Kung Fu Panda 3

[GeneChing]

Sparring with Jack Black, Star of "Kung Fu Panda 3"
Kid Reporter Ryan Woon January 11, 2016, 2:31 PM



When most people hear the name Jack Black, they think of his ability to make people laugh. He has starred in a number of super entertaining films, including Goosebumps, Nacho Libre, and School of Rock, just to name a few. His latest movie, Kung Fu Panda 3, hits theaters January ##, and finds his character, Po, reuniting with his long-lost father. Kid Reporter Ryan Woon chatted with the sports fan about bringing Po to life and his own kung fu abilities.

This is your third time playing Po. How do you keep the character fresh and fun?

Well you know, it is always fun to be in the recording studio laying down tracks for Po. He is a fun character no matter how many times you played him. He loves kung fu, what’s more fun than that? There is a new script, a new story, new challenges – it was easy!

Do you have to do anything to get in the mindset to play Po? Do you do kung fu warmups?

I don’t do kung fu warmups before recording. But I do work with the director who has a bunch of art for me to look at to see what the scene is going to look like, basically, and I just think about the situation Po is in and then pretend like it’s real. It’s very simple really.

When you’re in the recording booth, how into character do you get? Are you throwing kicks and fists and acting out what Po’s doing on screen?

When I am recording, I do get physical. If my character is doing kung fu, then I like to do kung fu, too, just to make it sound realistic. Because if you are just standing still while your character is doing kung fu on the screen, it doesn’t sound real and you can tell. I am a Method actor, so I want it all to sound really real.

Po is awesome at kung fu. How good are you at kung fu?

I am just all right. I wish I were a kung fu master. I’d be in better shape. It’s hard to find a good kung fu master, though, to teach you. There are not very many of them in the world. Not real kung fu. There are a lot of pretenders, but only a handful of masters.

How much of you is there in Po? And how much of Po is there in you?

You know, Po is like a younger version of me. He’s me like when I was 16 years old I’d say, or maybe 14. So, I think back to my childhood when I am doing it. And so I am going to say 25%.

Who are your kung fu idols?

You gotta go with Bruce Lee. He’s the first megastar kung fu master. And he wasn’t just an actor, you know. He was a real kung fu champion. But I also really like Jackie Chan. He’s awesome. He’s been doing it for 40 years – it’s impossible. He’s been doing kung fu movies longer than Kobe’s been in basketball.

Jackie Chan is part of the Kung Fu Panda series. What tips or advice has he given you, either for Po’s character or your own kung fu?

You know what’s crazy? This is the third Kung Fu Panda movie and I have still not met Jackie Chan. Impossible right? But not impossible, because when we go into record we go in alone and they put our voices together for the movie. If we ever do meet, I will have many questions for Jackie! First, I’d ask him why did he steal my name? And then I’d ask him, What is his secret to his long, long career? What does he eat for breakfast? That’s what I’d ask him.

What advice would you give kids who want to be an actor like you someday?

I always tell kids if they want to be an actor, they should start writing, you know, to make movies yourself on an iPhone or iPad or whatever you can get your hands on. It’s important to know how to tell a story on camera. You need to make movies for yourself, because if you are just going on auditions to wait for someone to put you in their movie you may never really get the experience you need.

How about if any kids want to do kung fu?

First, you have to find a master. You could start with Google. I did some Jjdo when I was a kid – it was hard, but it was a fun thing to learn. I recommend it.

Are you as awesome as Po with chopsticks?

I am very good at chopsticks. I would love to go head to head vs. Po in a chopstick battle. Um, that’s one of those things we’ll never really know.

Is there anything you want to ask me?

Will Golden State lose any games this year? Will they break the Chicago Bulls record of 72 wins?

At some point – not yet. Maybe.

Will they break the Lakers’ 33 wins in a row record from ‘71?

They won’t break the record, but they’ll win two or three more for sure.

I am asking you some impossible questions ‘cause there is no real answer, just opinion. Who’s your favorite player in the NBA?

Stephen Curry.

Absolutely. Right answer. Who’s your favorite soccer player?

Probably Lionel Messi.

Right, not Beckham. Is he even playing soccer anymore?

I think he is retired.

Right. He is like the Kobe Bryant of soccer, but more like the Michael Jordan probably. Do you think Carolina will go undefeated in football this season?

No. Probably not.

It’s unlikely, but that would be amazing. I am rooting for them. I am rooting for them, just so they can shut up those Miami Dolphins. I am tired of their yacking about how great they are.

What is your favorite sport to play or watch?

NBA basketball. I am Laker for life, even though they are the second worst team in the NBA right now. Laker for life.

Basketball is cool because you never know what is going to happen next.

Totally. I do kind of feel like it is going to be the Golden State Warriors vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers again. I kind of feel like I know that is going to happen. The rematch. In football I am kind of rooting for the Seahawks.

I am rooting for the 49ers.

Of course. Who’s the quarterback?

Blaine Gabbert. He’s doing pretty well.

Solid. They have had a lot of shakeups in the last few months. No more Colin Kaepernick?

Lots of changes. Um, I don’t have any more questions.

I think we did well. That’s a good interview. I think you did a good job.

Thanks for letting me interview you!

Of course. Good to meet you. Any time!

Good to meet you too!

Unfortunately, due to the timing of my vacation, we missed an opportunity to interview Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

DreamWorks Animation Celebrates ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ With Chinese Performers, Dragons and Noodles


PHOTO BY BUCKNER/VARIETY/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
JANUARY 16, 2016 | 10:30PM PT
Terry Flores @VarietyTerry
DreamWorks Animation pulled out all the stops for its premiere of “Kung Fu Panda 3,” with Chinese performers and dragons wowing the crowd — which included stars Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons and Kate Hudson — at the pre-screening party outside the TCL Chinese Theater on Saturday. There was something for everyone: activity stations for the kids, costumed characters for photo ops, and plenty of Po’s favorite foods, especially noodles.



DWA’s “noodle dream” for the pic is for auds to love it as much as they loved the first two films, and co-president of feature animation Bonnie Arnold says she doesn’t think they’ll be disappointed. “We were just telling Jack Black that there’s a big ‘wanna see’ on the movie and we feel good about that,” she said. But does this mark the end of the adventures for Dragon Warrior Po and his Furious Five friends? Not necessarily, said DWA feature animation co-president Mireille Soria: “I think if people brainstorm and there’s a story that needs to be told, we should tell it.”

Screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger aren’t quite ready to give up the story yet. When told they had wrapped up Po’s story nicely, Aibel said, chuckling, “Hopefully not too much.” After coming up with their own twists on Variety headlines for “Kung Fu Panda 3” when it arrives at the box office, the scribes shared their noodle dream for the film. “Our noodle dream is that we knock ‘Star Wars’ off the No. 1 spot at the box office,” said Berger. But Aibel chimed in to say, “There’s no knocking ‘Stars Wars.’ ‘Star Wars’ will just slowly go away and then new things will come in.”

James Hong, who plays Po’s adoptive father in all three films, wore his noodle hat for the festivities and explained the concept of the noodle dream, which has been key to the franchise: “All of us have a noodle dream. It’s something that we constantly dream about when we shut our eyes and go to bed. You know when you dream it.”

Co-director Alessandro Carloni’s noodle dream is “for this movie to be successful and for the fans to be happy.” But for co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, who acknowledged the long association they’ve had with all the films over the course of 10 years, her noodle dream is more personal: “To have a nice vacation.”

From the KMEL promo. My Hingdai Carl joined me. My review is embargoed until the premiere on JAN 29.

[GeneChing]

This is going to be all about the China box office.

China Exclusive: Kung Fu Panda back home
Jan 19,2016

SHANGHAI, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The third installment of the hit Hollywood animated blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda" premiered in Shanghai on Monday, bringing Po, the black-and-white martial arts hero, back home.

In contrast to the franchise's first two films, the new release is a collaboration between American animation giant DreamWorks Animation (DWA), its sister studio Oriental DreamWorks (ODW) and China Film Co. Ltd.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DWA, told a press conference in Shanghai on Tuesday that the film features rich details about Chinese culture.

The role of the Shanghai-based ODW is significant, said Li Ruigang, chair of ODW. "It made pandas more authentic. We hope it will come across as a Chinese-style animation made to the Hollywood production standard."

Li added that the Shanghai studio was engaged in every phase of the three-year production.

Focusing on themes of self-improvement and family values, "Kung Fu Panda 3" narrates the life of Po after he reunites with his biological father, Li Shan, and is taken to a secret paradise of pandas.

There he trains his peers to fight a dark power, while mediating the tricky relations with Li and his goose father.

The new film features a panda village based on Qingcheng Mountain in southwest China's Sichuan Province, home to the giant pandas, according to director Jennifer Yuh Nelson.

Nelson said everything was inspired by the original Chinese features, including traditional paper cut-outs on the windows, moss on the roofs and paintings on the beams.

She said the production team visited a panda breeding base in Sichuan, to observe the animal, which helped them to improve upon the previous digital modeling of the pandas' fur and motions.

ODW went to great efforts to dub the film into Chinese, reanimating the characters' mouths and facial expressions when they speak Chinese, pandas altering some of the jokes to better suit the Chinese audience.

Jack Black, who voices Po, said he watched the film three times and was excited for his two kids to see it, too.

"I hope Po's story continues [...] I want to see him get married and have little pandas," said Shirley Zhao, an animation fan who attended the premiere.

The first two films of the franchise, released in 2008 and 2011, raked in about 750 million yuan (about 114 million U.S. dollars) on the Chinese mainland. "Kung Fu Panda 2" was the highest-grossing animation on the mainland until China's "Monkey King: Hero is Back" broke that record last year.

The new film will hit screens in China and the United States on Jan. 29. The producers have high hopes for its release in China as it will be in cinemas for the Spring Festival, the week-long Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, in February.

Last year, China's box office raked in more than 44 billion yuan, a 48.7 percent yearly increase, and urban cinemas recorded 1.26 billion visits, up 51 percent year on year.

[GeneChing]

In Shanghai no less! Hope they went out for dim sum.

Jackie Chan, Jay Chou, Jack Black and More Promote 'Kung Fu Panda 3' in Shanghai
2016-01-20 20:07:16 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Huang Shan


Jackie Chan and Jay Chou promote ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ in Shanghai on January 19, 2016. [Photo: mtime.com]

'Kung Fu Panda 3' arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday, with a press conference gathering the A-list voice cast of the 3D animated film.

Superstar Jackie Chan returns to the franchise for the English version as Master Monkey, and the Chinese version as Panda Po's biological father.

"For me it's like coming home, because I've been doing this for around ten years, they do it again and again, so I do the voices again and again! They said there's some Mandarin words that I can't pronounce well. Like 'my son'. But it's not my problem, it's the director's supervision that is the problem."

Jack Black, who voices panda Po in the English language version, was joined by Kate Hudson at the conference.

He also expressed his excitement at meeting Jackie Chan for the first time.

"I met Jackie Chan. I can't believe I've done three movies with Jackie Chan now. 'Kung Fu Panda' 1, 2, and 3. And this is the first time I met him. I was so excited. You can see our picture together on my Facebook page."

Also, famous singer Jay Chou has voiced the character Monkey in the Chinese version, and performed the theme song.

In this new installment of the popular franchise, Po reunites with his biological father and travels with him to a secret sanctuary of pandas, where he has to fight against a villain who intends to steal the masters' Kung Fu powers.

'Kung Fu Panda 3' is set for release in China and US on January 29th.

[GeneChing]

How DreamWorks Feeds the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Franchise
‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ adds new voices Bryan Cranston and Kate Hudson, and uses new software tools
Watch a clip from "Kung Fu Panda 3," starring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman. Photo: DreamWorks Animation
By DON STEINBERG
Jan. 20, 2016 12:49 p.m. ET

Successful movie franchises continually re-create what audiences liked from the start—in ways that don’t feel exactly the same. This is sometimes hard to do, as many dreary sequels attest. But makers of big-budget animated films like “Kung Fu Panda 3,” which opens Jan. 29, literally have to capture the original feel of the movie in a whole new way.

Each “Panda” movie takes three to four years to put together, a period during which the animation software being used to create it becomes obsolete. Eye-popping visuals in the first “Kung Fu Panda” in 2008, inspired by Chinese martial-arts flicks and Japanese anime, earned it an Oscar nomination for best animated feature. Yet to produce “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011), which was nominated for the award again, artists at DreamWorks Animation had to scrap what they’d done and craft all-new digital models of the cuddly panda Po and other animals.

For “Panda 3” they’ve once again thrown out the old and built digital characters from scratch using more advanced tools. Improved software lets the animals display more emotion than ever—and be fuzzier. Technology to simulate fur on a cartoon character has never been so plush and lifelike. But, says Jennifer Yuh Nelson, one of the film’s two directors, animators can’t change the familiar look of the character.

“A lot of effort is put into making something look exactly the same,” she says.

It’s the yin-yang of sequels—same but different. “Kung Fu Panda 3” continues the story of Po, the chubby, dumpling-eating panda whose destiny is to be a kung fu master. A core of voice actors has carried the series from the start, and returns here. Jack Black is Po. Dustin Hoffman plays Shifu, the wise teacher. Fellow masters inspired by different fighting styles—Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, Viper, and Crane—are voiced by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu and David Cross. Po is called upon to do the same thing in each film: save civilization by vanquishing a villain. His nemesis in “Panda 3” is a beast voiced by J.K. Simmons.

Where the series continues to evolve, aside from visuals, is through its story exploring Po’s origin. He was raised by an overprotective noodle-shop owning goose named Ping ( James Hong) who, it turns out, isn’t his real dad. In “Panda 3” his biological panda father ( Bryan Cranston) arrives. The movie’s new voices (Kate Hudson also joins) and Po’s emotional journey keep things fresh.

Technology supports the performances by allowing animators and directors to micro-adjust character drawings. “Our animators now use touch-screen monitors with a stylus pen as if it was a living sculpture,” says Alessandro Carloni, the film’s other director. “We can say, ‘Right here we need the character to be a little more sad.’ The animator touches the eyebrows of Po at the right moment to make it a little sadder, and plays it again right in front of us. That was inconceivable for the first movie.”

Co-screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger know each film must be both a self-contained story and part of a longer story arc. DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has suggested that there could be as many as six Panda films, though none beyond this latest film is in the works yet.

They’ve done well enough to keep going. The first movie grossed $215.4 million domestically and $631.7 million overall world-wide. “Panda 2” earned $165 million in the U.S. and $665.7 million globally, including $92 million in China, where its opening weekend broke a record (since surpassed many times over in that exploding market).

Several characters have plenty of story lines left. Po’s neurotic goose dad Ping has a tough time dealing with the arrival of the biological father.

“Ping is my favorite character to write for. James Hong nails every line.” Mr. Berger says. “We saw James at the premiere, and I finally told him our secret to writing him. The goose dad is actually our Jewish mothers.”

Mr. Hong, who turns 87 in February, “turned to me and said, ‘Start writing the fourth movie, and write it quickly.’”

Good ol' James Hong. Did I ever tell y'all the tale of when I partied with Mr. Hong and the Miss Chinatown contestants? Actually, I better save that for over beers, not over the forum here.

[GeneChing]

I'd see it twice. I've seen it once and would luv to see the Chinese version.

Will Chinese Moviegoers Pay Twice to See 'Kung Fu Panda 3'?


'Kung Fu Panda 3'

by Patrick Brzeski 1/21/2016 5:00am PST

Jeffrey Katzenberg bets on a unique Mandarin version to boost curiosity (and profits) for the Asia-friendly threequel.

This story first appeared in the Jan. 29 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

With the third film in the Kung Fu Panda franchise set for a day-and-date China release Jan. 29, DreamWorks Animation has taken a novel approach to wringing more money from the country's favorite Hollywood franchise.

Central to KFP3's fortunes in China is an ambitious two-version production and release plan. The movie, a co-production with the state-run China Film Group, was created in English- and Mandarin-language versions, but unlike the usual approach — whereby a voice cast of local stars is recruited to record a dub over the U.S. version — the KFP3 characters' mouths and body language were animated twice to match the nuances of both languages. "You'll have to see it twice to compare the differences between the English and Chinese versions," DWA CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told an industry crowd Dec. 12 in the city of Sanya. "But twice is not enough," he added to laughter from several hundred Chinese cinema chain managers at the event. "You'll actually have to see it a third time to decide which is your favorite."

READ MORE 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Premiere: Director, Producer Talk Importance of Family Values
Sources at DreamWorks say Katzenberg wasn't entirely joking: The studio indeed hopes curiosity leads many Chinese viewers to see both versions, hence the dual wide releases in the market. The team at Oriental DreamWorks, the company's China arm, is taking no chances, giving the Alessandro Carloni- and Jennifer Yuh-directed movie wall-to-wall local marketing exposure to raise awareness of the two versions.

Whether moviegoers will pay to see the film twice remains to be seen, but Katzenberg's effort to entrench Oriental DreamWorks within the notoriously insular Chinese film industry could pay off in a big way. The first Kung Fu Panda grossed $26 million in China in 2008, an unheard-of performance when the local box office remained undeveloped. In 2011, Kung Fu Panda 2 pulled in $92.2 million and became the market's highest-grossing animated film to date.

"The dual-language authoring should maximize box-office potential for the film," says Rance Pow, founder and president of the Shanghai-based cinema consulting firm Artisan Gateway. "We'll be watch*ing KFP3's run into its second week and beyond for signs the audience has an appetite for both versions. The DWA franchise has been well received in China and has a strong fan base. The film looks teed up to break mainland records."

[GeneChing]

I'll drop my review this Friday too. And it covers the jist of the articles below.

'Kung Fu Panda 3' Lets Hollywood Break New Ground in China
ByRonald Grover 01/23/16 - 10:20 AM EST



When Dreamworks Animation's (DWA - Get Report) animated film Kung Fu Panda 3 karate-chops its way into Chinese theaters on Jan. 29 it will break new ground for Hollywood, becoming the most extensive co-production between U.S. and Chinese media companies.

The film was created both at Dreamworks' California studio and at Oriental Dreamworks, a Shanghai-based studio formed in a 2013 joint venture between the Hollywood studio and four Chinese media companies that collectively own 54.5%.

Its majority ownership by Chinese companies gives Kung Fu Panda 3 homegrown status in the world's second-largest movie market. That enables it to bypass the country's strict quota system for foreign films, and gives it an advantageous release date during the blackout period just before the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival Golden Week when imported films are banned.

"This is a meaningful, significant and long-term play in China that should have a real impact on the industry," says Marc Ganis, president of Jiaflix, the Chinese production and marketing partner for Transformers: Age of Extinction that was produced by Viacom's (VIAB - Get Report) Paramount Pictures in 2014. "Because animated films play very well in China it ought to do very, very well with all of its benefits."

Those benefits include the ability to play in Chinese theaters for more than the 30-day limit usually placed on imported films, says Ganis. Because its producers were able to lock in the release date months ahead -- far more time than the government gives for imported films -- the film will benefit with more ads and other marketing ahead of its release, he said.

The Kung Fu Panda franchise, whose characters include an accident-prone panda voiced by comic actor Jack Black and other animals versed in the martial arts, is already a big fan favorite in China. The franchise's second installment, released in 2011, generated $92 million in ticket sales in China, according to the film site Box Office Mojo, second only to its $165 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada.

China's theater building boom could push ticket sales for Kung Fu Panda 3 to over $200 million in China, figures Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne, beating the approximately $167 million in domestic box office he projects. He rates Dreamworks Animation overweight, and raised its price target from $27 to $29 a share.

Dreamworks Animation stock closed at $26.50 a share on Friday, up 2.8%.

As a co-production, Kung Fu Panda 3 collects about 40% of the revenue from ticket sales at Chinese theaters, up from the approximately 25 percent in tickets sales an imported film would receive, Dreamworks President Ann Daly acknowledged during the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Dec. 8. Dreamworks gets a piece of that as a result of its ownership stake in Oriental Dreamworks, she said, but directly collects around 25% of Chinese ticket sales.

To buttress the film's prospects in China further, its producers took the unusual step of creating a version of the film tailored to its Chinese audience, adding as much as $10 million to the estimated $130 million cost of the English language version by reanimating segments so the characters' facial expressions would match the Chinese language they're depicted as speaking.

It also replaced about a dozen of the actors who provided the voices for the English version with Chinese actors, including popular TV and film actor Huang Lei, who voices the main character Po. Taiwanese singer Jay Chou provides the voice of the staff-wielding monkey well as singing the movie's theme song Try.

Action superstar Jackie Chan, who provides the voice of the monkey in the English version, switched roles in the Chinese version and plays Li Shan, Po's father and a main character in Kung Fu Panda 3.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.

Jackie Chan Talks on the Dubbing Role for 'Kung Fu Panda 3'
2016-01-24 20:09:31 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Huang Shan


Jackie Chan [Photo: mtime.com]

Superstar Jackie Chan has unveiled more details about his dubbing role in 'Kung Fu Panda 3', as this 3D animated film is ready to land on the mainland on next Friday.

The Kung Fu icon says it was an interesting and challenging experience as dubbing for two different roles in three editions of the film.

"I did my recording in the United States, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. They asked me to do the recording when they had finished almost all the preparations, as I had a busy schedule to film in various places around the world. So I'd do some recording while I was in the United States. They were all very earnest."

Jackie Chan voices for Master Monkey and Panda Po's biological father in English, Mandarin and Cantonese in the latest installment of the 'Kung Fu Panda' franchise.

The 61-year-old actor says whenever entering the recording studio, he immersed himself in the role.

"My role would have a steamed bun in mouth sometimes. So I put three fingers in my mouth while dubbing. Those details can help enliven the cartoon character. It's very cool."

DreamWorks' CEO has earlier announced the Mandarin customized version of 'Kung Fu Panda 3' is not simply a dubbed version, but a redesign and rewrite of the script.

It also adds some dialect elements, in order to help Chinese audiences' get punchlines.

'Kungfu Panda 3' is set for release in China and US on January 29th.

[GeneChing]

What is happening behind the scenes is more interesting than what is happening on the screens.

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Aims to Kick-Start Chinese Studio
DreamWorks hopes sequel will pave way for Chinese joint venture to release new movies each year

"Kung Fu Panda 3," the first animated co-production between China and the U.S., hits both countries' theaters this Friday and marks China's first big push into the global animation industry. Photo: Oriental DreamWorks
By ERICH SCHWARTZEL in Los Angeles and LAURIE BURKITT in Beijing
Jan. 26, 2016 5:30 a.m. ET

DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. head Jeffrey Katzenberg has spent years attempting to create a Chinese sequel to his Hollywood studio, and a key test of that effort is coming this week, when “Kung Fu Panda 3” opens in the U.S. and China.

The Hollywood veteran says he flew to China at least once a month for the past five years, passing out bilingual business cards to theater companies, cultural ministers, movie producers and politicians—a massive undertaking to establish a foothold for his family-entertainment company and its Chinese joint venture, Oriental DreamWorks.

DreamWorks Animation has weathered significant storms in the past year, following a series of flops that have weighed on the company’s financial results and spurred layoffs. Now Mr. Katzenberg is trying to turn those frequent-flier miles and countless meetings into long-term returns in one of the world’s most unpredictable markets.

The U.S. studio is hoping its newest release will pave the way for Oriental DreamWorks to release new movies each year, some of them aimed at Chinese audiences and others intended for world-wide release. That puts the studio in competition with new homegrown animation houses that also want to capitalize on the nation’s rapidly growing movie market.

“They want to have their own successes,” said Mr. Katzenberg in an interview. His company’s smaller-budgeted films will compete with local productions like “Monster Hunt,” a live-action and animation film with Chinese actors and cartoon monsters that grossed a record $381.8 million in China last year.

China’s overall box office climbed to 44 billion yuan ($6.7 billion) in 2015, up 48.7% from a year earlier, and is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world’s largest film market in 2017, according to film consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Hollywood has been scrambling to get more films into the country. There is a strict cap on foreign films and rules that bar the backers of those imports from taking more than 25% of ticket sales. Release dates are hard to secure, making marketing a challenge and local productions have become more competitive with Hollywood releases.

After Chinese audiences flocked to the first two installments of “Kung Fu Panda,” DreamWorks realized the films had surefire appeal in the growing market. The third installment is now an opening step in launching Oriental DreamWorks, whose releases, as Chinese productions, stand to earn millions more in China than movies produced by the original, California-based DreamWorks.

“Kung Fu Panda 3,” which cost around $145 million to make, is the first-ever animated co-production between the U.S. and China. It was co-financed by multiple Chinese companies and Oriental DreamWorks, a Shanghai-based entity created in 2012 in which DreamWorks is a minority partner. Thanks to the film’s co-production status, DreamWorks and its partners can market the film in China, get a higher percentage of ticket sales out of the country and secure a prime release date ahead of the Lunar New Year, on Feb. 8, a popular time to see movies.

The release of the third “Panda” film coincides with China’s imminent ascension to the top of the global box office ranks. “If you went to Vegas and tried to place a bet on all of these things actually intersecting and coming together at a moment in time, nobody would take the bet,” Mr. Katzenberg said.


‘Kung Fu Panda 3,’ which cost around $145 million to make, is the first-ever animated co-production between the U.S. and China. PHOTO: 20TH CENTURY FOX/EVERETT COLLECTION

China, which began building its own animation houses after seeing the success of the initial “Panda” and other features, views animated productions as part of a campaign to soften its image across the world with cartoon characters. Cartoon characters travel easily across borders, said Rance Pow, head of Artisan Gateway.

While many expect “Panda” to be a hit, Mr. Katzenberg’s larger ambitions in China are a riskier undertaking. Later this year, Oriental DreamWorks will announce a slate of forthcoming films produced in China for a global audience, with the first one—full of Chinese themes—coming in 2018.

Beginning next year, the company will also roll out Mandarin-language films annually for distribution only in China, each with a production budget that is a fraction of a normal DreamWorks film, said Li Ruigang, chairman of the private-equity fund China Media Capital, a partner in Oriental DreamWorks. DreamWorks proper spends $120 million to $145 million for most of its films.

Many in China were wary of the Oriental DreamWorks venture, Mr. Li said. Part of his sales pitch to regulators: Foreign talent like DreamWorks could help China enter the global film and animation market one day, sending Chinese stories overseas.

DreamWorks Animation’s most recent movie, “Home,” performed well, and “Panda” is seen as an important step as the company rebuilds itself in the wake of last year’s layoffs.

That explains in part why DreamWorks is also taking extreme measures to ensure a hit. The studios made a separate, Mandarin-language version of the film, hiring Chinese stars for voice-overs and even reanimating characters’ lips and facial expressions.

About 60% of the movie’s shots required reanimating to sync up the new voice-overs, said Melissa Cobb, a producer on all three “Panda” movies.

About 400 people in the U.S. and around 125 in Shanghai worked on “Kung Fu Panda 3,” said Mr. Katzenberg. The cost to Oriental DreamWorks of reanimating the Mandarin-language version wasn’t disclosed.

China has a track record of learning trades and crafts from foreign firms only to create competition for them later. Mr. Li said he has no intention of splitting from Mr. Katzenberg.

“The creative industry is different from the industrial,” he said. “It’s a people business.”

Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com and Laurie Burkitt at laurie.burkitt@wsj.com

[GeneChing]

The Wrap missed the biggest potential factor, the one we have our focus upon - China.

5 Reasons Why ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Will Deliver a Karate Chop at the Box Office
MOVIES | By Beatrice Verhoeven on January 26, 2016 @ 4:27 pm Follow @bverhoev



Big social media presence, word of mouth and strong branding are just a few things that will add to the film’s success
While the rule of threes doesn’t apply to most franchises, it certainly will when “Kung Fu Panda 3” hits theaters this weekend, and the movie’s success will probably carry itself all the way through February until Disney’s “Zootopia” opens on March 4.
Yes, the third installment in the franchise featuring voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen and Dustin Hoffman, is looking to make less than the previous movies, tracking at about $35 million to $45 million, according to experts. The first and second movie made $60.2 million and $47.7 million on their opening weekends, respectively. But the fact that “Kung Fu Panda 3” is looking at a lower opening weekend doesn’t mean that it’s going to bomb, at all.
And there are several reasons as to why experts believe the animated film will thrive at the box office. Placed on a good weekend with no other animated family film in sight, “Kung Fu Panda 3” has a big opportunity to stay on top of the box office charts for the coming weeks — and even dethroning current first placeholder, “The Revenant.”
Also Read: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Review: Jack Black's Student Becomes the Teacher in Charming Adventure-Comedy
Word of mouth has been extremely strong for the third film in the franchise, as is standard with DreamWorks’ movies. Moreover, the franchise not only has an incredible voice cast, but has branded itself as the ultimate family film that is appealing to both kids and adults.
Here are the five reasons why “Kung Fu Panda 3” will hit a K.O. at the box office:



1. There has been no animated film since the holidays, and there are none in sight until March 4
There are no animated family films on the calendar until Disney’s release of “Zootopia” on March 4. This will give “Kung Fu Panda 3” the whole of February to run its due course, and experts believe that the film is going to dominate most upcoming weekends.
“It may not have the biggest opening weekends, but it’s going to decline very slowly, and it’s going to have legs,” Exhibitor Relations senior analyst Jeff Bock told TheWrap. “It definitely will be on top of the box office … Until ‘Zootopia’ opens, it doesn’t have much in the way in terms of competition. I don’t see why it won’t make $35 million to $40 million.”
In fact, this is also one of the few animated films that opened after the holidays aside from Lionsgate’s “Norm of the North.” It opened on Jan. 15 and has grossed $14.2 million so far, which isn’t ideal considering its budget was $18 million. And other movies that opened around or before the holidays haven’t scored that well either.
“There hasn’t been a family film in theaters since the holidays,” Bock added. “‘The Good Dinosaur’ underperformed, ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks’ didn’t play out. A quality animated film at this point is always good business and we’ve seen that in the past.”



2. Released on a great weekend
This weekend is an ideal weekend for an animated family movie to hit theaters.
“At this time of the year, it’s all about Oscar contenders and pretty intense dramas like ‘The Revenant’ and ‘The Hateful Eight,'” Paul Dergarabedian said, senior analyst at Rentrak. “It’s sort of a no-family land of box office in this time frame and it seems to be devoid of options for families, so ‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ is giving families an option at the movie theaters.”
In fact, “Kung Fu Panda 3” is looking to dethrone Leonardo DiCaprio‘s “The Revenant,” which in its fifth wide release weekend is tracking around $10 million. Bock agreed with Dergarabedian, and said that movies “are making money in the January market because it is notoriously free of family-made competition,” claiming that the success of “Paul Blart: Mall Cop’s” in 2009 was largely due to an open weekend.


DreamWorks

3. Strong social media presence and word of mouth
“Kung Fu Panda 3” has had a strong social media play in previous weeks, and although it has died down in the past week (due to the time of the year, winter storm Jonas and the NFL playoffs), BoxOffice.com senior analyst Shawn Robbins considers it “very encouraging.” Overall, the volume of tweets over the last month are comparable to that of “Hotel Transylvania 2” and “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” which went on to gross $169 million and $177 million, respectively.
From Jan. 22 to Jan. 25, “Kung Fu Panda 3” garnered 17,050 tweets, which is more than “Penguins of Madagascar” gathered in 2014 (12,869 tweets). Robbins said the franchise has “nearly 23 million fans to begin with, so there isn’t much room for a franchise to grow from there except in rare circumstances.”
Moreover, word of mouth from not only critics but fans of the previous films in the franchise is exceptionally strong for “Kung Fu Panda 3.” The first two had a Rotten Tomatoes score of 87 and 81 percent, and the new film is looking at 82 percent.
“DreamWorks, like Pixar, has incredibly good word of mouth,” Bock said. “They have a great track record, and the products are always solid.”



4. Powerful branding
The franchise itself has branded itself incredibly well. According to Dergarabedian, “the previous two have done very well on home video and that sets the stage for the latest film to do well in theaters. It’s been branded for families and kids for years.”
As mentioned before, the films in the “Kung Fu Panda” franchise have received great reviews, which classify it as a “consistently well-performing brand,” Dergarabedian said.


DreamWorks

5) Movie for the entire family
While it is an animated film, “Kung Fu Panda 3” is not just a movie for kids — adults also take interest in it due to the funny and entertaining subject matter and jokes.
“Jack Black is funny, and it’s highly entertaining,” Dergarabedian said.
“Last weekend, you couldn’t take your kids to the movie theater. DreamWorks caters to adults, and you could see this as an entire family,” Bock added.

[GeneChing]

Meh. I'll stick with the Bruce Lee kicks.

Teaser Of The BAIT x Dreamworks x Diadora S8000 Kung Fu Panda 3
By Andres Carrillo - Jan 25, 2016



In order to celebrate the release of Kung Fu Panda 3 featuring Angelina Jolie, Jack Black, Seth Rogan and Jackie Chan, West Coast sneaker boutique Bait will be collaborating with Dreamworks and Diadora to release a collaborative sneaker.

Utilizing the Diadora S8000, the shoe is meant to resemble a panda as you can see in the first teaser image above. Black and white combine on the upper in a fuzzy pony hair material that is meant to mimic the fur of a panda. This release will be a Bait global exclusive but does not yet have a confirmed release date. You can expect to see them release sometime in the next month or two so make sure you stay tuned to Kicks On Fire for a confirmed release date.

Author’s Take

I like how the shoe was designed to resemble a panda by using the pony hair on the upper. It reminds me of the Bait x Reebok x Ted collaboration that we saw last year. Fuzzy sneakers aren’t for me though so I’ll have to pass on these.

Believe You Can See This adidas Ultra Boost ST In The Dark

[GeneChing]

Arguably the worst part of KFP3 is this cover.

Must find the Jay Chou KFP3 song.

[GeneChing]

...but I did find this. The Chinese version looks cooler somehow.


《功夫熊貓3》中國版預告 周杰倫首配音「哎喲不錯哦」

Found the non-official music vid, but without the animation, the song is so pop, I just can't get through it to post it yet. I'll wait for the official one.

[GeneChing]

'Kung Fu Panda 3' First Hollywood Movie to Be Shown in Mandarin in U.S.


'Kung Fu Panda 3'
Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

by Pamela McClintock 1/27/2016 9:53am PST

DreamWorks Animation produced the third outing in the popular animated franchise with the China Film Group.

In a first for a studio Hollywood release, moviegoers in the U.S. will be able to see a Mandarin-language version of Kung Fu Panda 3 in select U.S. theaters.

AMC Entertainment — owned by China's Dalian Wanda Group — is partnering with DreamWorks Animation and Fox to show a dubbed or subtitled version of the movie in markets where there is a significant Chinese population. The seven theaters are in Los Angeles (with three); Boston; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; and the Bay Area in Northern California.

Also, Regal Entertainment will play the Mandarin version in one location in Canada, and Cineplex will carry it in two theaters in Vancouver.

A Spanish-language version of Kung Fu Panda 3, which opens Friday, also will be shown in select AMC locations. AMC and other circuits often offer a Spanish-language version of animated films, whether subtitled or dubbed, in the U.S., but Kung Fu Panda 3 marks the first time a theater circuit has partnered with a major Hollywood studio to make a title available in Mandarin.

"The audience for the Kung Fu Panda franchise is very broad and includes those whose first language may not be English," said AMC executive vp and chief content officer Elizabeth Frank. "As an extension of our targeted programming, AMC is excited to provide our diverse audience with the opportunity to experience Kung Fu Panda 3 in their preferred format and language."

The DWA movie is a co-production with the state-run China Film Group. English- and Mandarin-language versions will both be shown in China.

The seven theaters in the U.S. playing the Mandarin version are: AMC Loews Boston Common 19; AMC River East 21 in Chicago; AMC Lennox Town Center 24 in Columbus; AMC Cupertino Square 16 in the Bay Area; and Los Angeles' AMC Puente Hills 20, AMC Atlantic Times Square 14 and AMC Tustin 14.

Wow. This is tempting. Cupertino Square is in reach.

[GeneChing]

KUNG FU PANDA 3: Po Comes Home by Gene Ching.