https://www.scmp.com/rss/521295/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s box office presales topped 200 million yuan (US$28.9 million) by Saturday ahead of the coming Lunar New Year holiday, led exclusively by domestic productions – a decline of more than 60 per cent from about 600 million yuan over the same period last year, according to Taopiaopiao, the online ticketing arm of Alibaba Pictures. Presales are closely watched by distributors and investors as an early indicator of holiday audience demand. Long seen as a crucial pillar of China’s film market,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342186/chinas-box-office-presales-fall-over-60-last-year-crucial-lunar-new-year-window?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342186/chinas-box-office-presales-fall-over-60-last-year-crucial-lunar-new-year-window?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding is renaming its digital entertainment division as part of a broader push to reinvigorate growth outside its core e-commerce and cloud businesses. Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group will be renamed Hujing Digital Media and Entertainment Group, using the Chinese name for the orca, or killer whale, Alibaba said in a statement on its official WeChat account on Wednesday. “Orcas are large but flexible and smart, and can adapt to various complex environments,” the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3311256/alibabas-entertainment-group-renamed-after-killer-whale-it-seeks-revive-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3311256/alibabas-entertainment-group-renamed-after-killer-whale-it-seeks-revive-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 23:00:17 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Alibaba Group Holding jumped by the most in nearly two years in Hong Kong after the Chinese e-commerce giant tied up with Apple to develop artificial intelligence (AI) features for iPhones. The stock advanced 8.5 per cent to HK$113.80 on Wednesday, its best one-day performance since March 29, 2023, when it surged 12 per cent. Its American depositary receipts added 1.3 per cent to US$112.78 in New York overnight. The run-up came after the Post reported on Tuesday that Alibaba struck a deal with... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3298343/alibabas-ai-deal-apple-lifts-hong-kong-shares-most-over-4-months?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3298343/alibabas-ai-deal-apple-lifts-hong-kong-shares-most-over-4-months?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Feb 2025 07:22:39 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao The head of Alibaba Group Holding’s entertainment business has apologised to employees for his controversial remarks dismissing a video-gaming unit’s performance and disparaging the Cantonese dialect, which went viral on Chinese social media over the weekend. Fan Luyuan, chairman and chief executive of Alibaba’s Digital Media and Entertainment Group, admitted he was “out of line” with the remarks, adding that he only wanted to “liven up the atmosphere” during a meeting with the employees of... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3290026/alibaba-entertainment-group-head-apologises-belittling-video-gaming-unit-cantonese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3290026/alibaba-entertainment-group-head-apologises-belittling-video-gaming-unit-cantonese?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:30:16 +0000 Stephen McCarty Stephen McCarty It’s a kind of magic – not the 1980s stadium rock extravaganza type, more the movie-make-believe sort. “Editing is magic!” says Mary Stephen, Hong Kong-born film and documentary editor and the calibre of practitioner to whom the description “legendary” is frequently applied. Stephen is speaking on video, from her Paris home, about a long career spent almost entirely in the comparative dark, yet one without which numerous films and documentaries would be unrecognisable, as well as, undoubtedly,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3269339/hong-kong-director-who-became-eric-rohmers-editor-mary-stephen-life-film?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/film-tv/article/3269339/hong-kong-director-who-became-eric-rohmers-editor-mary-stephen-life-film?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2024 03:15:08 +0000 Gloria Fung Gloria Fung Last month, Taiwanese actor and singer Eddie Peng made an appearance at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival for his part in the film Black Dog. Along with the film’s director Guan Hu, Peng walked the red carpet with his canine co-star, Xin. In the film, which took home the festival’s Un Certain Regard award, Peng plays Lang, a man hired to remove stray dogs ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games. After the film wrapped, Peng and Xin apparently developed such a close bond that the actor decided... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3265322/what-has-noughties-heartthrob-eddie-peng-been-taiwan-born-actor-dazzled-cannes-his-best-friend-black?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3265322/what-has-noughties-heartthrob-eddie-peng-been-taiwan-born-actor-dazzled-cannes-his-best-friend-black?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 04:00:09 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau Hong Kong’s biggest free-to-air broadcaster reduced its net loss by 5.5 per cent year on year to HK$763 million (US$97.8 million) in 2023, thanks partly to cost-cutting measures amid a sluggish advertising market. TVB published its financial results on Wednesday, with the figures marking its sixth consecutive year of losses. The broadcaster logged a record deficit of HK$807 million in 2022, HK$647 million in 2021 and HK$281 million in 2020. Total revenue excluding e-commerce business rose 4 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3256938/hong-kongs-tvb-reduces-losses-55-hk763-million-last-year-points-cost-cutting-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3256938/hong-kongs-tvb-reduces-losses-55-hk763-million-last-year-points-cost-cutting-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Mar 2024 08:58:03 +0000 Cannix Yau,Jack Deng Cannix Yau,Jack Deng Alibaba Group’s multibillion-dollar plan to invigorate Hong Kong’s culture and film sectors aims to thrust local movie productions back into the global limelight, but the city’s competitiveness is in doubt, industry players have said. Sector chiefs also said the decision by the entertainment and media arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to set aside at least HK$5 billion (US$639.3 million) for the industries over the next five years had boosted investor confidence. “Alibaba’s five-year... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3255159/can-alibabas-hk5-billion-plan-put-hong-kong-films-back-global-stage-industry-players-say-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3255159/can-alibabas-hk5-billion-plan-put-hong-kong-films-back-global-stage-industry-players-say-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Mar 2024 02:00:21 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong The entertainment and media arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will invest at least HK$5 billion (US$639.3 million) in Hong Kong’s culture and film industries over the next five years in an effort to reboot the sectors. Under the plan announced on Monday, Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group will partner with notable Hong Kong and mainland Chinese companies to produce film and television content, while also nurturing fresh talent. Alibaba’s film company under the division also said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3254987/better-tomorrow-alibaba-media-arm-invest-hk5-billion-hong-kongs-film-and-culture-sectors-over-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3254987/better-tomorrow-alibaba-media-arm-invest-hk5-billion-hong-kongs-film-and-culture-sectors-over-5?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 12:22:23 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Hong Kong’s major stock index rebounded from a 10-month trough after government data showed industrial profit for Chinese companies reversed declines for the first time this year with bargain-hunting trades providing an additional boost. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.8 per cent to 17,611.87 at the close, after finishing a day earlier at its lowest since November 28. The Hang Seng Tech Index advanced by 0.4 per cent while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2 per cent. Alibaba Group Holding climbed... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3235925/bargain-hunters-push-hong-kong-stocks-their-rebound-10-month-low-alibaba-rises-cainiaos-ipo-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3235925/bargain-hunters-push-hong-kong-stocks-their-rebound-10-month-low-alibaba-rises-cainiaos-ipo-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:39:27 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Alibaba Pictures Group will take a majority stake in Pony Media Holdings, which owns Damai – a producer of live performances such as concerts, musical festivals, plays and sporting events and exhibitions in mainland China – for US$167 million, according to a filing by the movie unit of Alibaba Group Holding with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX). Pony Media is owned by Alibaba Investment Limited, a wholly-owned unit of Alibaba. Alibaba Group Holding also owns the South China Morning... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3235115/alibaba-pictures-acquires-concert-producer-damai-it-eyes-offline-live-entertainment-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3235115/alibaba-pictures-acquires-concert-producer-damai-it-eyes-offline-live-entertainment-business?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Sep 2023 22:00:25 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Moon Man, a sci-fi comedy based on Korean artist Cho Seok’s 2016 webtoon Moon You, raked in US$460 million worldwide after its release in July 2022, and was the second-highest-grossing film that year at the Chinese box office, after the jingoistic war epic The Battle at Lake Changjin II. Moon Man also marked the first time a Korean webtoon series had been adapted for a Chinese movie. Webtoons are digital comics, usually consisting of serialised stories doled out in short episodes, designed to be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3225684/how-china-fell-love-korean-webtoons-and-why-formats-future-very-bright-rest-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3225684/how-china-fell-love-korean-webtoons-and-why-formats-future-very-bright-rest-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2023 04:45:09 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Short video app Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, is accelerating its e-commerce push and venturing into movie ticketing as owner ByteDance doubles down on efforts to turn its massive user base into a steady stream of revenue. The Beijing-based company is looking to leverage the combined user base of its two biggest apps. Its flagship short video app, with 600 million daily active users in China, has launched a special shopping channel on Jinri Toutiao, ByteDance’s news aggregation app. It... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3196456/tiktoks-chinese-version-douyin-adds-shopping-bytedance-news-app-prepares-movie-ticketing-service-e?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3196456/tiktoks-chinese-version-douyin-adds-shopping-bytedance-news-app-prepares-movie-ticketing-service-e?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 05:29:50 +0000 Leona Liu Ying Leona Liu Ying China’s oversight body for its film industry is issuing discounts on tickets to help bring theatregoers back to the cinema, in the latest move by authorities to boost consumption as the economy still faces sluggish growth prospects. The China Film Administration (CFA) has joined forces with several movie-ticketing platforms to issue 100 million yuan (US$14.8 million) worth of discount vouchers in an attempt to subsidise ticketing costs and bolster spending from now through October. With people... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3188958/chinas-film-authority-entices-moviegoers-discount-vouchers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3188958/chinas-film-authority-entices-moviegoers-discount-vouchers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Aug 2022 03:00:42 +0000 Yaling Jiang Yaling Jiang Cinema box office sales in China during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday hit a 10-year low amid the country’s ongoing coronavirus control measures in various cities. Sales for the three-day holiday that started on Friday totalled 178 million yuan (US$26.7 million) by noon on Sunday, according to figures from ticketing platform Maoyan. This was the lowest in 10 years and compares with 251 million in 2013, when the country’s total number of movie screens was about 80 per cent less than the current... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3180624/chinas-box-office-receipts-hit-10-year-low-ongoing-covid-19-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3180624/chinas-box-office-receipts-hit-10-year-low-ongoing-covid-19-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jun 2022 13:30:17 +0000