Tyson film’s China distributor in box office fraud: officials

The Chinese distributor of martial arts movie Ip Man 3 — starring former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson with Donnie Yen– has had its licence suspended for making up thousands of screenings in a huge box office fraud, regulators said. The movie is the third installment in a series of Hong Kong films about the life of famed Wing Chun master Yip Man, teacher of Bruce Lee and other martial arts legends. Movie poster collage courtesy of moviexplorers.com Chinese film distributors and cinemas often try to inflate box office figures in order to create blockbuster buzz for new releases and attract moviegoers. There may also be financial incentives for such activities. Chinese film industry figures said Ip Man 3 raked in more than 500 million yuan ($77 million) in its first four days on mainland screens — more than Star Wars: The Force Awakens over the equivalent period. But [...]