Stephan Chow's Journey to the West: Conquering Demons

[ghostexorcist]

Meanwhile...

Wow, check this page out for a side-by-side comparison of the video game in question and Chow's film (SPOILER). It's undeniable.

http://www.martialartsmoviejunkie.co...steal-a-scene/

[ghostexorcist]

You guys can can watch it here:

http://osemtv.com/watch_video.php?v=82H89H3K3SD7#_

[GeneChing]

See also in the article Stephen Chow Signs Deal for 'Journey to the West' Theme Park in our Chinese Theme Parks thread.

Local films score at BO around Asia
By Patrick Frater and Stephen Cremin
Thu, 28 February 2013, 11:59 AM (HKT)

Asian films put in some strong – and sometimes surprising – performances at the box office around the region.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 除魔傳奇 (pictured), Stephen CHOW 周星馳's historical fantasy, continued its remarkable journey at the Chinese BO, by adding a further RMB335 million (US$53.7 million) last week. That gives it a cumulative total to 24 Feb of RMB993 million (US$160 million). Newcomer The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey scored RMB115 million (US$18.5 million) over three days at the weekend. Local romantic comedy Say Yes! １０１次求婚 had taken RMB170 million (US$27.3 million) by Sunday night. Cloud Atlas, which has significant Chinese, Hong Kong and Singaporean investment, nudged its total up to RMB165 million (US$26.5 million). It is now expected to overtake its $27 million North American total.

In Singapore Ah Boys to Men 2 新兵正傳Ⅱ topped the local box office chart for the fourth successive week. That took its cumulative total to S$7.08 million (US$5.72 million) in 26 days and improved its record as the biggest Singaporean film of all time. It score now also makes it the tenth highest grossing film of any nationality in Singapore, behind Spiderman III on S$7.83 million (US$6.32 million). Distributor Clover Films Pte Ltd estimates that ABTM2 will finish its run on S$7.5 million (US$6.06 million). The highest grossing film of all time in Singapore was last year's The Avengers on S$13.73 million (US$11.1 million).

In South Korea, the top two chart positions are taken by local films, New World 신세계 and Miracle in Cell No. 7 ７번방의 선물; both are financed and distributed by indie firm Next Entertainment World. New World managed ticket sales of 1.04 million in its first five days on release. But it is Miracle that has really rocked the chart. Released on 23 Jan, it has become only the eighth local film to sell more than 10 million tickets in the modern era. By 26 Feb it had scored 10.4 million admissions, for a box office total of ￦74.5 billion ($69.3 million). Directed by LEE Hwan-kyung 이환경 on a budget of ￦3.8 billion (US$3.5 million), it is the tale of how a man-child's 6-year-old daughter is snaked into his cell after he is falsely imprisoned.

In Taiwan, David Loman has crossed NT$100 million (US3.37 million) at the Taipei box office. By Sunday night, the Chinese New Year comedy had taken NT$111 million (US$3.73 million), and is estimated to have made three times that nationwide. Other local films released over the holidays had disappointing box office, including Step Back to Glory 志氣 with NT$10.9 million (US$366,000) and Get Together 逗陣ㄟ with NT$7.25 million (US$244,000). Still on release, Ang LEE 李安's Life of Pi had taken NT$220 million (US$7.41 million) by Sunday night.

In Vietnam, 3-D costume-action film The Lady Assassin Mỹ nhân kế broke records as the number one local film of all time, with ₫52 billion (US$2.49 million) by 17 Feb, smashing the ₫42 billion (US$2.00 million) record of gangster comedy Big Boss Long ruồi (2011). On Valentine's Day, it broke single-day records with ₫5.5 billion (US$263,000). It had no major competition in local cinemas until 22 Feb when Journey to the West, Beautiful Creatures, Broken City and The Last Stand opened.

[GeneChing]

'Journey to the West' Passes $160 Million at Chinese Box Office
6:35 AM PST 2/25/2013 by Clarence Tsui


Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 2013 H
Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s fantastical comedy becomes the second Chinese film in as many months to hit 10-digit local earnings at home, with its quest to top "Avatar's" record takings of 1.38 billion yuan possibly hindered by the release of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."

HONG KONG – Another month, another record-breaker. Less than two months after Lost in Thailand became the first Chinese production to take more than 1 billion yuan ($160.3 million) at the local box-office, Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons did the same – and in fewer days than the previous record-holder.

According to figures released on the state-backed China Film News blog, Journey to the West generated 330 million yuan ($52.9 million) from Feb. 18-24, bringing its total box-office earnings to 983 million yuan ($157.6 million) up until Sunday. Averaging daily takings of 65.5 million yuan, the film would easily have crossed the 1 billion yuan threshold on Monday, thus sealing its standing as the second highest-grossing local production ever in mainland China.

With Chow still traveling around the country to promote the film, Journey is expected to continue its challenge to beat the local-production record set by Lost in Thailand last month (1.26 billion yuan/$202 million) and then the all-time Chinese box-office mark of James Cameron’s Avatar (1.38 billion yuan/$221.2 million, from Jan./Feb. 2010). By earning 122 million yuan ($19.6 million) on Feb. 14, Journey has already broken the single-day ticket-sales record set by Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011 (116 million yuan/$18.6 million).

Whether Chow's film could fulfill that quest hinges on its ability to withstand the challenge of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which has performed remarkably since its Feb. 22 opening, taking in 115 million yuan ($18.4 million) in just three days. There’s also Jean Valjean and Fantine to take care of, with Les Miserables – the profile of which has certainly risen again with Anne Hathaway’s Oscar win and the ensemble performance at the awards ceremony on Sunday – opening in the country on Feb. 28.

Where Bilbo Baggins has thrived, Tom Cruise has withered, however. Up until Feb. 24, Jack Reacher has just taken 80 million yuan ($12.8 million) – a situation which would possibly leave its Chinese total earnings trailing that of Cloud Atlas, which has now accumulated 170 million yuan ($27.3 million) in the territory.

But Monkey hits an obstacle...

Stephen Chow, China's Huayi Brothers in Dispute Over 'Journey to the West' Profits
12:54 AM PST 2/28/2013 by Clarence Tsui

Stephen Chow - P 2013
Getty Images
The Hong Kong director and mainland Chinese film studio are locked in a war of words over the distribution of earnings for the blockbuster.

HONG KONG – As Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons continues its record-breaking march towards becoming the top-grossing domestic production ever released in China, a parallel drama is unfolding online, as the film’s producer-director and his mainland Chinese partner engage in an escalating battle over how the spoils are to be shared.

For the past week, Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s Bingo Group and the Beijing-based Huayi Brothers studio have issued separate notices contesting how Journey’s net profits are to be divided. The main sticking point is whether Huayi is an investor in the production, or merely the Chinese distributor of the film -- if the latter, the studio's take will be considerably less.

The saga began on Feb. 5, when an entry in Huayi CEO Wang Zhonglei’s blog stated how his company is contracted to receive the biggest share of Journey’s net profits -- a comment followed two days later by an official notice claiming the studio to be an investor as well as the mainland Chinese distributor of the film. This claim contrasted sharply with Bingo’s announcement last Nov., which did not name Huayi among the project’s four financing parties.

As Journey broke the 1-billion-yuan ($160 million) threshold on Monday, Huayi issued another notice stating the company should receive pre-tax profits of $31.5 (196 million yuan) from the film. Bingo responded in the evening with an online notice saying that Huayi would receive 12 percent of the film’s net profits as distributors plus an additional share of box-office dividends, while the investors -- excluding Huayi Brothers -- may “actually obtain approximately 70 percent of the net income calculated from distribution of the film in mainland China.”

After Bingo’s missive dismissing Huayi’s claims of being an investor, Wang fought back with yet another post the next day claiming it should be his company, under an agreement struck with Bingo and their partners, which is to receive 70 to 90 percent of the film’s net takings after the deduction of the distribution fee -- an amount which would translate to total earnings from $43 million (270 million yuan) to $57 million (356 million yuan) if the film is to surpass 1.2 billion yuan ($192 million) in ticket sales, as many analysts predict.

Speaking to the Apple Daily newspaper on Wednesday, Chow declined to comment on his conflict with Huayi, saying his company is already dealing with the matter. The potentially disintegrating relationship between Chow and Wang is startling, given how the pair regularly appeared together at promotional events for Journey before the film opened.

Huayi has been pursuing better financial returns in 2013 after the disappointing performance of Feng Xiaogang’s historical drama Back to 1942 in 2012. Made with a budget of $33.7 million (210 million yuan), the film only took $58 million (364 million yuan) during its Nov.-Dec. run, losing out not just to Ang Lee’s Life of Pi but also actor-turned-director Xu Zheng’s comedy Lost in Thailand, which has since gone on to gross $202 million (1.26 billion yuan), becoming China's highest-grossing domestic production ever.

[GeneChing]

Stephen Chow's Blockbuster continues box office conquest
(Xinhua)
11:03, March 05, 2013
(Source: CRI Online)


"Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," a period adventure comedy created by writer-director Stephen Chow, had raked in more than 1.1 billion yuan (176.7 million U.S. dollars) as of Sunday, the film's production company announced.

The film took in 80 million yuan when it debuted on Feb. 10, the biggest opening ever for a domestic film. It pulled in a combined 1.08 billion yuan throughout February, the Huayi Bros. Media Group said.

Chow's 3-D action comedy, based on the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West," follows the adventures of a young demon hunter.

China's current box office record is held by "Lost in Thailand," a low-budget comedy that has earned more than 1.26 billion yuan since it debuted last December. However, many believe Chow's movie will break that record before it leaves theaters.

Still haven't seen this or LiT.

[GeneChing]

Talk about academic snobbery...

Monkey Man
Global Times | 2013-3-7 19:38:02
By Jonny Clement Brown


Monkey in all its reincarnations, including Huang Bo as Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King, in Stephen Chow's latest adaptation Photos: CFP






According to statistics from the state-backed China Film News blog, just two weeks after its release, the Stephen Chow directed and produced Journey to the West: Conquering Demons (Chow's third film interpretation of the 16th-century classic Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en) broke all manner of Chinese box office records by surpassing an unprecedented 1 billion yuan ($160 million).

Official figures on Sina Weibo state that within the first 15 days of its February 10 release, the film had been played 435,620 times throughout the nation and seen by an estimated 24.8 million.

Less than two months after previous local box office champion Lost in Thailand became the first Chinese production to take in more than 1 billion yuan, the enduring story of a young monk traveling west to India at the request of Buddha seems to still strum an emotional chord within the local consciousness.

With Chow - the star and man at the helm of some of China's most successfully exported comedy capers (Shaolin Soccer in 2001 and Kung Fu Hustle in 2004) - reportedly signing on for a 25 percent stake in a 173-acre Journey to the West theme park in Wuzhen (just outside Shanghai) as well as the impending release of The Monkey King starring Donnie Yen this July (yet another re-interpretation of the classic novel), it seems everyone has gone bananas for the Monkey King. Not to mention that one of Spain's finest directors, Guillermo Del Torro, is purported to be working on a Hollywood adaptation of Wu Cheng'en's novel.

"It's a story about austerities. About how human beings achieve perfection through austerity. It's a book full of wisdom," says Li An'gang, professor of Chinese classical literature at Yuncheng University, Shanxi Province. "The monkey character represents our minds, which can transform 72 times, travel 9,000 kilometers and change size in the blink of an eye."

If anyone should know about how to relate the appeal of the main protagonist - ostensibly a talking primate - to modern world dwellers, it's professor Li. He's been lecturing on the book for more than 30 years. Li states that the appeal of Monkey for Chinese people is simple: "It's a story about how to enlighten your mind. So everyone, not only Chinese, can find something for themselves within. No matter where they are from, those who know growth will come to understand this book."

However, despite the astronomical takings at the box office for Conquering Demons, not everyone found peace and wisdom in Chow's Monty Python-esque and somewhat trippy-slacker re-imagining of the tale.

"I would never recommend this movie to my friends," says University of Science and Technology Beijing graduate student Heaven Wang, 25. "I probably will never understand the success of this movie. It's haphazard and lacks consistency. I didn't get the humor and it was a bit too scary for children and those with heart conditions," she said. Wang is not the only person Metro Beijing interviewed who thought little of Chow's interpretation. But Li didn't have too many expectations for Chow's version and all its special effects.

"It's quite clear from the title that this was going to be a spoof of monkey movies from the past," says Li. "Clearly, people of this generation like these kinds of movies and the box office figures show that." Li calls Chow's efforts "spirited," but hopes for a more serious film adaptation in the future.

"I couldn't care less if there is an upcoming movie starring Donnie Yen," Wang says. "The story has been exhausted completely. I don't know how it will do at the box office, but I know I will never go to see that movie."

[GeneChing]

Film Review: ‘Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons’
03.10.13 | 05:48PM PT
Richard Kuipers



Visuals are more dazzling than the storytelling in “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.” A qualified return to form for Hong Kong hitmaker Stephen Chow (“Kung Fu Hustle) after mushy sci-fier “CJ7,” this mostly entertaining action-fantasy-comedy about a demon hunter soars when pyrotechnics take centerstage, but is less successful when the focus switches to words. Nevertheless, “Journey” has gone bananas since its Feb. 7 domestic release and looks certain to crack the $200 million mark and overtake “Lost in Thailand” as the highest grossing Chinese movie. Commercial potential beyond Chinese-speaking auds appears limited. North American release details are pending.

The pic is the umpteenth movie inspired by Wu Cheng-er’s classic 16th century novel “Journey to the West.” The source material about the arrival of Buddhism in China provided the basis for “A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora’s Box” and “A Chinese Odyssey Part Two: Cinderella,” domestic hits starring Chow as the mischievous Monkey King.

With Derek Kwok (“Gallants”) credited as associate director, “Journey” follows a simple pattern of elaborate set-pieces followed by brief pauses for reflection and explanation, not all of which are entirely compelling or convincing.

The first spectacular sequence shows young demon hunter Xuanzang (Wen Zhang) arriving in a fishing village during a gory, “Jaws”-like attack by the fearsome Water Demon. Chow’s knack for mixing suspense and slapstick is impressively displayed as Xuanzang leaps about rickety walkways and see-sawing bridges resembling the board game “Mouse Trap” before rescuing a baby just inches from becoming the creature’s next meal.

In one of several new ideas brought to the old tale by Chow, Kwok and six other credited writers, sensitive Xuanzang reads nursery rhymes to demons in the hope they will reject the dark side and join him as allies in the quest for spiritual enlightenment. His belief is that these beasties were once good-natured humans that suffered terrible injustice, and a lilting lullaby is all it takes to undo the damage. Watched by villagers as his technique restores the Water Demon to his previous human form as Sand Monk (Lee Sheung-ching), Xuanzang’s moment of glory is stolen by the sudden arrival of Duan (Shu Qi, “If You Are the One”), a feisty femme demon hunter with radically different ideas on creature control and a flair for showbiz that the nerdy Xuanzang lacks.

Duan invites herself on Xuanzang’s missions to challenge and change other demons — pig K.L. Hog (Chen Bing-qiang) and Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King (Huang Bo), an especially tricky customer who’s served 500 years of solitary confinement in a remote cave on orders from Buddha himself. While sequences such as Duan using her “Infinite Flying Rings” to disintegrate Hog’s minions at his restaurant-cum slaughterhouse are filled with razzle-dazzle CGI and exciting 3D effects, talk-based segs between showpieces too often lack the nimble scripting and heartwarming charm that distinguishes Chow’s best work, like 2001’s “Shaolin Soccer.”

The main problem is Duan’s wildly enthusiastic attempts to woo Xuanzang despite his avowed devotion to “a greater love” than what she’s offering. Pushing the opposites-attract notion a bit too far, Duan’s repeated declarations of passion for Xuanzang never ring true, and it remains a mystery why she finds him so irresistible. An early sequence showing Duan and her sexy comrade (Chrissie Chau) conspiring to activate Xuanzang’s libido produces chuckles, but variations on the theme prove far less mirthful.

Although Chow does not appear in the movie, his acting style and screen persona are writ large on the main cast. Shu is dynamite as the all-action Duan, Huang amuses as the eccentric Monkey King, and Taiwanese singer Show Lo scores big laughs as Prince Important, a narcissistic rival demon hunter with an entourage of soon-to-be-superannuated female sidekicks.

Where the helmer’s touch works least is the central role of Xuanzang. Mainland thesp Wen does nothing particularly wrong, but his perf as the nervous greenhorn feels Chow-lite, and his narrowly written character is less lovable than he ought to be. It doesn’t help that Wen sports a ghastly “finger-in-the-light-socket” hairdo more fit for a costume party than a serious young seeker of spiritual fulfillment.

The pic is beautifully designed and photographed in predominantly rich earthy tones by lenser Choi Sung-fai (“Flying Swords of Dragon Gate”). The orchestral score by regular Chow collaborator Raymond Wong adds plenty of punch to action sequences, but is slightly overused in the dramatic passages. The rest of the technical work is first class. Things conclude with a set-up for a sequel.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Sai yau: hong mor pin

(Hong Kong-China)

Reviewed at Hoyts Tea Tree Plaza Cinemas, Adelaide, March 4, 2013. Running time: 110 MIN.

An Edko Films (in Hong Kong), Huayi Brothers Media (in China) release of a Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, Chinavision Media Group, Bingo Movie Development, Edko Films production. (International sales: Bingo, Hong Kong.) Produced by Wang Zhongjun, Stephen Chow, Ellen R. Eliasoph, Han Sanping, Dong Ping, Bill Kong. Executive Producer, Chow.

Directed by Stephen Chow. Associate director, Derek Kwok. Screenplay, Chow, Kwok, Huo Xin, Wang Yun, Fung Chih-chiang, Lu Zheng-yu, Lee Sheung-ching, Ivy Kong. Camera (color, widescreen, HD, 3D), Choi Sung-fai; editor, Chan Chi-wai; music, Raymond Wong; production designer, Bruce Yu; art director, Eric Lam; costume designer, Lee Pik-kwan; sound (Dolby Atmos), Zhu Yanfeng; visual effects supervisor, Ken Law; visual effects, Macrograph, Different Digital Design; action choreographer, Ku Huen-chiu; line producer, Ivy Kong; associate producer, Alice Chow; assistant directors, Leung Kwok-fai, Keith Chan Cheung-kei, Ng Ka-pui; second unit camera, Gao Hu.

With: Shu Qi, Wen Zhang, Huang Bo, Show Lo, Lee Sheung-ching, Chen Bing-qiang, Cheng Si-han, Xing Yu, Lu Zheng-yu, Chiu Chi-ling, Yang Di, Chrissie Chau, Ge Hang-yu, Fung Ming-hun, Yeung Lun.

(Mandarin dialogue)

BTW, has anyone seen Lost in Thailand?

[GeneChing]

The title of this post is a Shu Qi reference. Get it?

Village Roadshow Asia's film nears China's box office record
Neala Johnson, Movie Reporter
News Limited Network
April 03, 2013 6:46PM


Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, film

A scene from Village Roadshow Asia's co-production, 'Journey To The West: Conquering the Demons'', which is close to breaking box office records in China.

CHINA looks set to crown a new box office king - and the power behind the throne is an Australian company.

Village Roadshow is well known at home for its cinema chain, theme parks and Hollywood movie co-productions including The Matrix, Happy Feet and Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming The Great Gatsby.

Now Village Roadshow Pictures Asia, a Beijing-based division of the company founded in 2011, has found wild success with its first local co-production in China, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.

With total box office in China of $191.9 million (1.245 billion yuan), Journey to the West is close to surpassing last year’s hit Lost in Thailand ($194.2 million) as the highest-grossing Chinese-made film in the country’s history.

Greg Basser, CEO of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, told News Limited the movie "has exceeded expectations". But he added the company was not getting carried away with the result.

"We have a philosophy in China of what I call 'crawl, walk, run' - we're taking a very cautious approach there" Basser said. "It's not really going to change our operations."

Journey to the West is an action, fantasy and comedy concoction directed by filmmaker and action star Stephen Chow, and based on the same novel that inspired 1970s-80s TV favourite Monkey.

Village Roadshow has a 30 per cent stake in the film, which cost around $19 million to make.

Back in February, its opening-week gross of $89.4 million set a record for China (knocking off Titanic). It also pulled in $18.8 million on a single day, beating the previous record set by Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Its run at the box office is slowing, however, as it fell out of the Top 10 for the first time last week.

"It’s probably got another two to three weeks in theatres, so maybe yes, maybe no," said Basser of its chances of becoming the No.1 local film. "Either way, we’re very happy with the outcome."

Currently, Journey to the West is the third biggest film of all time in China overall, behind Lost in Thailand and Avatar ($214.3 million).

The Australian media company's success has Hollywood studios taking note. Revenue from the Chinese movie market has doubled in the past four years and is predicted to match the US by 2017.

Industry reports put takings at the Chinese box office overall up more than 40 per cent year-on-year. Cinemagoers are also increasingly choosing local titles over foreign imports.

"There’s something like nine screens a day opening in China and it just so happens local product this year is running at 70 per cent of the box office," said Basser. "When you’re in a marketplace that’s growing so rapidly, the rising water basically seems to pull everything up."

While some of the major studios have dipped their toe into the market by co-producing both English and Chinese-language films (Paramount yesterday announced it will partner with Chinese companies to make the fourth Transformers movie), Village Roadshow has set itself apart by focusing solely on locally-made Mandarin and Cantonese-language productions.

The company's presence in China with multiplex operations since the mid-1990s appears to have given it a prime vantage point to observe the rapidly-growing market.

"If you look to places like Korea and Japan, local productions make up more than 50 per cent of the box office," said Basser. "We saw similar stuff happening in China and realised that market was going to be a very significant market, not just in the region but globally.

"We thought the opportunity would be to work with the indigenous side of the industry, because we’re already working in the global part through our partnership with Warner Bros.

"Village Roadshow Pictures Asia is firmly focused on China and films for that local market, but what we hope to learn is how to mould the pictures to be more popular outside of China."

Village Roadshow followed up Journey to the West with a more modest hit, the $30.9 million-grossing romance Say Yes!

Its next big Chinese release is Man of Tai Chi in late June - directed by and starring, oddly enough, Keanu Reeves.

"We’re looking at another three or four films going into production this year," said Basser.

"The goal is six-to-eight films a year. We're in this market for the long-term and we see great prospects. And it's certainly nice to start off the way we have."

The Asian venture has been good news for Village Roadshow Ltd's ASX share price. After sitting below $3.50 last September, it peaked above $5 in March and was $4.86 at close on Wednesday.

[Scott R. Brown]

It was cute, but not great.

[SimonM]

Whatchootalkinabout?

I laughed so hard I nearly hurt myself. The monkey king himself was basically dead-on perfect.

[Scott R. Brown]

Whatchootalkinabout?

I laughed so hard I nearly hurt myself. The monkey king himself was basically dead-on perfect.

I was disconcerted with the death of the child at the beginning. He was lucky I finished watching the movie after that. There was no plot necessity for killing a child as far as I am concerned and I don't watch anything where they kill children as a matter of principle.

The rest was corny and entertaining, but below expectations, to me, for a Stephen Chow film. It was certainly funny. But I expected more.

[GeneChing]

...if it's still making money at the box office, why bother ending the run?

Chinese Box Office: "Journey to the West" Run Extended So It Can Break "Lost in Thailand"'s Record
Posted 9:57 AM March 14th, 2013 by Senh Duong

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

In my previous Chinese box office report, I wrote that Stephen Chow's "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" would get close, but not beat "Lost in Thailand" for the record of highest-grossing Chinese film of all time. Huayi Brothers, the company behind "Journey to the West," apparently agrees with me. Originally slated to end its run by the end of this week, they're extending its engagement until April 7th, which should be enough time for it to capture the all-time crown.

Meanwhile, the fantasy-comedy topped the charts for the fifth consecutive week, grossing $10M and extended its total to $191.5M. It needs to make another $10M or more in the next month to surpass "Lost in Thailand."

Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" repeated at second with $8.3M, bringing its total to a solid $45.5M after three weeks. Worldwide, the fantasy film has taken in more than $1B.

Occupying the third spot with a decent $6.7M after four days is the debut of "Upside Down, " a big budget sci-fi/romance starring Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess. With a budget of $50M and only getting a limited release in the U.S., I don't think it'll make back its cost.

Another debut landed in fourth place. Wong Jing’s “Princess and Seven Kung Fu Masters,” an action-comedy featuring Sammo Hung and Bruce Leung, took in a decent $4.5M in three days. The trailer looks just as silly as the title.
“Les Miserables” raked in $3.7M for the fifth spot. In ten days, it has taken in an underwhelming $7.7M.

Rounding out the top ten are “Stolen” ($3.2M, $6M total), “Dredd” ($1.8M, $4.4M), “Fall in Love” ($1.1M), “Say Yes” ($0.9M, $31.2M), and “The Iron Lady” ($0.6M). “Say Yes” looks like it’ll end its run with about $32M, another huge hit for Huang Bo. Meryl Streep’s Oscar-winning “The Iron Lady” bombed pretty hard in China.

Next week, Bruce Willis will try to get a bailout from China with “A Good Day to Die Hard” since it underwhelmed in the U.S. Unless it does gangbusters in China, I doubt there’ll be a six installment as promised by Willis. The latest “Die Hard” did $63.3M after a month in the U.S. and will probably end its run there with less than $70M, the lowest grossing film of the franchise. The previous entry, “Live Free or Die Hard,” did $134.5M in 2007.

[GeneChing]

Stephen Chow's film fails to break record
CRI, April 10, 2013


Actor Wen Zhang plays the leading role in Stephen Chow's adventure comedy "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons". [Photo: douban.com]

Stephen Chow's adventure comedy "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons" has concluded its theatrical run, and has become the second best-selling Chinese movie of all time.

The movie has raked in 1.245 billion yuan (about US$200 million) through its screening.

Chow's 3-D action comedy, based on the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West", follows the adventures of a young demon hunter.

The film took in 80 million yuan when it debuted on February 10, the biggest opening ever for a domestic film.

However, the movie failed to break the total box office record held by Xu Zheng's "Lost in Thailand".

"Lost in Thailand", a low-budget comedy which debuted in December, has earned more than 1.26 billion yuan.

Shy 15 million yuan (almost $2.5 million USD)

[GeneChing]

Read Chiu Chi Ling on JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING DEMONS by Gene Ching with Kevin Ho.

[GeneChing]

Magnet is doing a limited release of JttW in the U.S. on March 7. I saw the listing and thought it was that other Monkey movie...

Opening
3/7/2014
Columbus, OH: Gateway Film Center 8
Tempe, AZ: Valley Art 1 Theatre
Vancouver, WA: Kiggins Theater

3/28/2014
Seattle, WA: Grand Illusion Cinema