‘LA LA’ GETS RE-RE-RE-RELEASE
Iconic Hollywood musical film “La La Land” is to re-release (again) in South Korean theaters from Wednesday. Distributed by Pancinema, it will play at the country’s Imax cinemas for a one-week limited run with tickets costing upwards of KRW15,000 ($11.25) for adults.
The film was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling (newly Oscar-nominated for his role as Ken in “Barbie”) and Emma Stone, and holds the box office record for movie musicals with global box office of $470 million.
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It recently re-released in cinemas in China in time for the Christmas peak season. And, according to local sources, the latest outing in Korea will be its third re-release in the country, following a conventional release in December 2017, a re-release in March 2020 and yet another in September 2022.
In its initial run, the film sold 5.13 million tickets and earned KRW31.2 billion or $23.4 million at today’s exchange rates.
‘HERON’ GROUNDED DESPITE GHIBLI’S CHINA DEAL
In a widely-distributed press release, China’s Alibaba Pictures and Japanese animation firm Studio Ghibli said that they will cooperate in the production of anime experiences and business initiatives. This is the first new venture since Alibaba Pictures took full control of Damai, an events and ticketing company previously owned by parent company Alibaba Group. The first “experience centered around the theme of Studio Ghibli’s world” is set to take place in Shanghai, some time in 2024.
“Enthusiastic fans and viewers will be treated to a captivating and immersive journey, submerging themselves in the enchanting realm of Miyazaki Hayao’s animation, thereby reliving the profound emotions and inspiring bravery brought by the master animator,” Alibaba Pictures said. So far, Studio Ghibli’s latest feature film, the Miyazaki-directed “The Boy and the Heron,” has not secured approval for release in mainland China cinemas.
HE GOT GAME
Bhanu Prakash has been appointed as head of creative, games at U.S.-Indian animation services company Saffronic. The company is already present in film and TV animation, gaming, advertising, location-based entertainment, and visual FX space. Prakash is expected to lead the company’s expansion into art and animation services for the gaming industry. The announcement was made by Saffronic CEO Skyler Mattson.
Bhanu was head of creative operations for over nine years at Technicolor Games. He has also held senior positions at Electronic Arts, MPC Film, and DQ Entertainment.
Founded in 2022 by Tim Sarnoff, former deputy CEO and president of production services at Technicolor, and Vince Pizzica, former Technicolor CTO and chief strategist, Saffronic is headed by Mattson, COO Sally Toms; joint studio directors Kumar Chandrasekaran and Prabhakar Sambandan; executive creative director Kevin J. Johnson and SVP of business development Kristy Scanlan.
The company has units in Los Angeles, Chennai and Bangalore.
GAMES RETHINK (MAYBE)
Chinese regulators have removed from their website the draft proposals for further tightening of controls of the video games industry in the country. The draft rules were published for consultation in December and caused some $80 billion of value to be wiped from corporations including Tencent and NetEase. While the consultation period is now completed, the National Press and Publication Administration normally leaves the draft online. Industry observers have taken the unusual removal of the draft proposals as a sign that the rules were too hard and that the NPPA may be having a rethink. Tencent and NetEase shares climbed steeply on Tuesday.
DUTCH JUDGE HOLDS COURT IN CHINA
“Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee,” a Dutch bestselling detective novel, has been adapted as a Chinese television series titled “Judge Dee’s Mystery.” According to Panoramist Consulting, a trailer for the new show has appeared on Chinese video streaming platform Youku. “Dee” was written by Robert Hans van Gulik (1910 – 1967), a Dutch diplomat and sinologist who was stationed in China in the 1940s. While describing a series of cases solved by Judge Dee, “Dee” also describes the culture and customs of the Tang Dynasty in China. It is unclear whether the series will be shown outside China, though the author’s son Thomas van Gulik has said that he hopes it will be.
COMIC COLLECTION
Nazara Technologies’ Nodwin Gaming has acquired Comic Con India via a cash and share swap combination worth INR550 million ($6.6 million). The Comic Con India management team will become shareholders in Nodwin Gaming by swapping 275 million of their shares with Nodwin shares. They will continue operating the business, which includes the Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai Comic Cons, under the Nodwin umbrella. In 2023, the Singapore subsidiary of Nodwin acquired a 51% stake in Branded, which organizes the All That Matters and Music Matters conferences.
SLATE
Indian producer Anand Pandit (“Chehre”) has boarded as presenter a five-film slate from R. Chandru‘s RC Studios. “Kabzaa 2” and “P.O.K.” will be directed by Chandru and “Father” by Rajamohan, while the directors for “Sri Ramabana Charita” and “Dog” have not been finalized yet. The slate was unveiled in Bengaluru in the presence of Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah and Kannada-language cinema superstar Upendra.
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