Action man far from expendable
Updated: 2014-08-07 07:15
By Wang Kaihao(China Daily)
|
|||||||||||
The Expendables 3 features Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Harrison Ford among other Hollywood action stars who are popular with Chinese fans. Provided to China Daily |
Familiar faces in Venice a boost to China's films? |
Voice of China's musical drama questioned for plagiarism |
For an action movie as big as The Expendables 3 with an all-star cast familiar to Chinese audiences, launching a large-scale promotional tour seems redundant. But when British movie star Jason Statham visited China in July to promote the film that stars Sylvester Stallone, distributers were happy to exploit his star power to further push the action-packed film, which will hit cinemas later this month.
Statham did not need to say much during his short trip to China. The buff star simply had to pose for cameras to prompt screams from his many fans.
"I am a fan of Bruce Lee," Statham said at a news conference in Beijing. "I always been passionate about coming to China."
The previous two installments of The Expendables raked in more than 460 million yuan ($75 million) at the box office in China. The latest, however, is not expected to do as well because a pirated version of the film appeared on the Internet in July. Nevertheless, Chinese distributor Le Vision Pictures remains optimistic.
"This movie has every reason to drag audiences to the cinemas as Transformers: Age of Extinction has done," says Zhang Zhao, CEO of Le Vision Pictures. "You cannot underestimate the power of these old faces in China."
He cites Harrison Ford, who is a new addition to the third episode, as an example. Ford's movie The Fugitive (1994) was the first Hollywood blockbuster to be officially screened on the Chinese mainland.
Related Stories
Chinese cinema looks to global audience 2014-08-07 07:15
Ghibli Studio will not disband: Spokesperson 2014-08-06 11:10
Domestic films dominate China's box office 2014-08-06 08:54
Sundance Film Festival is heading to HK 2014-08-05 14:16
HK director brings Communist spy classic to big screen 2014-08-05 14:07
Today's Top News
China, Russia to lay joint gas pipeline
Rules set for HK chief vote
Militia guards US embassy in Libya
450 Pakistans injured in clash with police
My China Story: 'You've got talent'
China's east and west in concert
Putin calls for talks on state system in Ukraine
IMF chief Lagarde investigated in graft case
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
Rebuilding lives |
Horrific nightmare at Kunshan factory |
Shaolin: Fists of fame |
Reading into an online age |
China helps fight international war on drugs |
Crackdown on terrorist attacks |