FOX Networks Group Asia (FNGA), Asia’s leading pay-TV network, shone brightly amongst the stars at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival, walking away with pan-Asian broadcast and streaming rights to some of the festival’s hottest feature films.
Held in May on the picturesque French Riviera, the Cannes Film Festival is one of the year’s most important events for acquiring best-in-class content, as distributors and studios from around the globe compete for rights to the festival’s most promising films.
This year, in order to continue serving Asian viewers with the most compelling stories and cinematic content, FNGA secured the rights to broadcast and stream buzz-worthy movies including:
- The Kingkiller Chronicle, is based on Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind, a New York Times bestseller with over 10 million copies worldwide, and directed by Sami Rami; boasting a production budget of more than US$100 million.
- 355, a spy thriller and passion project directed by Simon Kinberg, producer of the X-Men franchise and director of the upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix; featuring lead actress Jessica Chastain, and an ensemble cast of Hollywood’s brightest female stars including Fan Bingbing, Lupita Nyong’o and Penélope Cruz.
- Ironbark, is a Cold War dramatic thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch; based on the true story of British businessman Greville Wynne and touted as one of the hottest projects entering Cannes.
- Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, is based on one of the most chilling book series by Alvin Schwartz, directed by André Øvredal, andco-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, who won Best Picture at the 2018 Oscars.
These films will be available on FOX Movies Asia and FNGA’s video-streaming service FOX+. FOX+ provides Asia with an unrivalled combination of hit TV series, blockbuster films from the East and West, live sports and thrilling documentaries; all in one place, accessible from any device, at any time and in high definition.
Acquiring the most talked-about movies is nothing new for FOX Movies Asia, the number one Hollywood movie channel in South East Asia since January 2016.
In recent years, FOX Network Group Asia has earned a reputation for snagging the best of the best at Cannes. Bringing viewers in Asia a stunning range of stories from top Hollywood names and creative independent producers, previous Cannes acquisitions include:
- The Old Man and the Gun, is an American crime film written and directed by David Lowery, and based on the true-life story of Forrest Tucker, written by David Gran. It stars Robert Redford, Casey Affleck and Danny Glover.
- Arctic, is the first feature film from Brazilian director Joe Penna, known for his Cannes debut of his popular YouTube channel. Co-written by Ryan Morisson, it stars Mads Mikkelsen as a man stranded in the Arctic, and embarks on a deadly trek to survive.
- The Spy Who Dumped Me, an action comedy starring funny women Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon; on track to be summer 2018’s top comedy after overwhelmingly positive test screening.
- Robin Hood, is produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and stars Taron Egerton, of Kingsman: The Secret Service fame, and Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Jamie Foxx. The film is an action-packed retelling of the tale of the Prince of Thieves with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight choreography and timeless romance.
Keertan Adyanthaya, Executive Vice President, Content & Marketing, APAC for FOX Networks Group said: “FNGA’s top mission is to deliver the best content and ignite imaginations. We’re constantly searching for new opportunities to bring viewers in Asia the funniest, most thrilling, most dramatic and most emotional stories. By acquiring blockbuster epics, laugh-out-loud comedies and thoughtful independent products at Cannes this year, FOX Movies Asia hopes to continually bring viewers in Asia the very best range of premium entertainment.”
