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Thread: Harry Potter

  1. #91
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    Grindelwald & zouwu

    So is the zouwu like a flower vase but in reverse?

    NOVEMBER 23, 2018 1:04AM PT
    ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Unlikely to Beat First Film in China
    By BECKY DAVIS


    CREDIT: YINGHANGTIANXIA

    As it heads into its second weekend, “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” looks set to fall well short of the box-office performance of the franchise’s first installment in China, despite a number of tailor-made attempts to woo Chinese audiences.

    As of mid-afternoon Friday, six days after its release, “Grindelwald” had brought in about $46.3 million in the world’s second-biggest movie market. It was beaten at the box office Wednesday and Thursday by “Venom” and comedic Chinese crime thriller “A Cool Fish,” then dropped even further, to fifth place, by 3 p.m. Friday, muscled aside by new releases “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Johnny English Strikes Again,” starring Rowan Atkinson, who has a huge following in China.

    2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” took in $86 million in China – nearly double the sequel’s current take – at a time when the country had significantly fewer screens than it has now. On Wednesday and Thursday, “Grindelwald” had about 70,000 screenings per day.

    J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World remains extremely popular in the Middle Kingdom, where more people are likely to recognize Harry Potter than Prince Harry as an emissary of British culture. On Douban, a key Chinese user-review site, some 127,000 reviewers gave “Grindelwald“ a respectable aggregate 7.2 rating, but many complained that the story was too convoluted, a common criticism by Western reviewers as well.

    “An installment that’s totally a setup for the next; it was way too dull, and the emotional scenes awkward and wooden,” said one of the most popular Douban reviews, which gave it just two stars. “The spectacle of the beasts was not as rich or interesting as it was in the first.”

    Another three-star review cautioned: “The threshold for getting into it is very high – non-fans will be totally lost, and the plot is too messy. But the special effects were very good and the sets are very cool.”

    The film hasn’t quite hit home with audiences despite the introduction of a Chinese “fantastic beast”: the zouwu, based on an obscure creature mentioned in the “Classic of Mountains and Seas,” an ancient Chinese text full of myths and mythical geography thought to date back to the 4th century B.C.

    “This is how it is described in Chinese mythology: gigantic, elephant-sized cat, five-colored. It really does take a Newt Scamander to contain and look after that beast,” Rowling said in a promotional video for “Grindelwald.” She added: “There’s a Chinese bestiary that is utterly fascinating.”

    The original classical text mentions the zouwu only briefly, stating: “In Lin Country, there are rare beasts. Big as a tiger, with a multi-colored body and a tail longer than its body, it is called the Zouwu, and riding it you can go a thousand li” – an ancient unit of measurement of about a third of a mile.

    Chinese fans were charmed by Hollywood’s version of the fantastical cat, with some even saying they found it so cute that they dug out dusty copies of the classical text to find the reference. Many noted the irony of Hollywood picking up on a cultural element that even most Chinese people themselves didn’t know about, with one user on Weibo, China’s Twitter, writing: “Our ancestors left us many good things that we’ve never made full use of – a shame!”

    “Grindelwald’s” marketing campaign also reached out to Chinese audiences with a gorgeous China-specific poster: a Chinese ink-brush painting of the zouwu and other creatures perched in a tree, done with the “gongbi” technique known for its highly precise strokes and realism. It was displayed at the film’s Beijing premiere, stretched out over a seven-paneled screen. The artist, Zhang Chun, had also created ink-brush portraits of six creatures for the first film, which went viral in China.

    Some on Western fansites have chattered about the possibility that the zouwu could take the “Beasts” franchise to China. In the first film, a creature with the French name demiguise played a prominent role, and the next film was set in Paris.

    Patrick Frater contributed to this report.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  2. #92
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    More zuowu

    I would've reviewed this for KungFuMagazine.com if I had known. I was invited to a screener but I couldn't think of a decent connection to Kung Fu (It was a reach to write ). I think I was busy when the screener was shown anyway.


    The zouwu in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”

    CULTURE
    That Chinese creature in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is surprisingly accurate
    Gavin Huang
    NOV 22, 2018

    JK Rowling was inspired by Chinese mythology when she created one of the most dazzling creatures in the latest Fantastic Beasts movie.

    The scene-stealing zouwu (驺吾), also called zouyu (驺虞) in some Chinese texts, is an elephant-sized beast with the head of a tiger and the tail of a pheasant.

    The zouwu in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”
    The zouwu in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” / Photo: Warner Bros

    Newt Scamander, the zoologist wizard played by Eddie Redmayne, encounters the furry beast wreaking havoc on the streets of Paris.

    “It travels 1,000 miles in a day,” he says, “and can go from one district of Paris to another in a single leap.”

    Scamander manages to tame the zouwu into cat-like composure with a furry ball reminiscent of the orb used in Chinese dragon dances.


    Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, tames the zouwu in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” / Photo: Warner Bros

    The creators of the Fantastic Beasts movie appear to have taken historical descriptions of the zouwu quite literally.

    Their version has five shades of red and orange, a nod to the way it’s described in classical Chinese texts as having “five colors,” though the phrase is often used to describe anything that’s colorful or shiny, not necessarily with five colors.

    The movie’s zouwu also bears resemblance to the Tai Hang fire dragon, a straw effigy adorned with incense sticks that’s paraded around Hong Kong once a year.


    The zouwu (left) and the Tai Hang fire dragon (right). / Photo: Warner Bros/Shutterstock
    The zouwu is not the only reference to Chinese culture in the film.

    Ezra Miller, who plays Credence Barebone, told the Global Times that he based his character’s movements off tai chi.

    Symbol of benevolence
    In Chinese mythology, the zouwu first appears in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, a compendium of fictional creatures similar to Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

    The exact authors and time of writing remain unknown, though extant copies of the text date back to the Han Dynasty, which began around 200 BC.


    A Ming Dynasty woodcut depicting the zouwu. / Photo: Wellcome Library

    In later texts, the zouwu is described as a creature that only appears during the reign of benevolent rulers. A Ming Dynasty emperor supposedly received one from a relative in Henan.

    Scholars now believe the gift might have been less mythological, and really a giant panda.

    Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald made nearly $13 million on its opening day in China, a record for a Harry Potter film in the country.

    Eddie Redmayne poses in front of a zouwu painting during a promotional event in Beijing for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”
    Eddie Redmayne poses in front of a zouwu painting during a promotional event in Beijing for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.” / Photo: Reuters

    Production companies have been keen on developing films with the Chinese market in mind, infusing elements of Chinese culture wherever they can.

    The zouwu didn’t exist in Rowling’s original book of fantastic beasts, but was specifically created for the film.

    Gavin Huang
    Gavin Huang is an editor at Goldthread. He was previously an editor at the Korea JoongAng Daily, the partner paper of The New York Times in Seoul, South Korea.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  3. #93
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    The first Kung Fu Panda-themed land

    Wizarding World and Kung Fu Panda land coming to Universal’s future Beijing theme park
    Kung-Fu Panda Land of Awesomess > Wizarding World
    By Petrana Radulovic@Pet_rana Oct 14, 2019, 4:30pm EDT


    Universal Studios

    The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will soon be coming to China. On Monday, Universal revealed that its planned Beijing resort will include seven themed lands from across all Universal properties. In addition to the popular Harry Potter land, Beijing will also be the home of Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness, Transformers: Metrobase, Minion Land, Jurassic World Isla Nublar, Hollywood Boulevard, and WaterWorld.

    The Kung Fu Panda land will be the first Kung Fu Panda-themed land. The entirely indoor experience is designed to transport visitors to “legendary China.” Also unique to Universal Beijing Resort will be the Transformers: Metrobase land, which will expand upon the character of Metrobase and turn visitors into “guest agents.”

    The Jurassic World area, however, is new to Universal parks, though three existing Universal Studios locations have Jurassic Park-themed areas.

    Wizarding World of Harry Potter will get the Hogsmeade area for its the Beijing location. Meanwhile, WaterWorld continues to get a lot of love in Universal Studios’ Asia locations, as does Minion Land. Both appear in Universal Studios Japan and Singapore, with WaterWorld also in Universal Studios Hollywood.

    These attractions will make up the Universal Studios component of the Universal Beijing Resort. Another park is in development, though no details have been revealed. In addition to the park areas, Universal Beijing Resort will boast a City Walk entertainment, dining, and retail complex, six different hotels, and eventually a water park. The first phase of the Universal Beijing Resort is set to open in spring 2021.
    THREADS
    Chinese Theme Parks
    Harry Potter
    Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness
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  4. #94
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    3D PRC re-release

    China Box Office: 3D 'Harry Potter' Rerelease Wins the Weekend
    11:33 PM PDT 8/16/2020 by Abid Rahman


    Warner Bros./Photofest
    'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'

    'Bad Boys For Life' bombs as previews for local war epic 'The Eight Hundred' point to a monster opening next weekend.
    Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone cast its spell over the box office in China this weekend, as Hollywood rereleases continue to entice people back to recently reopened cinemas.

    The 3D, 4K rerelease of the first film in Warner Bros' multi-billion dollar franchise was able to magic up a stellar $13.4 million this weekend, according to local box office consultancy Artisan Gateway. The strong showing from The Sorcerer's Stone pushed the total box office to $21.9 million, the best single weekend performance since China's cinemas reopened.

    Theaters in China are now into their fourth week of reopening after a COVID-19 enforced lockdown put in place back in January. Despite the restart, the country's exhibitors are still operating with limits on the number of screens and strict social distancing measures on top of having a public still wary about returning to the movies. The stronger week-to-week performance is in stark contrast to the year-on-year decline of 92.8 percent.

    Puffed up partly by higher-priced IMAX admissions, on Saturday The Sorcerer's Stone scored the biggest single-day take since the restart and its total China gross, including all previous releases, now stands at $21.4 million according to Artisan Gateway. The China rerelease of the 2001 film, based on the first book of J.K. Rowling's phenomenally successful book series, is edging the movie closer to a $1 billion worldwide cume.

    In second place was Sony's delayed release of Bad Boys For Life which made a modest $3.1 million. The post-COVID-19 theatrical landscape has notably lacked new Hollywood releases but the third film in the Bad Boys franchise didn't bring the crowds out, with the film hampered by its lukewarm critical reception including a 5.7/10 rating on the popular media review platform Douban.

    Coming in third was local war epic The Eight Hundred which made an impressive $2 million in previews. Directed by Guan Hu and produced by Huayi Bros., The Eight Hundred is an $80 million tentpole based on a pivotal battle in 1937 during the Sino-Japanese war: the historic siege and defense of the Si Hang Warehouse in Shanghai where 400 fighters, an unlikely mix of soldiers, deserters and civilians became known as the “Eight Hundred Heroes," after holding out against waves of Japanese forces for four days and four nights.

    The hotly anticipated war film was originally supposed to be released last summer but had its world premiere dramatically pulled from the Shanghai Film Festival and then its nationwide release canceled at the 11th hour by China's censors, although no official reason has ever been given.

    With stellar reviews, an 8.1 rating on Douban and buoyed by nationalistic fervor, The Eight Hundred should breakout big next weekend when it goes on general release.

    The rerelease of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar continued to rack up solid numbers, making another $1.3 million this weekend. Including its original run, the 2014 sci-fi epic, which stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, has now made $123.9 million in China.

    Interstellar's strong performance and Nolan's name recognition in China bodes well for the Middle Kingdom release of his high concept sci-fi movie Tenet, which has cleared the country's censors and is set to be released on Sept. 4. To drum up a little more Nolan-mania in China, Warner Bros. is also rereleasing Inception in the country on Aug. 28.

    Rounding out the top five this weekend was the rerelease of Sam Quah's 2019 crime drama Sheep Without a Shepherd which made $1.1 million and now has a cume of $187.7 million.


    ABID RAHMAN
    abid.rahman@thr.com
    gentlemanabroad

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    Gene Ching
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  5. #95
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    David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived

    Daniel Radcliffe To EP Doc About His Stunt Double Left Paralyzed After ‘Deathly Hallows’ Accident
    By Max Goldbart
    International TV Co-Editor
    October 24, 2023 6:00am

    Daniel Radcliffe (left) and David Holmes
    Sky

    Daniel Radcliffe is exec producing a documentary about his former stunt double who was left paralyzed following an accident on the Harry Potter set.

    Sky and HBO Documentary Films are behind David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, the coming-of-age story of a prodigious teenage gymnast who formed an inextricable bond with Harry Potter star Radcliffe.

    Holmes was working on Deathly Hallows: Part 1 when an explosion that was part of a planned stunt sent him plummeting to the ground, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down with a debilitating spinal injury that turned his life upside down.

    Featuring candid personal footage shot over the last decade, behind-the-scenes material from Holmes’ stunt work, scenes of his current life and intimate interviews with him, Radcliffe, friends, family, and former crew, the film reflects universal themes of living with adversity, growing up and the bonds that bind people together.

    Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn’s Lightbox along with Holmes and Amy Stares’ Ripple Productions are producing the doc, which will air next month.

    Radcliffe is exec producing with Holmes, director Dan Hartley, Sue Latimer, Sarah Spahovic, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Tina Nguyen and Poppy Dixon. Producers are Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn, Vanessa Davies and Stares.
    I'll watch this.

    Stunts-injuries-amp-deaths
    Harry-Potter
    Gene Ching
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  6. #96
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    David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived

    Gene Ching
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