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SCMP Reporter

They've been all over the world from Cairo to London and even the moon, helping their villainous boss Gru commit dastardly deeds.
But the comical henchmen Minions have now struck out on their own, this time for a more innocuous stop in China.
Stuart, Kevin and Bob, the stars of the new Minions movie, went on a promotional jaunt on the Great Wall of China ahead of the film's release on September 13.

Minions, a spin-off from the successful Despicable Me series and which tells the story of the lovable characters' origins as they relentlessly search for an evil master, has already screened worldwide and topped US$1 billion in the box office.
Promotional material said the recent Great Wall tour was the trio's way of "saying hello to Chinese audiences". In their gibberish-sounding language Minionese - which almost included fragments of Putonghua, according to director Pierre Coffin - that would be "bello!"

The pill-shaped, yellow characters first seen in the animated 2010 hit Despicable Me spent a brief moment in the sun in the outskirts of Beijing, climbing up the ancient wall and taking in the views. They even stumbled upon a pile of their favourite snacks - bananas.
While his pals looked to be enjoying themselves, Stuart, the Minion with one eye, is scowling and seems none too happy about the hike - which can be difficult in parts owing to steep inclines.
The film franchise's distributors had plenty to frown about in 2013 when the sequel Despicable Me 2 was denied showings in mainland Chinese cinemas.

It failed to make a cut in the quota (34 places) reserved for foreign films in the Chinese box office. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it might have been edged out to make more room for China's domestic animated movies that year.
Sina News also reported at the time that it failed to land a place as its "style was not suitable for mainland Chinese children".
For Hollywood studios, China has become an important film market. While box office receipts in the United States and Canada combined fell 5 per cent last year to US$10.4 billion compared with 2013, mainland receipts jumped 34 per cent to US$4.8 billion in the same period, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

The mainland is on course to set a new record this year. Box office receipts were US$3.3 billion in the first half of this year, mainland media reported.
Last November, the vice-president of the China Film Producers' Association, Wang Fenglin, said the mainland film market would overtake the US to become the largest in the world within three years.
To get on the mainland circuit, a movie must win the approval of the Film Bureau, headed by a Communist Party cadre and which is part of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT). The latter reports directly to the State Council.
The administration controls state-owned enterprises in the communications field, including China Central Television and China Radio International.
WATCH: Trailer for the Minions movie

With additional reporting by Reuters


Despicable Me's loveable Minions go bananas on the Great Wall of China

Stuart, Kevin and Bob find bananas on the Great Wall of China. Photo: Xinhua

Photo: Xinhua

Film review: Minions - the yellow sidekicks get their own movie

Minions (Category I) is voiced by Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton and Allison Janney, and directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin

Chinese movie market set to overtake US

Dong Ping, chairman of the Hong Kong-listed ChinaVision Media

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The film Overheard 3, which was made by the Bona Film Group, where Mason Xu Liang was previously chief financial officer. File Photo

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China Insider