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Box office slumps ahead of busy May Day holiday weekend when several big local titles are scheduled for release.

Japanese anime Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet topped the China box office over the weekend (April 23-25), according to figures from Artisan Gateway, grossing $4.8m.

The film, which is the 24th installment in a popular franchise, has grossed $26m since its April 17 release in China. It was followed by Lian Ray Pictures’ Sister, starring Zhang Zifeng, which grossed $4.6m over the weekend for an impressive cume of $128.2m.

The re-release of the second installment in the Lord Of The Rings franchise,...

Hong Kong’s leading studio Media Asia returned to FilMart on Monday with a slate of productions in the pipeline, ranging from pics with international names to daring projects helmed by homegrown talent addressing local social issues.

Headlining the line-up is “Bodies at Rest,” pictured above, the latest Chinese-language action thriller directed by Renny Harlin. Starring the award-winning Nick Cheung, Taiwanese singer-actor Richie Jen and mainland actress Yang Zi, the latest offering from the “Die Hard 2” helmer opened the 43rd Hong Kong Intl. Film Festival on Monday night.

Media Asia also recruited Japanese director Yojiro Kakita to work with a stellar Chinese cast for the first time on family drama “Silence of Smoke.” The film’s lead actors Han Geng, Zhang Guoli and actress Xu Qing said at the Media Asia event that they were thrilled to work with the famed helmer whose “Departures” (2008) won an Oscar for best foreign-language film.

The Hong Kong-based company is best known for The Infernal Affairs trilogy.

Renowned Hong Kong producer John Chong has rejoined Media Asia, the Hong Kong-based company he co-founded and best known for The Infernal Affairs trilogy on which Martin Scorsese’s The Departed was based.

Chong has taken up a new role as special advisor to the chairman Peter Lam since August 1. His responsibilities include greenlighting scripts and investment for production as well as approving the final cut during post production.

He is one of the seven original founders of Media Asia when it was established in 1994. He is also...

New titles include Herman Yau’s action pic Death Notify with Julian Cheung and Louis Koo.

China 3D Digital Entertainment has launched three new feature titles at Filmart: director Herman Yau’s crime action film Death Notify, Christopher Sun’s thriller Deception Of The Novelist and action drama Deception Of The Novelist, directed and produced by Roy Chow.

Death Notify follows an elite police task force hunting a vigilante serial killer. The film features Julian Cheung, Louis Koo, Francis Ng, Myolie Wu and Pakho Chau.

Deception Of The Novelist follows a young successful writer who gets embroiled in the...

The third installment of Alan Mak and Felix Chong's surveillance thriller series, Overheard 3, scored nominations in 11 categories, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, when the nominations for the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards were announced this past Thursday. Ann Hui's The Golden Era was named in 10 categories, Fruit Chan's The Midnight After garnered 8 nominations, Pang Ho Cheung's Aberdeen scored 6 nominations, despite Pang losing out to Dante Lam in the Best Director category, while Peter Chan's Dearest scored 5 nods rounding out the Best Film category.Despite missing out in many of the major categories, Roy Chow's Wong Fei Hong reboot Rise Of The Legend picked up 9 nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Eddie Peng and Best Action...

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Signaling a concerted push into China, Universal Pictures and Comcast brass gathered at an opening ceremony for the studio’s new Beijing office today. On hand were representatives from the Chinese film industry as well as Comcast Chairman and CEO, Brian Roberts; Chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment, Jeff Shell; President of Distribution for Universal Pictures International, Duncan Clark; and the newly appointed EVP and Managing Director of China for Upi, Jo Yan.

Universal says the establishment of Upi China, which was originally mooted one year ago, is proof of the studio’s commitment to investment in the region. Universal has plans to build a 300-acre theme park in Beijing and is ramping up its local television and consumer products business as well as content production partnerships and acquisitions. Due for release later this week in China is kung-fu action pic Rise Of The Legend which Upi is co-producing with Edko Films and Irresistible Films.

Signaling a concerted push into China, Universal Pictures and Comcast brass gathered at an opening ceremony for the studio’s new Beijing office today. On hand were representatives from the Chinese film industry as well as Comcast Chairman and CEO, Brian Roberts; Chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment, Jeff Shell; President of Distribution for Universal Pictures International, Duncan Clark; and the newly appointed Evp and Managing Director of China for Upi, Jo Yan.

Universal says the establishment of Upi China, which was originally mooted one year ago, is proof of the studio’s commitment to investment in the region. Universal has plans to build a 300-acre theme park in Beijing and is ramping up its local television and consumer products business as well as content production partnerships and acquisitions. Due for release later this week in China is kung-fu action pic Rise Of The Legend which Upi is co-producing with Edko Films and Irresistible Films.

Does the world really need a reboot of director Tsui Hark’s kung fu classic “Once Upon a Time in China”? Eh, not really. But if someone insists on giving us one, then at least it looks like Roy Chow’s “Rise of the Legend.” And if you’re gonna shove this reboot down our throats, then at least we get some Sammo Hung in the process. Why? Because Sammo Hung is a certified badass. Sometimes that’s enough for this geek to give filmmakers a pass. Not that they need my approval, of course. I’m just saying. To give you a taste of what’s to come, the powers that be have bestowed upon us a wonderfully charming and action-packed trailer for Chow’s upcoming fight flick “Rise of the Legend.” To sweeten the deal, we also have a handful of character posters. If you needed something martial...

Update 8/11: We've swapped out the trailer for the high resolution version, below. Because you can never have too many movies about Wong Fei Hung, Roy Chow Hin Yeung's Rise of the Legend will tell the story of the martial arts master for a new generation. And we've got the first trailer and posters to prepare the way. Heading for theatrical release in November, the movie stars Eddie Peng as the man and the legend, probably still best known outside China via Jet Li's portrayal in Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China series. Those films were hardly the first to tell Wong Fei Hung's story, however, as his first big-screen portrayal of the folk hero emerged in 1949. But it's been some 17 years since...

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Rise Of The Legend trailer is finally here, the reboot of the 90’s hit Once Upon A Time In China (Jet Li, Yuen Biao). I was excited to hear when Sammo Hung had joined the cast and will play the role of Wongs master. The movie is directed by Roy Chow and written by To Chi-long and star Peng Yuyan and Wang Luodan.

Its great to see legendary Sammo Hung in the trailer and the action does look good. Some slow motion shots to capture the impact, usage of swords and camera angels, I just hope its a good watch and we are not let down. Here is the trailer, please enjoy and leave your thoughts in the comment box below, enjoy.

Rise Of The Legend just tells off life stories of the legendary martial arts master, Wong Fei-hung.

Universal Pictures International is teaming with Edko Films and Irresistible Films on Roy Chow's Chinese kung-fu action film "Rise of the Legend".

Christine To wrote the screenplay with Peng Yuyan set to play physician, acupuncturist, and revolutionary martial arts icon Wong Fei-hung in the movie.

Various prominent actors have played Wong Fei-hung in the past including Jackie Chan in the "Drunken Master" series, Jet Li and Vincent Zhao in the "Once Upon a Time in China" film series, and Sammo Hung in a brief cameo in "Around the World in 80 Days".

Sammo Hung is also playing a supporting role in this film, as is Wang Luodan, Jing Boran, Wong Cho Lam, Zhang Jin, Tony Leung Ka-fai and Angelababy.

The film is targeting a late 2014 release.

Source: Screen...

Eddie Peng is quickly making a name for himself as a bona fide action hero in Chinese Cinema. After impressive turns from the Taiwanese actor in films such as Jump Ashin! and Dante Lam's Unbeatable, Peng will next be seen as the revered martial arts legend Wong Fei Hung in Roy Chow Hin Yeung's upcoming Rise Of The Legend, which reintroduces the character made famous by Jet Li in Tsui Hark's Once Upon A Time In China series. Chow previously helmed Aaron Kwok horror flick Murderer and Nick Cheung/Simon Yam thriller Nightfall. At a press conference yesterday, the first official post for the film was unveiled by the actor and director, and you can check it out below....

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Highly anticipated Chinese kung-fu action film brings martial arts icon Wong Fei Hung back on screen.

Universal Pictures International (Upi) is teaming up with Edko Films and Irresistible Films on Rise of the Legend.

Roy Chow’s highly anticipated Chinese kung-fu action film brings martial arts icon Wong Fei Hung back on screen and stars Peng Yuyan in the title role. Christine To wrote the screenplay.

Sammo Hung, Wang Luodan, Jing Boran, Wong Cho Lam and Zhang Jin also star, with special appearances by Tony Leung Ka-fai and Angelababy.

Upi has acquired all rights in international territories, including North America but excluding Asia. It will be distributed and marketed in Asia by Edko Films.

Producer Bill Kong, head of Edko Films, commented: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Universal again. We collaborated with Universal back in 2006 and achieved optimal results. Released through Universal in the Us, Fearless starring Jet Li was screened in over 1,800 theatres and ranked...

Edko Films, Irresistible Films, and Universal Pictures International are partnering on Chinese kung-fu action pic Rise Of The Legend. Via Universal Pictures International Production, Universal Pictures International is co-producing and has acquired all international rights, including North America and excluding Asia. Roy Chow (Murderer, Nightfall) is directing from a screenplay written by his longtime collaborator Christine To about the origin of legendary martial arts icon Wong Fei Hung. The Hung Gar expert, who died in 1924, has inspired over 100 films and TV shows since the 1940s including Tsui Hark’s 1990s series of movies Once Upon A Time In China. Peng […]...

Universal Pictures International is partnering with Edko Films and Irresistible Films to co-produce and distribute Chinese kung-fu action film Rise of the Legend, which is set to bring martial arts icon Wong Fei Hung back to the big screen. Upi, through its division Universal Pictures International Production (Upip), is co-producing the film, and Universal Pictures International has acquired all rights in international territories, including North America (but excluding Asia), to the production, directed by Roy Chow and starring Peng Yuyan in the title role. Photos: China Box Office 2013: The Top 10 Movies Rise of the Legend will be

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Edko Films will be launching sales on Cheuk Wan Chi’s Temporary Family, a romantic comedy starring Nick Cheung, Sammi Cheng and Angelababy, at the upcoming Filmart content market in Hong Kong.

Produced by Hong Kong’s Irresistible Films, the film takes a sly dig at Hong Kong’s over-heated property market, through the story of a real estate agent and three investors in a luxury penthouse apartment who end up living together in the property when their plans to make a fast profit go awry.

Cheung plays the agent while Cheng plays a recent divorcee in need of a new place to live and Angelababy plays the agent’s stepdaughter. The cast also includes Oho Ou as a mainland rich kid. The young singer became an idol in China after appearing on a Hunan satellite TV talent show.

The film will also feature cameos from actors and directors such as Jacky Cheung, Ivana Wong and [link...

One of the most popular kung fu icons of all time is returning to the big screen, with director Roy Chow (pictured above) resurrecting the legend of Wong Fei-hung for his upcoming Rise Of The Legend. Previously played by the likes of Jet Li and Jackie Chan, Wong's historical roots are as an actual martial arts instructor - Lau Kar Leung's family trained in his school - but over the years Wong has been elevated to the status of a true folk hero and is often portrayed as standing strong against foreign influences in China.Given the history of major stars playing the character there is obviously a great deal of interest in who is taking on the role this time but - despite the film...

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It’s not often that you find cinematic art in a prison shower scene. Well, let’s rephrase. Non-exploitative prison shower scenes are rarely things of beauty. (Much better.) This film’s opening is an exception though as a single man fends off multiple attackers in an absolutely brutal and bloody brawl. The violent action is captured through painful-looking fight choreography and camerawork that utilizes slow motion to great effect. Bones are broken, blood is spilled and the scene ends leaving viewers as drained as the only man left standing. That man, Eugene Wang (Nick Cheung), is released from prison after a twenty year sentence for the rape and murder of a young woman, and his first stop is to grab some ice cream and eyeball some cute women at a busy intersection. He spots a teenager named Zoe (Janice Man) at a music university who looks almost identical to the woman he was convicted of killing...

Fans of last year’s good/bad/insane Aaron Kwok starring psycho mystery “Murderer” can rejoice, as director Roy Chow and writer Christine To return with more madness in the form of “Nightfall”. Another labyrinth, over the top tale of homicidal intrigue, the Hong Kong film sees the duo maintaining their reputation for hysterical twists and revelations, and features an impressive cast headlined by acclaimed actor and one of the current kings of gritty thrillers, Nick Cheung (recently in Dante Lam’s superb “The Beast Stalker” and “The Stool Pigeon”), with support from veteran Simon Yam (“Election”), Janice Man (“Lover’s Discourse”) and the inimitable Michael Wong (“Overheard”). Cheung plays Wong Yuen Yeung, a man released from jail after a 20 year stretch for the rape and murder of a teenage girl called Yi Wan who he was accused of stalking. He immediately starts following around Tsui Suet (Janice Man), a...

After viewing director Roy Chow Yin Yeung's new thriller, Nightfall, I shall resist the temptation to label him Hong Kong's answer to M. Night Shyamalan, for the sole reason that it might be too complimentary. The director's debut, Murderer, was also penned by Christine To and boasts one of the most audaciously bad twist endings in recent memory. Their second collaboration may lack the balls-out shock value of Murderer's climactic reveal, but the entire drama revolves around a series of twists that, when considered for a moment, make not a lick of sense and ensure that a rather dull and uninvolving procedural thriller comes crashing to its knees.Inspector Lam (Simon Yam) is a veteran cop, haunted by the suicide of his wife and struggling to...

Apparently a new trailer for director Roy Chow’s “Nightfall” showed up sometime last week, and I’m just now finding out about it. I’m not entirely sure how that happened, but it occurred nonetheless. So below you’ll find the correction to this oversight, as well as a batch of new images and two new posters. The movie’s release date is rapidly approaching, so it shouldn’t be overwhelming surprising that more promotional material has come crawling towards the light. And here it is! Here’s a plot synopsis to help refresh your memory: When a Hong Kong celebrity is found brutally murdered, his body floating in the middle of the ocean, hardheaded detective Lam is called in to take charge of the investigation. As Lam zeroes in on a killer from the past, the murder appears to be a straightforward case of revenge. But the more that Lam pursues his suspect,...

Nightfall is an upcoming thriller starring Simon Yam and Nick Cheung. It is from director Roy Chow Hin-Yeung who made Murderer (starring Aaron Kwok), which disappointed many viewers back in 2009. But judging by the newly released full trailer for Nightfall (embedded below), his latest film looks rather promising.  Synopsis: When a Hong Kong celebrity is found brutally murdered, his body floating in the middle of the ocean, hardheaded detective Lam is called in to take charge of the investigation. As Lam zeroes in on a killer from the past, the murder appears to be a straightforward case of revenge. But the more that Lam pursues his suspect, the deeper he falls into a web of lies. To find the truth, Lam must dig into...

You simply can’t go wrong with Simon Yam. I mean, I guess you can, technically speaking, but I’ve yet to be disappointed with anything that features the veteran actor in a prominent role. Below you’ll find a trailer and a new poster for Roy Chow’s upcoming police drama “Nightfall”, a motion picture that doesn’t stray too far from your typical Chinese procedural. Detective investigates a cold case, discovers new clues, unearths dark secrets — it’s not a reinvention of the wheel, but it appears to roll fairly well. Doesn’t that make any sense whatsoever? I certainly hope so, because I’m too lazy to rewrite it. Check out this meaty synopsis for more plot-related details: When a Hong Kong celebrity is found brutally murdered, his body floating in the middle of the ocean, hardheaded detective Lam is called in to take charge of the investigation.

Any time Simon Yam and Nick Cheung are about to grace the screen it is worthy of notice. Nightfall wrapped up filming in the Fall and there is a trailer out for it. The film is directed by Roy Chow from an original screenplay by Chow and Christine To. Christine wrote the screenplays for Fearless, Chow's Murderer in 2009 and Yuen Wo-ping's True Legend. The latter credit has me a touch concerned because I thought the biggest issue was the screenplay. Yikes. The brutal murder of a celebrity musician will cause a hardheaded detective to pursue a killer from the past, only to discover that in revenge, there's a fine line between love and hate.Simon is the cop. Cheung is the ex-con and we've included some pics of...

Busan, South Korea -- Hong Kong-based Edko Films and Irresistible Films unveiled two action projects at the Asian Film Market, Nightfall and Cold War, produced by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon producer Bill Kong. 

Starring award-winning actors Nick Cheung and Simon Yam as an ex-con and a detective, respectively, on the trail of a brutal murder, the $7 million Nightfall is the second collaboration of the helmer-writer team Roy Chow and Christine To (Murderer). Now in post-production, the film is scheduled for March 2012.

Cold War, a $9 million police action drama with an undisclosed cast is produced by Kong, Matthew Tang, and Ivy Ho. Set amidst a hostage crisis,...

Busan, South Korea -- Hong Kong-based Edko Films and Irresistible Films unveiled two action projects at the Asian Film Market, Nightfall and Cold War, produced by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon producer Bill Kong. 

Starring award-winning actors Nick Cheung and Simon Yam as an ex-con and a detective, respectively, on the trail of a brutal murder, the $7 million Nightfall is the second collaboration of the helmer-writer team Roy Chow and Christine To (Murderer). Now in post-production, the film is scheduled for March 2012.

Cold War, a $9 million police action drama with an undisclosed cast is produced by Kong, Matthew Tang, and Ivy Ho. Set amidst a hostage crisis,...

One of the eternal cinematic debates is to whether or not a film can truly be so bad that it actually becomes good. For most connoisseurs of trash film, or of high camp excess, the question is largely irrelevant, with ‘good’ and ‘bad’ being wholly interchangeable labels, and with entertainment factor being all important. This is certainly the case with “Murderer”, which in these terms is a great, great film, showing the kind of unfettered lunatic genius rarely seen in these days of playing things safe. Starring the award winning actor Aaron Kwok in the lead role, the film was directed by Roy Chow, here making his debut after working on “Lust, Caution” with Ang Lee. Hilariously overwrought and featuring one of the all time great bizarre third act twists, its easy to see why “Murderer” has been one of the most controversial and talked about films from Hong Kong of the year,...

Bloody and brutal thriller, Murderer, the debut feature from ‘Lust, Caution’ assistant director Roy Chow is up to own on English subtitled DVD. Starring Aaron Kwok as a Hong Kong police detective suspected of being a sadistic serial killer, Murderer delivers tense gory suspense, topped off with an equally large dollop of campy over the top nonsense. A cult classic, for all the right reasons perhaps? Murderer goes on sale today. Synopsis: There's a brutal serial killer on the loose, and the latest victim is cop Tai, who lies comatose in the hospital after getting thrown off a building. Also at the scene of the crime was fellow detective Ling (Aaron Kwok), who wakes up with no injuries and no memory of the incident. Rumours spread quickly in the police force as Ling turns into the prime suspect. Convinced that someone's out to get him and his family, Ling searches desperately for the murderer,...

Bloody and brutal thriller, Murderer, the debut feature from ‘Lust, Caution’ assistant director Roy Chow is up to own on English subtitled DVD. Starring Aaron Kwok as a Hong Kong police detective suspected of being a sadistic serial killer, Murderer delivers tense gory suspense, topped off with an equally large dollop of campy over the top nonsense. A cult classic, for all the right reasons perhaps? Murderer goes on sale today. Synopsis: There's a brutal serial killer on the loose, and the latest victim is cop Tai, who lies comatose in the hospital after getting thrown off a building. Also at the scene of the crime was fellow detective Ling (Aaron Kwok), who wakes up with no injuries and no memory of the incident. Rumours spread quickly in the police force as Ling turns into the prime suspect. Convinced that someone's out to get him and his family, Ling searches desperately for the murderer,...