EEG Invests $10 Billion in the Chinese Film Industry

2015 was a great year for Chinese film, with national box office sales reaching a record 44 billion RMB in revenue. With this number in mind, Hong Kong’s Emperor Group (EEG), once a leading provider and producer of Cantopop music, has decided to dedicate most of its resources toward the Chinese film industry, investing a total of $10 billion HKD in the market.

According to a recent report, EEG’s film subsidiary Emperor Motion Pictures has been working with famous Chinese directors Chen Kaige (陈凯歌), Jiang Wen (姜文), Feng Xiaogang (冯小刚), and Hong Kong’s own Benny Chan (陳木勝) in several major motion pictures set to be released in 2017.

One of the films in production is Legend of the Demon Cat <妖貓傳>, helmed by fifth generation director Chen Kaige. The film is based on the popular Japanese novel Shamon Kuukai <沙門空海>, a supernatural thriller about a mysterious talking cat and the strange incidents that occur in Imperial Chang’an after its appearance. The film will star Kitty Zhang (张雨琦) and Crystal Zhang (张天爱). Chen’s two sons, 19-year-old Chen Yuang (陈雨昂) and 16-year-old Chen Feiyu (陈飞宇), will be working on the film as assistant directors.

Let the Bullets Fly <让子弹飞> star Jiang Wen will be collaborating with EEG in the highly-anticipated action film The Hidden Warrior <侠隐>. According to various reports, Jiang Wen has casted Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武) as the film’s protagonist.

Benny Chan, on the other hand, will working on the action film The Web Alliance <天網聯盟> with EEG. Reports say Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) and William Chan (陳偉霆) will be starring in the gun-packed action film.

In response to the company’s billion-dollar investment, EEG CEO Albert Lee (利雅博) said, “As a creative business, film is where dreams are created. As China’s film industry grows and matures, I believe that the Chinese-language film industry as a whole will also become more colorful and varied. When China’s economy grows, its entertainment business must grow with it. Film is the largest form of mass media; there is no doubt that benefits will be reaped. Film is the central pillar of the entertainment business.”

Source: Oriental Daily

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.