China has started putting the brakes on the entry of some U.S. content in apparent retaliation against Washington’s escalation of its trade war with Beijing, multiple sources tell Variety.
Chinese film officials have told some local buyers to steer clear of U.S. movies. One Chinese distributor says he was advised by various platforms not to submit U.S. titles for consideration, while another has heard through unofficial channels that private companies can no longer import U.S. content. American actors working in the Middle Kingdom say their careers have nosedived without explanation.
Industry insiders stress that there is nothing in writing – no officially published decree – putting a freeze on U.S. content. The Chinese government tends to exercise such controls internally and unofficially, which allows it to publicly deny the existence of any restrictions and to make exceptions when it suits them. Three years ago, when China blocked South Korean films,...
Chinese film officials have told some local buyers to steer clear of U.S. movies. One Chinese distributor says he was advised by various platforms not to submit U.S. titles for consideration, while another has heard through unofficial channels that private companies can no longer import U.S. content. American actors working in the Middle Kingdom say their careers have nosedived without explanation.
Industry insiders stress that there is nothing in writing – no officially published decree – putting a freeze on U.S. content. The Chinese government tends to exercise such controls internally and unofficially, which allows it to publicly deny the existence of any restrictions and to make exceptions when it suits them. Three years ago, when China blocked South Korean films,...
- 6/5/2019
- by Patrick Frater and Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Now was supposed to be a happy time indeed for Stx Entertainment. If all had gone according to plan, “The Happytime Murders” would have been a smash summer hit and the studio would be laughing all the way to the bank with a successful Ipo under its belt.
But the Melissa McCarthy movie tanked at the box office, pulling in only $25 million worldwide despite costing $40 million to make. And the planned Ipo on the Hong Kong stock exchange is stuck in limbo, with the soonest a listing could take place pushed back to November, well past its end-of-summer target date.
Those setbacks have conspired to cloud the picture for Stx as the company tries to make good on its promise to usher in a new way of doing business in Hollywood. Founded in 2014 and touted as a fully baked content and distribution engine, the studio has seasoned U.S. executives...
But the Melissa McCarthy movie tanked at the box office, pulling in only $25 million worldwide despite costing $40 million to make. And the planned Ipo on the Hong Kong stock exchange is stuck in limbo, with the soonest a listing could take place pushed back to November, well past its end-of-summer target date.
Those setbacks have conspired to cloud the picture for Stx as the company tries to make good on its promise to usher in a new way of doing business in Hollywood. Founded in 2014 and touted as a fully baked content and distribution engine, the studio has seasoned U.S. executives...
- 10/4/2018
- by Patrick Frater and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
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