Zhang Rui — 'Beauty and the Beast' smashes box office records

The film, directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Josh Gad, grossed 308 million yuan (US$44.6 million) in China during its debut three-day weekend, and became the biggest grossing musical ever screened in China...

Disney has been very successful with profitable remakes of its own animated classics in China in recent years. For example, the live-action "Cinderella" made US$71.57 million, while the remake of "The Jungle Book," which won best visual effects at the Oscars on Sunday, grossed US$150 million here.

Disney has already decided to hire Niki Caro for a live-action remake based on the 1998 Disney animated feature adaptation of the story of the Chinese heroine Mulan.

China.org.cn
'Beauty and the Beast' smashes box office records

Zhang Rui

Kia Kokalitcheva — Here's Why China Is So Important to Universal Pictures

According to Langley, Universal takes the Chinese market into consideration quite early in the movie-making process—in fact, as soon as a project is green-lit. Questions range from whether any potential controversial content in a movie could be seen as problematic to Chinese authorities or sensibilities to whether there are any local partners it should contact....

Fortune
Here's Why China Is So Important to Universal Pictures 
Kia Kokalitcheva