‘La La Land’ Re-release Dances Its Way Back to Chinese Cinemas
Iconic, multi-Oscar-winning film “La La Land” is headed back to mainland Chinese cinemas in sessions that dance off on Dec. 22.
The worldwide release is overseen by Lionsgate, while the China re-release is to be piloted by local distributor JL Film.
The film was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It holds the box office record for movie musicals with global box office of $470 million and earned $35 million of that in China.
For some Chinese audiences, re-releasing the film on its seventh anniversary has superstitious significance because seven years symbolizes sticking together for a lifetime.
JL Film is a fast-growing foreign film investment company. Earlier this year, the distributor handled “The Expendables 4” in China.
“As one of the numerous loyal fans of ‘La La Land’ in China, I am honored and proud to be able to re-release this wonderful film. We look forward to bringing ‘La La Land’ to a large number of Chinese fans,” said JL Film president Ricky Qi.
The pre-Christmas to New Year period is a peak season for box office in China, due to a tradition of company outings and voucher schemes that have a calendar year expiry. In many previous years new releases by foreign titles have been sidelined and the period reserved for Hollywood holdovers and blockbuster Chinese titles.
“’La La Land’ has so many fans across the world, and that’s especially true of China, where audiences have embraced its timeless love story and song-and-dance magic. We’re thrilled that moviegoers can experience it again on the big screen,” said Wendy Reeds, Lionsgate executive VP of international sales.
“’La La Land’ is part of the inaugural series of re-released films under China Film’s segmented distribution initiative. ‘La La Land’ holds a special place in the hearts of Chinese audiences. As we celebrate its seventh anniversary with this re-release, we are optimistic about its box office success in China,” a China Film Group spokesman said.
