All stories by Patrick Frater on BroadwayStars

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Zhang Yimou Sets Theater Residency in Macau, Plans ‘MGM 2049’ Stage Spectacular by Patrick Frater

Leading Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has been announced as chief director of “MGM 2049,” pitched as “an unprecedented residency show” in Macau. Zhang, who is known for films inc…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:33AM
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Japanese Theater Firm to Pay Compensation After Harassed Actress’ Death by Patrick Frater

Hankyu Hanshin, parent company of all-female musical theater company Takarazuka Revue, has apologized to the family of an actor who died in September last year. The 25-year-old woman died af…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:26AM
Wednesday, March 20, 2024

‘Hamilton’ to Return to Australia, With Jason Arrow Reprising Title Role by Patrick Frater

Jason Arrow will reprise the role of Alexander Hamilton as the hit stage musical “Hamilton” returns to Australia later this year. The production will play a limited engagement at the Syd…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:06AM
Thursday, December 28, 2023

Mbongeni Ngema, South African Musician and ‘Sarafina!’ Creator, Dies at 68 by Patrick Frater

Mbongeni Ngema, a distinguished South African musician and creator of the musical “Sarafina!,” died on Wednesday in a car accident. He was 68. “Ngema was killed in a head-on car accide…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:08AM
Saturday, April 22, 2023

Barry Humphries, Who Played Dame Edna Everage, Dies at 89 by Patrick Frater

Australian satirist Barry Humphries, known for his onstage and TV drag persona Edna Everage and for his character Sir Les Patterson, has died. He was 89. The BBC reported that Humphries had …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:56AM
Monday, March 27, 2023

China Box Office: ‘Suzume’ Japanese Animation Debuts With $50 Million, Year’s Biggest Non-Holiday Opening by Patrick Frater

Japanese animation film “Suzume” made just shy of $50 million on its opening weekend in mainland Chinese theaters. Data from consultancy Artisan Gateway, shows “Suzume” grabbing the …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:27AM
Thursday, January 26, 2023

Carol Welch Resigns as Odeon Cinemas U.K. & Ireland MD by Patrick Frater

Odeon Cinemas, part of the AMC theaters group, is looking for a new managing director U.K. & Ireland, following the resignation of Carol Welch after some six years at the company. Welch,…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:32AM
Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger Given Suspended Jail Sentence in Israel by Patrick Frater

Mooky Greidinger, the CEO of troubled multinational theatre operator Cineworld, has been given a six-month suspended jail term by a court in Israel. The company, which has 9,139 screens in 1…

SOURCE: Variety at 01:09AM
Saturday, October 8, 2022

Korea’s Park Eun Bin and ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ Bag Top Prizes at Busan’s Asian Content Awards by Patrick Frater

The Astory-produced “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” claimed the ‘Best Content Award’ Saturday at the fourth edition of the Asian Contents Awards in Busan. The hit show’s lead actress,…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:47PM
Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Hong Kong Cinemas Expect the Worst as COVID and Restrictions Continue by Patrick Frater

Hong Kong’s ongoing anti-COVID restrictions are forecast to cost the city’s cinemas HK$1.5 billion ($192 million) in lost box office receipts and cause the unemployment of thousands of p…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:02PM
Friday, February 18, 2022

Cineworld Obtains Three Months Delay of Payout to Regal Shareholders by Patrick Frater

Multinational cinema operator Cineworld says that it has reached an agreement with creditors over a disputed and delayed repayment. The agreement gives Cineworld three additional months to s…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:18AM
Friday, January 7, 2022

Sydney Festival Hit by Claims of Art-Washing Over Israel Sponsorship by Patrick Frater

Some thirty acts have announced the cancelation of their performances or attendance at the Sydney Festival, a major arts festival that started Thursday in Australia’s biggest city. They ar…

SOURCE: Variety at 05:44AM
Wednesday, July 7, 2021

K-Pop Propels YouTube to Streaming Dominance in Korea, Study Finds by Patrick Frater

The powerful appeal of K-pop is a major contributor to YouTube taking up position as the dominant streaming video platform in South Korea, a new study has found. Netflix, which has also inve…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:51AM
Monday, June 28, 2021

Australian Production Sector Shrugs off Sydney Lockdown by Patrick Frater

Sydney, the capital of the Australian entertainment industry, has gone into a two-week lockdown after a surge of the highly-transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus. The city’s stay-…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:27AM
Friday, June 18, 2021

Disney Must Work Hard to Maintain Early Streaming Progress in Asia-Pacific, Says Study by Patrick Frater

From a standing start 19 months ago, Disney’s video streaming operations in Asia-Pacific have already amassed 36.9 million subscribers. Boosted by launches in more Asian territories this y…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:51AM
Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Disney Plus Leads Premium Streaming Surge in Southeast Asia (Report) by Patrick Frater

Disney Plus made the greatest progress among premium streaming platforms in Southeast Asia in the first quarter of the year, according to new research. AMPD Research, affiliated with Media P…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:58AM
Monday, May 17, 2021

Losses Deepen at Hong Kong Disneyland as Virus Keeps Theme Park Closed for Seven Months by Patrick Frater

Reporting results fully seven and a half months after the fact, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort said that it lost nearly $1 million per day last year. For the financial year to September 2020, t…

SOURCE: Variety at 09:35AM
Saturday, May 1, 2021

Restoration of Hong Kong’s State Theatre Will Take Five Years, But it is Already a Hit by Patrick Frater

The extension of an popular immersive exhibition that retraces the memories of one of Hong Kong’s most iconic cinema buildings, and the past glory of the local film and entertainment indus…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:30AM
Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Disney Slashes Linear TV in Asia With 18-Channel Closure, Shifts Focus to Disney Plus by Patrick Frater

Disney is to close 18 TV channels in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong as the conglomerate puts a greater emphasis on direct-to-consumer streaming. The move will take effect from Oct. 1, 2021. Ma…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:53PM
Friday, April 23, 2021

‘Midnight Sun’ Shines Again as K-Pop Stage Musical Aimed at Cinemas by Patrick Frater

Alternative content for cinema screening is getting a K-pop spin, giving it a chance of success in parts of Asia, even as distributors and audiences remain hesitant about movies’ return to…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:58PM
Monday, February 22, 2021

Hong Kong Film Business Reopens With a Surge After Lockdowns by Patrick Frater

Hong Kong’s film industry moved ahead on several fronts over the weekend after coronavirus-mandated lockdowns were reduced. But the return to business is likely to be uneven. Cinemas reope…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:17PM
Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Hong Kong Disneyland to Reopen This Week by Patrick Frater

The Hong Kong Disneyland theme park will reopen on Friday (Feb. 19, 2021) after being closed due to a fourth wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the city. All visitors will have to provide t…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:26AM
Friday, February 5, 2021

K-Pop Game Launch Backed by BTS Agency Big Hit Entertainment by Patrick Frater

Korean pop music is becoming available in ever more formats. The latest is a mobile game “Rhythm Hive” which launched Thursday and features BTS and other K-pop acts from the Big Hit Ente…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:21PM
Saturday, January 23, 2021

For Big Hit Entertainment Stock, BTS Is (Still) the Ticket by Patrick Frater

Despite disruptions to the music industry caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Big Hit Entertainment, the management company behind K-pop superstars BTS, had a booming 2020. Last year saw BTS…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:19AM
Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Hong Kong Gives Cash to Shuttered Cinemas by Patrick Frater

Hong Kong is to provide cash subsidies to cinema operators as the city buckles under the pressure of a fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Cinemas were ordered to close in December, causin…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:55AM
Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Wanda Cinema Upgrading China Theaters with RealD Screen Order by Patrick Frater

Wanda Cinema Line has placed an order for 100 RealD Ultimate Screens from visual tech specialist RealD. For RealD the deal, announced at the CineAsia convention in Hong Kong, is the largest …

SOURCE: Variety at 03:01AM
Saturday, November 17, 2018

Awkwafina, Moon So-ri, ‘Bethany Hamilton’ Take Hawaii Festival Prizes by Patrick Frater

Breakout acting star Awkwafina was on hand Saturday in Honolulu to receive the Halekulani Maverick Award from the Hawaii International Film Festival. The actress, writer and rapper this year…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:56PM
Thursday, October 25, 2018

Tokyo Festival Seeks Asian Regional Role as it Opens With ‘A Star is Born’ by Patrick Frater

Though its opening film is high-profile Hollywood romance “A Star is Born,” the Tokyo International Film Festival is increasingly focusing its efforts on building bridges with Asia. Espe…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:10AM
Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star Is Born’ to Open Tokyo Film Festival by Patrick Frater

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s “A Star Is Born” will open the 31st edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival. The film, which is Cooper’s directorial debut, had its premiere i…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:00PM

IMAX Strikes 14-Site Theater Deal With China Resources by Patrick Frater

Leading property developer China Resources has struck a deal to build 14 IMAX theaters in its new cinema chains. Theaters will be opened between over a period to 2021, with installations in …

SOURCE: Variety at 08:40AM
Monday, May 21, 2018

Chinese Streaming Giant iQIYI Opens First Offline Movie Theater by Patrick Frater

Chinese video streaming giant, iQIYI has opened its first conventional movie theater in Zhongshan, southern China. The company aims to build a network of on-demand cinemas, at which viewers …

SOURCE: Variety at 02:46AM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre