Bona Film Group
| Company type | Film distributor, production company |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq: BONA | |
| Industry | Chinese cinema |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Yu Dong (founder and CEO), Xu Liang (CFO) |
| Products | Film |
| Website | http://www.bonafilm.cn |
Beijing Polybona Film Distribution Co. Ltd. (simplified Chinese: 保利博纳电影发行有限公司; traditional Chinese: 保利博納電影發行公司), also known as Polybona Films or the Bona Film Group, is a Chinese production company and distributor of films from China and Hong Kong. It is run as a subsidiary of the China Poly Group, and is one of China's largest share-holding film distribution companies.
It was named "the Chinese Miramax" by Screen International in 2005, and its CEO, Yu Dong, was described as one of "the future’s most influential filmmakers" by The Hollywood Reporter in November 2006.[1][2]
History
Founded in 1999, Polybona was the first domestic private firm to receive a film distribution license from the SARFT. In November 2003, it merged with the China Poly Group, a wealthy business conglomerate wing of the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army, to form PolyBona Film Distribution.[3]
The company has distributed over 120 domestic and foreign films, including Confession of Pain, Protégé, The Myth, Initial D, and Dragon Tiger Gate, generating over RMB 1 billion (approximately US$130 million) in box office revenue, capturing over 20% of the overall market share for five years running.
It has also co-produced over 20 feature films including The Warlords, Red Cliff, Flash Point, and After This Our Exile.
In 2007, Variety recognized the successful growth of Polybona Films, and wrote highly about its transforming from Miramax to Paramount.
In 2014 the company had a 10% share of the Chinese box office, earning CN¥3 billion from 12 films released.[4]
In 2014, the company was the fourth-largest film distributor in China, with 5.99% of the market.[5]
As of April 2015, the company was worth US$542 million.[6]
In Q1 of 2015 it had a gross profit of US$45 million, a revenue of US$117.6 million and a box office gross of US$257 million.[7]
In November 2015, it was reported that Bona invested US$235 million in TSG Entertainment, resulting in a stake in six films distributed by 20th Century Fox, including The Martian (2015).[8]
In 2016 the company had a market share of 9%, with a gross of CN¥3.7 billion (US$532.2 million).[9]
Filmography
Released
 |
| Year | Title | Director | Co-production company(s) | Distributor(s) | Box office | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | From Vegas to Macau | Wong Jing | $95,900,000 (China and international) | [10] | ||
| 2014 | The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom | Jacob Cheung | $64,200,000 (China and international) | [10] | ||
| 2014 | The Taking of Tiger Mountain | Tsui Hark | $141,248,984 (China and United States) | [11] | ||
| 2015 | From Vegas to Macau II | Wong Jing | $156,850,000 (China) | [12] | ||
| 2016 | Operation Mekong | Dante Lam | $170,482,937 (China) | [13] | ||
| 2015 | Sword Master | Derek Yee | [12] | |||
| 2015 | Bride Wars | Tony Chan | [14] | |||
| 2015 | Secret Treasure | Ronald Cheng, Gordon Chan | [12] | |||
| 2016 | Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Ang Lee | [12] | |||
| 2017 | The Phantom of Shanghai | [12] | ||||
| 2017 | Operation Red Sea | Dante Lam | [15] | |||
| 2019 | A Dog's Way Home | Charles Martin Smith | [12] | |||
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino | [16] |
References
- ^ Polybona Films - About Us
- ^ Landreth, Jonathan (17 November 2010). "China's Bona Film Group Files IPO". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Variety (Asia) Magazine
- ^ Xu Fan (China Daily) (June 18, 2015). "Internet Giants Move From Behind the Camera to Front". english.entgroup.cn. EntGroup Inc. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ^ "China Film Industry Report 2014-2015 (In Brief)" (PDF). english.entgroup.cn. EntGroup Inc. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ Patrick Frater (April 9, 2015). "Chinese Media Stocks Stage Major Rally in U.S. and Asian Markets". variety.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ Kevin Ma (May 11, 2015). "Bona reports record results for 2015Q1". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Patrick Frater (November 4, 2015). "China's Bona Film Invests $235 Million in Fox Movie Slate". variety.com. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
- ^ Brzeski, Patrick (December 20, 2016). "Alibaba Pictures, Tencent Lead $360M Funding Round in China's Bona Film Group". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Nancy Tartaglione and David Bloom (January 10, 2015). "'Transformers 4′ Tops 2014's 100 Highest-Grossing International Films – Chart". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "THE TAKING OF TIGER MOUNTAIN". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Clifford Coonan (May 7, 2015). "China's Bona Film Group Racks Up Record First-Quarter Earnings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ "Operation Mekong". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ^ Kevin Ma (June 19, 2015). "Bona announces giant slate in Shanghai". Film Business Asia. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ^ ""Bona Film Seeks Status as Chinese Major Ahead of IPO"". variety.com. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- ^ Brzeski, Patrick (January 27, 2019). "China's Bona Film Group to Co-Finance Tarantino's 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
