Reel China: Chinese companies take stake in China Lion

Two of China’s biggest filmmaking concerns have made investments in China Lion Film Distribution, a new company aimed at bringing Chinese-language movies to North American multiplexes.

The deal, announced Sunday night, for Huayi Brothers Media Corp. and Bona Film Group Ltd. to each acquire 20% of China Lion for an undisclosed sum should increase the number of movies China Lion will exhibit in the United States and Canada.

China Lion, which works closely with theater chain AMC, is currently negotiating to acquire domestic distribution rights to “The Flower of War,” a historical drama starring Christian Bale that recently filmed in China, according to people familiar with the talks who were not authorized to speak publicly.

“This is a major milestone for both Bona and China’s film industry, as it will allow overseas Chinese to watch Chinese movies without delays, as well as open modern Chinese movies to a broader North American audience, and thereby help promote Chinese culture,” Dong Yu, the chairman of Bona, said in a statement.

“In the past year China Lion has broken important ground by bringing to North American audiences the very best of Chinese cinema both from Huayi and other companies. We believe their management team will continue to build Chinese distribution in the important North America marketplace,” said Zhonglei Wang, president of Huayi Brothers.

China Lion has had mixed to poor results with its Chinese-language releases so far.

“If You Are the One 2” grossed more than $420,000 in domestic theaters a year ago, making it China Lion’s top release in its first year of doing business. But only three other of China Lion’s remaining nine films — “Sex and Zen 3D,” “Beginning of the Great Revival” and a remake of “What Women Want,” all of which came out this year — have sold more than $100,000 in tickets.

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— John Horn

Photo: China Lion Chief Executive Milt Barlow, left, China Lion President Jiang Yanming, AMC President of Programming Robert J. Lenihan, Bona Film Group Chairman and Chief Executive Yu Dong, Huayi President Zhonglei Wang and newly appointed China Lion Chairman Greg Coote. Credit: China Lion.

The Morning Fix: Steven Tyler to scream for 'American Idol'! Spyglass chiefs near deal to run MGM. HBO might add an X.

After the coffee. Before readjusting to heat and humidity.

Walk this way! Looks like Steven Tyler, the lead singer for Aerosmith (they were a big band in the 1970s and then made Alicia Silverstone's career, for you kids who don't know), has sealed his deal to be a judge on Fox's "American Idol" next season. The show, which lost Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres, still has to find at least one more judge and talks with Jennifer Lopez have hit a standstill. Although "American Idol" has definitely lost some power over the last few years, it remains the most-watched television show in the industry and a cash cow. One trusts that even if ratings take a bigger than usual slide without Cowell, the cost savings from his exit will balance out with any advertising decline. In other words, hope Fox and the producers, 19 Entertainment and Fremantle, are not breaking the bank on unproven judges who happen to have once been big names. The latest from Ted Casablanca and Taryn Rider at E! Online.

Spyglass brass gets closer to taking reigns of MGM. Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, the chiefs of Spyglass Entertainment, are putting the final touches on a deal to run the troubled MGM studio. Earlier this week, MGM's debtors and Barber and Birnbaum reached an agreement that would have the two Spyglass toppers take over a shrunken MGM. Details from the Los Angeles Times and Variety.

But I already saw "Boogie Nights." HBO is working on a series about the adult entertainment business. Makes sense -- after all, they already have porn star Sasha Grey on the payroll for "Entourage" and maybe she's up for double duty. The show is from Dirk Diggler himself -- Mark Wahlberg. He's already in bed with HBO, as his production company makes "Entourage" and "How to Make It in America" for the pay cable channel. Just to make sure everyone knows it's a fictional show, author James Frey has been tapped to write the pilot. More from the New York Post.

Stop calling me Shirley! This week, "Vampires Suck," the latest spoof movie of a popular genre opened, but are these joke flicks getting tired? The Hollywood Reporter looks at whether "Vampires Suck" will draw blood at the box office.

Location, location, location. Facebook has unveiled its location service, which will allow its users to let people know where they are at. Of course, most Facebook users already take glee in telling their friends when they are at the gym, hiking, on vacation or just sitting around in the backyard. I've never quite understood why one would never put a sign on their door saying, "going away, feel free to ran shackle" yet people have no problem telling Facebook where they are at all times. What, none of my friends are thieves? I'm not taking that chance. Oh, and there will be the usual griping from privacy advocates about what Facebook is doing; although I'm as pro-privacy as anyone, if you truly want privacy, don't put your life online. Oh, and if you are curious, Thursday morning's roundup is being done from a Starbucks on Broadway and 103rd Street. Details on Facebook's latest move from the Wall Street Journal.

"Business Report" sold. "Nightly Business Report, a stable of public broadcasting that for years has been owned and produced by WPBT-TV, a public television station in Miami, has been sold to a private company. According to the New York Times, Mykalai Kontilai, who distributes television programs and used to manage mixed martial artists, has acquired the show. No terms were disclosed. The show, which is over 3 decades old, will continue to be produced out of WPBT. 

Guess Betty White wasn't available. Chelsea Handler, host of E!'s late-night talk show "Chelsea Lately," will be the host of MTV's Music Video Awards, which return to Los Angeles next month. Handler, best known for her love of vodka and single men, is something of an unusual choice for the show. Get ready for lots of Snooki jokes. More on Chelsea's big gig from MTV News.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: John Horn on the odds of a big win for "Lottery Ticket." Why "The Switch" isn't a chick flick. 

-- Joe Flint

What? You mean you don't follow me on Twitter: Twitter.com/JBFlint

The Morning Fix: Court swears off indecency regulations. Piers Morgan headed to CNN. Lions Gate makes pitch to MGM

After the coffee. Before buying my advance tickets for "Inception."

Court swears off indecency regulations. A U.S. appeals court has tossed the Federal Communications Commission's indecency regulations, and the decision calls into question the FCC's clout to regulate broadcast TV and radio for content overall. The case grew out of the FCC's threats to fine Fox television stations for live telecasts in which there was inadvertent swearing. In the Fox case, Nicole Richie and Cher had sworn during live TV events, and a few years later, U2 singer Bono swore during an NBC telecast of the Golden Globes. The FCC can rewrite its rules or appeal the decision all the way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, don't expect broadcasters to suddenly take their hands off the mute button or do away with seven-second delays just yet. More on the decision from the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Broadcasting & Cable.

Morgan to take King's throne. Piers Morgan, the British host of NBC's "America's Got Talent" is closing in on a deal to succeed Larry King at CNN. Although he's seen as a talent show host here, Morgan has a strong track record interviewing newsmakers in his native Britain. For several weeks, CNN denied it was talking with Morgan or even interested in him when reports first surfaced that he was the pick to succeed King. It was not long after those reports that King announced his retirement. More on the Morgan deal (he'll keep doing "America's Got Talent") from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

"Nailed" director bails. David O. Russell has left "Nailed," the political comedy that has had something approaching nine lives. The Hollywood Reporter has the back story on this one, which frankly sounds like one big soap opera that's impossible to follow.

Paramount committed to another mission. Despite disappointing box office for "Knight and Day," Paramount reiterated its desire to make another "Mission Impossible" movie with Tom Cruise. The Hollywood Reporter looks at what is at stake for the studio and Cruise with the next installment and seems to suggest that perhaps the franchise will go on without the star. Or maybe I'm doing too much reading between the lines.

Steinbrenner's legacy. Variety looks at how Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who died Tuesday, changed the game. Besides becoming one of the first larger-than-life owners, featured in beer commercials and hosting "Saturday Night Live," his wide-open wallet played a big part in turning athletes into brands. The owner rivals loved to hate, the image of Steinbrenner was no doubt softened somewhat by the parody of him on NBC's "Seinfeld." Variety also credits Steinbrenner with being the first owner to create his own cable network to carry the team's games. Although the YES network is a big success, the Red Sox actually were ahead of the Yankees in owning their own cable network.

Does Bruckheimer need some magic? Tracking for producer Jerry Bruckeimer's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is not encouraging and could be his third miss. Of course, miss for him means it's not a mega-blockbuster. The The Wrap does some analysis on Bruckheimer's current track record.

And the Emmy Awards go to ... Deadline Hollywood looks at the upcoming talks between the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the broadcast networks over a new deal for the Emmy Awards. Could last week's nominations, which seemed to feature more broadcast shows in high-profile categories, encourage the networks to pony up for a new contract? There have been grumblings from the networks about the current deal and whether the awards wouldn't be better served by having a permanent home. Of course, that creates its own set of problems. The current deal is up at the end of August.

Inside the Los Angeles Times: John Horn looks at a battle between Chevron Corp. and director Joe Berlinger over his documentary "Crude," about the oil company's legal battles in Ecuador. Lions Gate has made a merger presentation to MGM. Starz President Chris Albrecht learned a valuable lesson about paying attention when answering e-mails.

-- Joe Flint

Follow me on Twitter and I'll stop writing these little reminders. Twitter.com/JBFlint

Movie Projector: 'Dragon' will breathe fire again

Spring break is a quickly fading memory and summer vacation still seems far away. If it feels like the doldrums at your house, movie theater owners share your despair.

The year’s first presumed blockbuster —  Paramount Pictures' and Marvel Entertainment’s “Iron Man 2” — doesn’t come to town for two more weeks, and it’s entirely likely that none of the new movies in wide release this weekend, including the romantic comedy "The Back-Up Plan" with Jennifer Lopez, will make much of a splash, according to people who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

Indeed, the likely winner at the box office could be DreamWorks Animation's and Paramount's holdover "How to Train Your Dragon," which could gross about $14 million for the weekend. It should narrowly surpass another holdover, the Lionsgate action film “Kick-Ass,” and the debut of "The Back-Up Plan."

Even though the 3-D "How to Train Your Dragon"  opened below expectations March 26, the movie about a misfit boy and his oversized pet has held up very strongly, selling $161.8 million in tickets so far in the U.S. and Canada.

"Kick-Ass," the R-rated comic book adaptation, not only narrowly won a close duel with “How to Train Your Dragon” last weekend (with a gross of $19.8 million) but also has been No. 1 film during the last week in the U.S. and Canada, where it has done solid if unremarkable business — between $1.3 million and $1.6 million.

Given that momentum, “Kick-Ass” could gross about $12 million this weekend, which puts it right in the middle of the fight for the No. 2 spot.

Some prognosticators say the initial weekend for CBS Films’ “The Back Up-Plan” might be as abysmal as that of the young studio’s first feature (January's “Extraordinary Measures” with Harrison Ford, which barely surpassed $12 million in its entire theatrical run, after opening to $6 million). But audience surveys suggest the $35-million budgeted "Back-Up Plan" should do much better than "Extraordinary Measures," and gross about $12 million in its debut weekend.

Although most men are likely to steer clear of the movie about a single woman who finds true love just as she is artificially inseminated, “The Back-Up Plan” is drawing reasonably good interest from women. An unexpected number of younger girls are also inclined to see the PG-13 film. Even hit romantic comedies are not always well-reviewed, but the early notices for “The Back-Up Plan” have been harsh. That could dent the turnout of older moviegoers, who tend to pay more attention to critics.

Warner Bros. is releasing “The Losers,” a $25-million DC comic book adaptation that was financed by producer Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment. The movie, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana, is strongest among 20-something men, but it's not on everybody’s radar and may lose ticket sales to “Kick-Ass.” An opening around $10 million looks possible. If the fanboy reaction is enthusiastic (early reviews are mixed but mostly favorable), the weekend gross could be higher.

Disney is introducing its environmental documentary “Oceans.” Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, the exceptionally well-reviewed movie was timed to premiere on Thursday’s 40th annual Earth Day. A year ago, the studio tried the same strategy with “Earth,” which opened to $8.8 million and ultimately grossed more than $32 million. “Oceans” should have a slightly smaller opening — about $5 million, not counting its Thursday grosses.

-- John Horn

Photo: Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Laughlin in "The Back-Up Plan." Credit: Peter Iovino / CBS Films