Bona Film Group	China Film Co.	Dongyang LETV Huaer

A patriotic war film, The Battle at Lake Changjin, earned $73 million between Friday and Sunday to extend its cumulative total to $769 million since being released on Sept. 30. The film is already the fourth biggest film in Chinese history. In second place, My Country, My Parents earned $14.6 million, to extend its running total past $200 million to $210 million.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage gave a much-needed jolt to the South Korean box office with a $6.66 million opening weekend, but there were slim pickings for other titles. The film played on nearly 2,000 screens and accounted for 81% of the nationwide box office between Friday and Sunday. Including the film’s Wednesday and Thursday opening days, Venom has accumulated $9.26 million after five days of release.

Nintendo has announced the final major free update for its smash hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons which will bring in beloved characters and shops (along with several quality of life updates). They also took this Nintendo Direct to announce the game’s first upcoming DLC – Happy Home Paradise.

Disney announced 18 local-language Originals to be produced over the coming year in Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, greater China, and Australia. The titles span both series and film, and feature a diversity of genres.

Highlights include a strong selection of Korean titles, such as a documentary about K-pop super group BLACKPINK; Moving, a tentpole Korean action series about teens with mysterious powers; and a pair of anticipated K-drama romances, Snowdrop and Rookies. Japanese anime also features prominently in Disney’s plans, with shows on the way like Summer Time Rendering, based on a best-selling manga of the same name. And from China, Disney has greenlit the food-themed period rom-com Delicacies Destiny, from Yu Zheng, the hitmaking producer behind period drama sensation Story of Yanxi Palace.

Disney has announced that their 2020 mobile game, Disney Twisted-Wonderland, is getting its own anime adaptation. The game features attractive male characters inspired by classic Disney villains and is described as “a villains academy adventure game that has rhythm game elements and battles.”

According to local investment banking industry sources, Tencent participated in the latest share-issuing round organized by NXN. The amount NXN invested was unknown. However, Tencent was said to have assessed NXN’s equity value at over 100 billion won ($84 million). NXN was founded by Yoo Seok-ho, a former Nexon executive who managed the development of Reven, the mega-hit action RPG.

Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM has entered into a strategic partnership with leading Japanese animation studio Toei Animation as it continues to expand its global footprint. Under the agreement, the two companies will collaborate across both their libraries and team up to create new product including television series, films, and animation. The tie-up will also allow both to tap each other’s regional markets.

South Korean online streaming platform Tving said October 18 that it is planning to start its service in Japan and Taiwan next year and in the United States in 2023 to meet the rising demand for Korean-made content across the world.

Tving, a subsidiary of entertainment giant CJ ENM, said it has a decisive edge over other big-name streamers like Netflix in its Korean content production ability led by its sister Studio Dragon and a variety of lineups of smash-hit series that have caught the eyes of global fans so far.