�Aftershock� closes in on all-time record

Director Feng Xiaogang�s earthquake epic Aftershock is closing in on China�s all-time box office record � but rather than rejoicing, the production house behind the film is starting to sweat.

Such has been the unprecedented interest in the fortunes of the film � following the director�s boast last year that it would become the first-ever Chinese production to surpass 500 million yuan (RM233 million) � that producers and co-distributors the Huayi Brothers are remaining tight-lipped about just how and where the money is coming from.





Aftershock � which follows the fortunes of a group of survivors of China�s 1976 Tangshan earthquake � opened on around 4,000 screens around China on July 22 and has now collected more than 400 million yuan overall.

That figure includes receipts from China�s IMAX theaters which � for the very first time � opened a film at same time as regular cinemas.

IMAX screens picked up 4.3 million yuan on the film�s opening weekend � from its overall 160 million yuan. But Huayi Brothers have this week refused to be drawn on the make-up of the film�s now-400 million yuan, telling the film industry website Film Business Asia it had become a �very sensitive subject.��

There has been some controversy over Chinese box office figures in recent years � for both local and foreign releases � with some studios being accused of inflating numbers to grab more headlines. The raw data, meanwhile, is usually released by the Chinese government.

The previous highest-grossing Chinese film was last year�s The Founding of a Republic � made to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of China�s People�s Republic � which took in an estimated 410 million yuan. Avatar sees the all-time record for any film released in China by earlier this year raking in around 1.3 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood box office smash Inception � which has now collected an estimated US$370 million (RM1.16 billion) worldwide has had its mainland China release date brought forward by almost a month � to September 2 � to avoid running into local productions which will be released for the country�s �Golden Week�� of holidays which begin with the October 1 National Day.

The period is traditionally a peak time for films in China as families gather for a week of feasts and celebrations.

China To Stop Running Avatar

James Cameron's highly successful Avatar has been too successful for China! The mega-hit will officially stop playing in Chinese movie theaters this week because China says it's success is taking away from Chinese films.

Avatar, which was released just over 30 days ago, has grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide and has remained at the number one spot 5 weeks in a row.

Pulling Cameron's new film from it's theaters will make room for more domestic Chinese films. China's biggest film of the year, Confucius, opens this Thursday. Fair or not, with Avatar out of the way it is sure to help out any new flick.

Technology: Electric Cars on Canadian Streets

Changan Automobile Group, Ford Motor's China partner, said on Tuesday it will roll out 30 electric cars developed jointly with Electrovaya in Canada before the end of this year, potentially becoming the first Chinese auto maker to tap the North American market.

Electrovaya is set to distribute the car (based on Changan's popular Ben Ben five-door) possibly making this the first automobile from the People's Republic to tap into the lucrative North American market. Of course, wheels like this won't make you any more popular with the ladies (you'd probably want a Linc Volt for that), but we're just happy that there are more Green options out there.