dormi ning singeractor. tory along with classmates. He “The Beijing concert will pay was impressed by the comic tribute to this great actor,” says horror story, the performance Fan. And he adds that as he has of the leading actors, Leslie composed for movies and TV Cheung and Joey Wong, and dramas, this has enabled him one of the songs from the film to understand the importance by the same name and per of music for films. formed by Cheung, has Posters of old Hong Kong films are used to publicize a concert, A Musical Night of Hong Kong Cinema, which pays tribute to 12 classic Hong Kong films. The films are a big “The idea of hearing these become one of his favorites. part of the youth of Chinese audience who were born in the 1970s ad 1980s. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY memorable scores in a concert Since then, he has become a hall is exciting,” he says. big fan of Hong Kong films, hai, Guangdong province, and that year for portraying the their youth,” says Yao. “From na. And he invited the China Kong films, since his vision for Speaking about the public such as Once Upon a Time in will be staged at Beijing’s Tian famous Chinese actress Ruan the feedback of the audience, Film Orchestra to perform the the concert was not only about response, Yao Liang, the prin China series, which is based on qiao Performing Arts Center Lingyu (19101935); Rouge who attended the premiere of film scores. performing music but also cov cipal violinist of China Film the stories of Cantonese mar on April 1. (1988), starring Anita Mu and the concert in Zhuhai, we were Then, along with the musi ering the footage of the films. Orchestra, says: “I remember tial artist Wong Feihung. The audiences can enjoy Leslie Cheung; and The Legend convinced that the audience cians, he narrowed down the “We don’t just play the films vividly that the audience in Now, the 38yearold Yao has film scores from 12 classic of the Swordsman (1992), shares this nostalgic mood and 100 Hong Kong films on their on screen. We reedit them to Zhuhai sang along with our brought all his memories Hong Kong films, including directed by Ching Siutung and the music conjures up memo list to about 20. match the music, which has performance because they are about Hong Kong films into director Stanley Kwan’s mov starring Jet Li and Brigitte Lin. ries.” He later traveled back and been rearranged by 10 compos very familiar with these film his latest musical project, enti ies, Center Stage (1992), star “For Chinese audiences, Yao started planning the forth between Beijing and ers,” says Yao. scores. tled A Musical Night of Hong ring Maggie Cheung, who won especially those who were born concert last year, which Hong Kong to acquire permis According to Fan Tao, the “So, by adapting film scores, Kong Cinema, which pre the best actress award at Berlin in the 1970s and 1980s, Hong marked the 20th anniversary sion from film companies, who conductor of China Film we gave the audience a chance miered in November in Zhu International Film Festival of Kong films were a big part of of Hong Kong’s return to Chi hold copyrights for the Hong Orchestra, which has a history to enjoy classical music.”