Asia Pacific: News and Reviews from The Hollywood Reporter

Cannes: South Korea Rejoices as ‘The Handmaiden’ Is Selected to Compete for Palme d’Or

Park Chan-wook’s lesbian thriller is the first Korean film in four years that will vie for the top prize, while ‘Gokseong’ and ‘Train to Busan’ will show in out-of-competition sections.

Cannes: Luxbox Picks Up Singapore’s Un Certain Regard Contender ‘Apprentice’

Version Originale Condor has already acquired French distribution rights to Boo Junfeng’s second feature, which tells the story of a Singaporean executioner.

‘Hee’ (‘Hi’): Film Review

Veteran actor-director Kaori Momoi relocates a Japanese short story about an arsonist’s recollections of her past to her current home of Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant’s Final NBA Game: Black Mamba Mania Sweeps China

Bryant is by far the most popular Western athlete in the world’s most populous nation — one Chinese TV star even gave him a sword before the Lakers game as a token of gratitude.

Indian Box Office: ‘The Jungle Book’ Second Highest Hollywood Opening Ever in India

Only ‘Fast & Furious 7’ has earned more in the territory on in its first weekend than Jon Favreau’s animated feature, which bowed to $8.4 million in India.

Alibaba’s AI Successfully Predicts Winners of Chinese Reality Show

Always one for showmanship, Jack Ma’s e-commerce company unveiled its cutting-edge artificial intelligence program during the final episode of “I Am Singer,” one of the most popular TV shows in China.

China’s Desen Launches Love Story Set in World of High Fashion

Romantic drama ‘Shi Shang Nu Mo Tou’, roughly translated at ‘The She-Devil of Fashion’, will seek to educate Chinese audiences on ideas of social etiquette according to producers.

‘Rogue One’: Five Things to Know About the Chinese Supporting Stars

Two of greater China’s biggest stars — Jiang Wen and Hong Kong’s Donnie Yen — have been cast in the ‘Star Wars’ prequel, and the business rationale behind the characters isn’t exactly a mystery.

Japan Box Office: ‘Batman v. Superman’ Climbs to No. 2 on its Third Weekend

‘Assassination Classroom: Graduation’ remained on top, while anime ‘Doraemon’ and ‘Batman v. Superman’ swapped the No. 2 and 3 spots from last weekend.

China Box Office: Morgan Freeman Fandom Lifts ‘London Has Fallen’ to $24.5M

‘Zootopia,’ meanwhile, climbed past ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ to become Disney’s biggest movie ever in the booming Chinese film market.

Bollywood Royalty Greet William and Kate at Charity Event

The Dutchess of Cambridge wowed Indian fashionistas with outfits that mixed looks from British and Indian designers.

‘The Bodyguard’ (‘Tak Kung Ye Ye’/’Wo De Te Gong Ye Ye’): Film Review

Sammo Hung directs and stars in an action-drama about a retired soldier’s last baddie-bashing hurrah before succumbing to dementia.

Can Legendary Entertainment Bypass China’s Film Quota System?

In the wake of Dalian Wanda Group’s $3.5 billion acquistion of Thomas Tull’s studio, the high-stakes political maneuvering in Bejing is gathering steam.

Indian Censors Face Backlash After Claiming ‘Jungle Book’ is “Scary”

The Jon Favreau-directed film was given the equivalent of a PG rating, sparking an instant Twitter reaction.

U.S., Europe Looking to Catch Korean TV Drama Wave

Korean TV dramas and entertainment programs have long been a hot commodity across Asia.

Mark Gordon, Hawk Koch Team for Action Love Story ‘Edge of the World’

Chinese entertainment studio Pegasus Media Group and China Film Group are financing the action-filled transcontinental love story, which is written by David Seidler and Jacqueline Feather.

Tokyo Disneyland Rings Up Record Profit Despite Drop in Admissions (Report)

Oriental Land, operator of the Tokyo Disney theme parks, is set announce profits of $677 million, its fifth straight year of record results.

Brett Ratner to Chair Beijing Film Festival Competition Jury

Joining Ratner on the jury are Hong Kong director Teddy Chan, Germany’s Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Japanese filmmaker Yojiro Takita.

Hong Kong Film Awards: Local Producers Want Voting System Changes After ‘Ten Years’ Win

Leading industry players felt ‘Ten Years’ winning best film was a result of voting being “manipulated to produce an irrational result.”

Bollywood Stars Named in Panama Papers Leak

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan has denied any links with offshore companies in tax havens while his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan issued a statement saying the information was “totally untrue and false.”