BTS Big Box Office Result; Golden Horse Winners, Controversy; Wanda Sells Beverly Hills Property — Global Briefs
Event cinema specialist Trafalgar Releasing has scored another big documentary result, this time with Burn The Stage: The Movie, about K-Pop phenomenon BTS. Released globally on November 15 in a limited engagement, the film has drawn in 1.4M admissions in more than 79 territories and 2,650 movie theaters for a box office of $14M. Featuring behind the scenes interviews and tour footage, the film reached the number ten box office spot in the U.S., taking $3.6M with a screen average of $5,900 across 617 theaters. In the UK, the film achieved the number six spot with a cumulative total of $830,000. Other notable successes include achieving over 100,000 admissions in both the Philippines and Indonesia, gaining over $14,000 screen average in Denmark and reaching a box office of $800,000 in Germany and Austria with a $4,500 screen average.
An acceptance speech at the prestigious 55th Golden Horse Awards — sometimes referred to as the Chinese industry’s version of the Oscars — in Taiwan has sparked controversy. On stage in Taipei last night to receive her prize for best documentary, Our Youth In Taiwan director Fu Yue referenced the ongoing political tension between China and Taiwan, “I really hope that, one day, our country can be treated as a truly independent entity. This is my greatest wish as a Taiwanese person.” The comment sparked consternation among some Chinese attendees and heated debate within regional media and online audiences. The late Hu Bo’s directorial debut An Elephant Sitting Still was named best film at the awards, while Zhang Yimou’s Shadow won multiple awards, including best director. Mainland Chinese films Dying To Survive and Long Day’s Journey Into Night each scored three wins.
In another example of Chinese retrenchment from the U.S., property and entertainment giant Wanda has sold its eight-acre One Beverly Hills site. London-based Cain International and Alagem Capital Group are due to acquire the site at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard, the two companies announced in a statement issued last week. The terms of the deal were undisclosed, but the Wall Street Journal reports a price of more than $400M. Wanda purchased the site for a similar amount in 2014 with plans to build hotels and luxury residences, which have not materialized.
Related stories
Event Cinema Distributor Trafalgar Grows U.S. Footprint Via Tech Installation Deals
Peter Jackson's Newly-Titled WWI Doc Confirms London Film Fest World Premiere
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
