Hong Kong – FOX International Channels (FIC) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire the TV and digital media rights of three multi-million dollar budget films from Enlight Pictures, one of China’s largest film studios. The films will be available on SCM linear, VOD and online catch-up service (SCM Play) after their theatrical releases in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
This acquisition represents FIC’s continued efforts to bolster SCM’s brand and positioning with premium blockbuster content, and is in line with its overall strategy to take quality Chinese content, including productions from Mainland China, global.
The three titles include action-comedy film Hollywood Adventures (æ©«è¡ç›´æ’žè·é‡Œæ´»), written and produced by Hollywood executive Justin Lin, who was also behind huge blockbusters such as the Fast & Furious franchise and Star Trek 3. The production budget is in excess of 30 million USD with a celebrity-packed cast that includes superstars Zhao Wei (趙薇), Huang Xiaoming (黃曉明) and Tong Dawei (佟大為). The other two are the coming-of-age film The Left Ear (左耳), based on popular novel of the same title by Rao Zueman and stars Chen Turin (陳都éˆ) and Oho Ou (æ豪); and comedy Lost in Hong Kong (港囧), which also stars Zhao Wei (趙薇) together with Xu Zheng (å¾å³¥), who is also the director of the film.
Commenting on the deal, Cora Yim, Senior Vice President of Chinese Entertainment at FOX International Channels, said, “We are excited to work with Enlight Pictures and thrilled to be offering such fantastic films to our SCM viewers. Mainland Chinese films and TV content have gained more popularity across the region. FIC believes in the power of Chinese content and its ability to travel, and we are leading the charge in bringing this genre to a worldwide audience.”
Yamin Zhang, director of international affairs, said, “FIC has always been Enlight’s close partner in overseas markets; we hope to bring the best of Chinese content to the world riding on such a quality platform.”
SCM is available globally in 12 countries, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.