In Too Deep

China's biggest movie flop to date, and 750 million yuan down the drain

Wow what a waste of money.

The most expensive film made in China at 750 million yuan (US112 million) was yanked from screens after it flopped spectacularly on opening weekend, making only 49.05 million yuan.

Called Asura, the fantasy film was backed by big names like Alibaba Group Holding, Zhenjian Film Studio, and Ningxia Film Group, and starred Hong Kong actors Carina Lau Kar-ling and Tony Leung Ka-fai, as well as 19-year-old teenage heartthrob Wu Lei.

Tony Leung Ka-fai (second left) and Carina Lau (third to left)

But the producers made the shock announcement on the film's Weibo account, saying they gave their "deepest apologies to viewers who did not get a chance to watch the film, as well as to all the Chinese and international participants who were involved in its production over the past six years".

Oh boy.

There were some 2,500 people involved in the making of the film, that was shot in Qinghai, Ningxia and Hebei provinces, while 15 months of post production was done in the United States.

Thank goodness the trade war wasn't happening then...

Asura was based on Buddhist mythology, but it seems the story line wasn't compelling enough to viewers, as it only got 3.1 out of 10 from 10,950 viewers on the Chinese film review website Douban, and 6.4 on ticketing provider Maoyan's website.

The film was in post production in the US for 15 months

Meanwhile, Asura's competition, Hidden Man, directed by actor and director Jiang Wen, that also opened on July 13, raked in 341 million yuan.

Another case of China's bid to throw gobs of money at something with the expectations it will succeed, but in fact the opposite is what happens. Apparently Asura was the first of a trilogy... guess the other two are canned now?

Tibetan's Escape to the US

A recent picture of Dhondup Wangchen who landed in San Francisco

We are fascinated by the news that a Tibetan filmmaker managed to elude police surveillance in China and escape to the United States.

Dhondup Wangchen, 43, arrived in San Francisco on Christmas Day where he was reunited with his wife and children who were granted political asylum in 2012.

"After many years, this is the first time I'm enjoying the feeling of safety and freedom," Wangchen said in a statement issued by Filming for Tibet, a group set up by his cousin that campaigned for his release.

A scene from Wangchen's documentary, Leaving Fear Behind

"I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to hold my wife and children in my arms again. However, I also feel the pain of having left behind my country, Tibet."

He's a self-taught filmmaker from Qinghai province where he spent five months in 2007 interviewing Tibetans about their hopes and frustrations living under Chinese rule. His documentary, Leaving Fear Behind, has many Tibetans talking about their love for exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and how they thought the 2008 Beijing Olympics would do little to improve their situation.

Wangchen was detained in 2008, after his footage was smuggled out of China and shown at film festivals around the world, and shown to a group of foreign reporters ahead of the Olympics. He was later convicted for "inciting subversion" and sentenced to six years in prison.

Wangchen's wife, Lhamo Tso campaigned for his release

While he was in prison, many rights groups campaigned for his release, saying he was denied medical care after he contracted hepatitis B in jail, that he was forced to do manual labour and kept in solitary confinement for six months.

His case was apparently raised by the United States with Beijing "at the highest level", according to a Tibetan rights group called International Campaign for Tibet.

However, Wangchen's supporters did not explain how exactly he managed to escape, as he was under heavy police surveillance, with his communications monitored.

"The six years Dhondup Wangchen had to spend in jail are a stark reminder of the human costs that China's policies continue to have on the Tibetan people," said Matteo Mecacci, president of International Campaign for Tibet. "Dhondup Wangchen should never had to pay such a high personal price for exercising his freedom of expression."

Tibetans cannot openly worship the Dalai Lama

In the coming days, weeks and months it will be interesting to see what he has to say about how life is like in Tibet these days. Since the Chinese government began ruling over Tibet in 1950, there have been repressive measures in place, in particular since 2008 when riots erupted in the area.

Devotees of the Dalai Lama are forbidden from speaking about him, having his picture posted on the walls and Tibetans say their culture and language are being threatened by Han Chinese.

A shocking statistic to keep in mind is that more than 150 people have set themselves on fire since 2009 in protest against the Chinese government, the latest case on Wednesday. In turn Beijing calls these self-immolators "terrorists" and blames the Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetan rights groups for inciting them.

While we are pleased Wangchen is now safe, he may feel powerless to help fellow Tibetans from the outside. It's a difficult existence, but one that he and many dissidents before him have had to navigate. We hope he finds his footing and renewed purpose in his new home.