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Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland rights to We 12, the upcoming action comedy starring all 12 members of Cantopop boy band Mirror, in a deal with Hong Kong’s Makerville.

The film will open in UK and Ireland cinemas on March 29, the day after its release in Hong Kong through Edko Films, and coincides with the Easter holiday weekend.

Directed by Berry Ho and written by Lai Sze Cheung, the story follows 12 members of an underground organisation who secretly maintain peace in the world using a range of extraordinary skills. After long being separated, they must reunite to steal an...

Jack Neo’s Money No Enough 3 has collected a record-breaking $7m over Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Singapore.

The comedy drama, about post-Covid financial woes, stars a trio of Singapore’s most well-known actor-comedians – Neo, Mark Lee and Henry Thia – alongside an ensemble of local celebrities. It had led the box office in both territories since opening on February 1 in Singapore and February 9 in Malaysia as of yesterday (February 28).

With cumulative takings of $3.2m in Singapore, it has become the top performing Asian film since the Covid pandemic in 2020, overtaking Korean blockbuster Train To Busan: Peninsula and Japanese anime Demon Slayer.

The caper or heist film is one of the sub-genres of action that has a lot to offer thematically and stylistically if done correctly. If we think back to “To Catch a Thief” or even the “Oceans”-series, the world these stories show are a reflection of a society based on materialism and property, with the thieves sharing the same obsession as the owners of the object they want to steal. On the other hand, given its potential to be an ensemble piece, the caper/heist feature also offers actors the chance to shine. Steve Yuen's “The Moon Thieves”, the director's third feature, tries to combine the two aspects of the genre, but fails to offer some depth to its otherwise intriguing premise.

The Moon Thieves is released exclusively in UK cinemas by Central City Media

Uncle (Keung To) is a major player in the Hong Kong underworld and...

Independent titles lead the openers at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, with Thea Sharrock’s comedy Wicked Little Letters starting in 685 sites through Studiocanal.

Written by Jonny Sweet and based on a true scandal from 1920s England, Wicked Little Letters centres on an English seaside town targeted by a series of obscene letters, that are investigated by a group of women from the area.

Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley lead the cast, that also includes Anjana Vasan, Malachi Kirby and Timothy Spall. Buckley, Vasan and Kirby were named Screen Stars of Tomorrow in 2017, 2021 and 2013.

It is the third feature from UK filmmaker Sharrock,...

Paramount’s “Bob Marley: One Love” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.9 million ($8.7 million), according to numbers from Comscore.

Universal’s animation “Migration” dropped a spot to second place with £2.7 million in its third weekend and now has a total of £13.5 million. Sony’s “Madame Web” debuted in third position with £2.2 million.

In fourth place, in its third weekend, Universal’s “Argylle” earned £544,846 for a total of £5 million. Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” that collected £424,825 in its 11th weekend for a total of £62.1 million.

There were no other debuts in the top 10.

The midweek release coming up is the 48th & 1/2 anniversary, as the makers style it, re-release of Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones’ cult 1975 comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” starring John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, Gilliam and Jones, from Graft Entertainment. It opens Wednesday, Feb. 21.

“All of Us Strangers...

The Hong Kong box office was dominated by a trio of local titles over Chinese New Year, earning almost $8m (Hk$62m) in 10 days.

Taking the top spot was Table For Six 2, with a cumulative box office of $4.07m (Hk$31.86m) as of February 18, while The Moon Thieves ($2.5m/Hk$19.58m) and Rob N Roll ($1.35/Hk$10.54m) ranked second and third respectively.

All three opened on Chinese New Year’s Eve (February 9) when multiple tentpole titles traditionally open to take full advantage of the lucrative festive period.

Ensemble family comedy Table For Six 2 rode on the success of its predecessor,...

Cinema box office in Hong Kong failed to live up to expectations over the Lunar New Year holidays, even as local films led the chart.

Movie theatre takings between Feb. 9-13 in Hong Kong weighed in at just Hk$48.6 million ($6.23 million), according to data provided by Hong Kong Box Office Limited, a joint venture between Motion Picture Industry Association (Mpia) and the Hong Kong Theatres Association. That was fully 24% below the Hk$64 million attained last year.

Unlike mainland China, where the official Lunar New Year (aka Chinese New Year) celebrations last for a week, Hong Kong takes three only three days as public holidays. This year one of them, Saturday, occurred over a weekend, meaning that workplaces were closed only for four days (Friday-Tuesday).

Audiences in the territory, which returned to full Chinese sovereignty in 1997, also have substantially different taste from their northern brethren.

The top film in Hong Kong...

Ripe Fruit

Fruit Chan has been named as the filmmaker in focus at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (March 28-April 8). The maverick director will be honored with a commemorative book, a face-to-face interview and the screening of ten of his movies. These include: 1997’s “Made in Hong Kong,” 1998’s “The Longest Summer,” 1999’s “Little Cheung,” 2000’s “Durian Durian,” 2001’s “Hollywood Hong Kong,” 2002’s “Public Toilet,” 2004 “Dumplings,” 2014’s “The Midnight After,” 2015’s “My City” and 2018’s “Three Husbands.”

Pyramid Scheme

Singapore-based VFX company Vividthree has signed a non-binding term sheet with China’s Metavision International, a company that specializes in location-based experiences, to explore a stock swap and an investment in the company’s Tmp Immersive Expedition Center in Chengdu, China.

The center, which opens to the public on Friday, will host exhibitions and virtual reality experiences that showcase the wonder of travel and exploration. The first exhibition...