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Tattoos are a relatively new obsession for Alan Ritchson. His collection is growing and each piece is thoughtfully selected. There’s a lotus on his wrist to honor his wife of 17 years, Cat. “She’s the flower, I’m undoubtedly the mud,” he says. There are separate tattoos inspired by the couple’s three young boys — a peaceful dove for Calem, an abstract flame for Edan, and a crest with a shield and swords for Amory. There’s a massive skull with a crown on his bicep and another down the way inspired by a Richard Gere remake of the Japanese movie Hachiko about a faithful dog that is meant to symbolize loyalty and devotion.

But the newest one, finished during a 16-hour session in February in Toronto on a day off from filming Reacher, the Prime Video juggernaut that has made him one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men,...

Through this partnership, ’Trending Topic’ will hit cinemas in Singapore and Malaysia on December 7, immediately after opening in mainland China.

China’s streaming platform iQiyi is collaborating with Malaysia’s Gsc Movies and Singapore’s Clover Films to expand the distribution networks for its Chinese-language films and expedite their theatrical release.

Through this partnership, Trending Topic, directed by Xin Yukun and starring Zhou Dongyu, Yuan Hong and Song Yang, will hit cinemas in Singapore and Malaysia on December 7, immediately after its opening on December 1 in mainland China.

Further iQiyi titles set for release in both Singapore and Malaysia are Chen Zhuo’s The Invisible Guest,...

Chinese streamer and producer iQiyi is joining forces with Malaysia’s Gsc Movies and Singapore-based Clover Films to handle theatrical distribution of its Chinese-language films in their respective territories.

As part of this partnership, the iQiyi-backed film Trending Topic, directed by Xin Yukun and starring Zhou Dongyu, Yuan Hong, and Song Yang, will be theatrically released in Singapore and Malaysia, following its release in mainland China on December 1.

Similarly, iQiyi’s The Invisible Guest, directed by Chen Zhuo and starring actors Greg Hsu, Janine Chang, Kara Wai and Zheng Yin, will also be in theatres in Singapore and Malaysia after it debuts in Chinese cinemas on December 8.

Yang Xianghua, iQiyi’s President of Movie & Overseas Business, said: “We have witnessed a growing demand since we started distributing Chinese-language content to overseas markets in 2017.

“By partnering with Gsc Movies and Clover Films for theatrical distribution, we can seamlessly bring Chinese-language...

Season 17 (September 8 – October 7) kicks off with a screening of director Masayuki Suzuki's Yudo, architect Shiro Miura's (Toma Ikuta) and his return to his family-owned public bathhouse. Intent on modernizing the outdated establishment, Shiro faces unexpected challenges from both his brother Goro (Gaku Hamada) and a fire that lands him as the bathhouse's temporary manager. As he immerses himself in the role, Shiro connects with customers and begins to understand the happiness and democratizing power the place offers. The film will be presented at AMC Newcity 14, 1500 N. Clybourn, (September 8).

Centerpiece film Harvest Moon is Mongolian actor Amarsaikhan Baljinnyam's debut feature as director. An award-winning screenwriter, he adapted this father-son story from a short novel by T. Bum-Erden, following a city chef who must fulfill the harvesting in his village after his father dies. Representing Mongolia in the international feature 2022 Oscar submission, the film will be presented at AMC Newcity...

Hachiko is one of the most famous canines of the 20th century. He was given a generous entrance in Wikipedia and a number of articles and books dedicated to his loyalty to his best friend Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo Imperial University. The first movie about “the most loyal dog in the history” was shot in Hachiko's homeland Japan in 1925 by Kiyoshi Masomoto, followed by three other films in the 1930s, but the most famous version came up in 1987 penned by Kaneto Shindo, and directed by Seijiro Koyama. Its success led to Lasse Hallström's Hollywood adaptation “Hachi: A Dog Tale” (2009) starring Richard Gere which on the one side garnered mixed reviews, but on the other a considerable sympathy by the audience. The tale of the white Akita dog who came to prominence by patiently waiting nine years for Hidesaburo at the train station at exact same time...

The highly-anticipated Japanese animated feature film “The First Slam Dunk” dominated the mainland China cinema box office in its opening weekend. It broke multiple records as it did so.

The film scored $38.5 million (RMB266 million) over the Friday to Sunday weekend, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. However, it opened on Thursday, a day earlier than is the norm in China, and has accumulated $55.2 million over the opening four-day frame.

The film is based on IP that is well-known to a generation of comic book fans and TV audiences in China (early middle-aged men were reported to have been particularly interested) and has already proved a hit in other parts of Asia. (Comscore estimates that the film has grossed $211 million worldwide.)

Approval went wider than a single demographic segment, however. “The First Slam Dunk” received strong acclaim across China’s major movie rating platforms, including a 9.2 out of 10 score...

Aging action legend Jackie Chan galloped away with another win as his latest action-comedy film Ride On maintained its grip on the top spot of the Chinese box office for the second consecutive weekend. Meanwhile, Universal Pictures’ The Super Mario Bros. Movie struggled to keep up, finishing the frame in fourth place.

According to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, Ride On earned $6 million (RMB41.5 million) for the weekend, representing a respectable 48 percent week-on-week drop from its $11.7 million opening the week prior. The film has already amassed $22.6 million in ticket sales since its release April 7. Ticketing app Maoyan projects a $33 million (RMB230 million) career total for the title.

Coming in second place was iQiyi Pictures’ Hachiko, which added $4.9 million over the weekend, bringing its total to $35.1 million since its release March 31. The film, which is based on the classic Japanese story of a loyal dog who waits for his owner every day at the train station,...

Jackie Chan-starring nostalgic stuntman comedy film “Ride On” trotted to a second weekend atop the mainland Chinese box office. “The Super Mario” Bros. Movie” remained in fourth place.

“Ride On” earned $6.0 million (RMB41.5 million) between Friday and Sunday, a 48% week-on week drop, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That took it to a $22.6 million total since release on April 7.

Below it, Japanese animation “Suzume” and Chinese shaggy dog story “Hachiko” swapped places. “Hachiko,” on its third weekend outing, earned $4.9 million, for a cumulative of $35.1 million. “Suzume” earned $4.5 million in its fourth weekend on release in China, giving it a $109 million cumulative.

“Super Mario” earned $4.3 million in its second weekend in China. After ten days on release, it has a cumulative of $17.1 million.

The weekend’s top newcomer was “Faces in the Crowd,” an action film about 1931 rivalry between Communist and Nationalist forces, placed fifth. It earned $3.0 million in its opening three days.

The Jackie Chan-starring stunt-man comedy drama “Ride On” pratfalled its way to first place at the mainland Chinese box office with a lowball $11.7 million opening. Still, that was enough to beat another new release, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which ranked fourth over the latest weekend.

Chan is an enduring, but fading, star in China and in the past his new release titles were often scheduled for the three biggest holiday seasons. “Ride On,” which sees Chan in an ode to the stunt players he has worked with, was released two days after the Ching Ming (Wednesday 5 April) holiday, when many folks honor their ancestors.

Its opening three days were enough to depose “Suzume” from the top spot, where “Suzume” had ranked for the previous two weekends. “Suzume” earned $8.0 million over the latest weekend in China, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That gives it a $103 million...

After 60 years in the movie business, Jackie Chan is still a box office force. The Hong Kong action legend added another chapter to his storied career over the weekend as his latest action feature, Ride On, fended off competition from Japanese anime hit Suzume and Universal Pictures’ The Super Mario Bros. Movie to win the weekend in China.

Directed by Larry Yang and produced by Alibaba Pictures, Ride On stars Chan as a washed-up stuntman battling debt collectors over ownership of his stunt horse. The film opened to $11.7 million, topping Suzume‘s $8 million performance and Super Mario‘s muted $6.3 showing, according to data from Artisan Gateway. Ride On, which also stars Liu Haocun, Kevin Guo and Wu Jing, is on pace for a $30 million-plus career run.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie smashed expectations and set a number of box office records in North America and several other international markets during the long Easter holiday weekend.

Italy’s Far East Film Festival unveiled a power-packed lineup Wednesday for its 25th anniversary edition. The largest cinema event in Europe specializing in popular moviemaking from Asia, Feff will open April 21 with an inspired double bill, He Shuming’s hit Korea-Singapore co-production Ajoomma followed by first-time Taiwanese director Kai Ko’s black comedy Bad Education. And on April 29, the curtain will come down on the festival with the Italy premiere of legendary Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s latest blockbuster, Full River Red. Between those dates, the festival will screen 78 Asian films from 14 countries, including nine world premieres.

The organizers of Feff, founded in 1999 in the picturesque northern Italian city of Udine by festival pioneers Sabrina Baracetti and Thomas Bertacche, say the 2023 selection “aims to showcase the immense complexity of Asia more than ever before.” The lineup indeed presents a compelling snapshot of a wildly diverse content’s commercial cinema in flux.

The Far East Film Festival in Italy’s Udine will open with a double bill of He Shuming’s “Ajoomma” and Kai Ko’s “Bad Education.” It will close with Zhang Yimou’s blockbuster period epic “Full River Red.”

In between, the festival will showcase a stunning 78-title array of commercial and art-house films from across East Asia. Operating according to a motto of diversity –implying cultural asymmetries and artistic multiplicities – the 25th edition of the festival will run April 21-29.

Organizers say that their selection “shows in real time how the cinemas of East and Southeast Asia have re-emerged from the gruelling period of the pandemic, not all in the same way and not all with the same results.”

They point to the impact of Covid, politics and emigration from Hong Kong, and the recent resurgence of Cantonese-language cinema.

Similarly, Udine’s organizers note the recent box office struggles of South Korean cinema,...

’Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ opened with an estimated $38.5m in North America.

Global box office March 31 - April 2 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount) $71.5m $71.5m $33m $33m 61 2. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) $63.2m $244.9m $35m $122m 76 3. Suzume (various) $27.9m $221.1m $27.9m $221.1m 7 4. Shazam! Fury Of The Gods (Warner Bros) $11.9m $119.6m $7.2m $66m 79 5. Hachiko (various) $8.9m $9m $8.9m $9m 1 6. Scream VI (Paramount) $8.8m $152.7m $3.5m $54.5m 55 7. Creed III (Warner Bros) $7.7m $258.6m $2.7m $110m 72 8. Post Truth (various) $6.5m $84.5m $64.5m $84.5m 1 9. His Only Son...

Makoto Shinkai’s Japanese anime sensation Suzume held strong at the top of China’s box office over the weekend, earning $22.1 million while easily defeating Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Sony’s 65, which both flopped.

Suzume has earned $80.6 million in China, better than any other international film released in the country this year, including U.S. superhero tentpoles like Ant-Man 3 ($39 million), according to box office tracker Artisan Gateway. The film is forecast to bring in over $90 million, which will make it the most commercially successful Japanese anime in China of all time.

Suzume also has earned just shy of $30 million in South Korea and $105 million in Japan. It opens in North America and most of Europe on April 14, providing the latest bellwether for anime’s growing theatrical potential in the West.

Dungeons & Dragons and 65‘s disappointing results continue a streak of poor...