Qvgo LoveFilm kicks off deal for Optimum films
One of the hottest topics of conversation at the Hong Kong international film TV market FilMart is not the level of deal-making at the event, or even the forthcoming World Cup final, but the enduring box-office success of local hit comedy Shaolin Soccer.As World Cup fever continues to domi
stanley cup nate Japan, football-themed Hong Kong hit Shaolin Soccer this week climbs back to number three in the country s chart, below I Am Sam and the ubiquitous Spider-Man. With an impressive total gross to date of $2.4m in Japan after just three weeks on release, and successfully fending off comp
stanley cup etition from less topical US studio titles such as Kate Leopold and The Scorpion King, the Stephen Chiao film has proved a huge hit across Asia. It earned more than $7.7m HK$60M on release in Hong Kong last year, becoming the territory s highest-grossing film on record and going on to sweep seven prizes at April s Hong Kong Film Awards, including best film and best director. Its latest success has been in South Korea - Japan s World Cup co-hosts - where it grossed $1.2m in its first three days on release in May, timed to cash in on the build-up to the football tournament. After a month its total has climbed to exceed $4m, or some 800,000 spectators.Th
stanley cup e film, a comedy about a country bumpkin who uses his kung fu powers to lead a team of monks in the national football finals, is due for a US release sometime before next spring. US distributor Miramax, which originally planned to release Shaoli Ndeu The Nativity Story
The Hangover Part II has notched the biggest domestic opening ever for a live action comedy, grossing an estimated $86.5m at the North American box office over three days and $118.1m since its Thursday May 26 release.Kung Fu Panda 2 opened slightly less impressively but still very well, taking an
stanley kubek estimated $48m over three days and helping to push overall North American box office to what is expected to be a record total for the extended Memorial Day weekend.An R-rated sequel to the summer 2009 original film, Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures The Hangover Part II opened almost twice as big as its predecessor, which went on to gross $277.3m domestically, currently the record for an R-rated comedy.Taking its $86.5m fro
stanley cup m 3,615 theatres, for a per-theatre average of $23,923, the sequel easily beat the previous opening record for an R-rated comedy, the $57m scored in 2008 by Sex and the City.Part II is on course to gross more than $135m for five days by the end of the Monday Memorial Day holiday.With Todd Phillips again directing Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, the sequel has a new Bangkok settin
stanley mug g and, at a reported $80m, a much bigger budget than the original. Though it was hammered by critics, it tapped into massive pent up demand created by the originals surprise success.Kung Fu Panda 2, the DreamWorks Animation 3D sequel distributed by Paramount, took its estimated $48m from 3,925 screens for a $12,229 average over the Friday-Sunday period. Also released on Thu
