| Bona Film Group Company Limited | |
| Type: | Public |
| Industry: | Chinese cinema |
| Founder: | Yu Dong |
| Hq Location City: | Beijing |
| Hq Location Country: | China Hong Kong |
| Areas Served: | --> |
| Products: | Film |
Bona Film Group Company Limited (formerly known as Beijing Polybona Film Distribution Co. Ltd. (保利博纳电影发行有限公司)), also known as Polybona Films or the Bona Film Group, is a Chinese production company and distributor of films from mainland 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]
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 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 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 .[9]
| Year | Title | Director | Co-production company(s) | Distributor(s) | Box office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Vegas to Macau | Wong Jing | $95,900,000 (China and international) | [10] | |||
| The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom | Jacob Cheung | $64,200,000 (China and international) | ||||
| The Taking of Tiger Mountain | Tsui Hark | [11] | ||||
| From Vegas to Macau II | Wong Jing | $156,850,000 (China) | [12] | |||
| Operation Mekong | Dante Lam | $170,482,937 (China) | [13] | |||
| Sword Master | Derek Yee | |||||
| Bride Wars | Tony Chan | [14] | ||||
| Secret Treasure | Ronald Cheng, Gordon Chan | |||||
| Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | TriStar Pictures Studio 8 LStar Capital Film4 Productions The Ink Factory Marc Platt Productions TriStar Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing | ||||
| Phantom of the Theatre | Raymond Yip | |||||
| Paradox Kill Zone Bangkok | Wilson Yip | |||||
| Operation Red Sea | [15] | |||||
| A Dog's Way Home | Charles Martin Smith | Columbia Pictures Pariah Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing | |||
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Quentin Tarantino | Columbia Pictures Heyday Films | Sony Pictures Releasing | [16] | ||
| Ad Astra | James Gray | Regency Enterprises Plan B Entertainment RT Features Keep Your Head Productions MadRiver Pictures | 20th Century Fox | |||
| Midway | Roland Emmerich | Summit Entertainment Centropolis Entertainment RuYi Media Starlight Culture Entertainment Group Street Entertainment AGC Studios Entertainment One | Lionsgate | |||
| Bloodshot | David S.F. Wilson | Columbia Pictures Cross Creek Pictures Original Film Valiant Comics Annabell Pictures The Hideaway Entertainment | Sony Pictures Releasing | |||
| Enter the Fat Dragon | Kenji Tanigaki and Wong Jing | Mega-Vision Pictures (MVP) | ||||
| The Battle at Lake Changjin | Chen Kaige Tsui Hark Dante Lam | August First Film Studio Huaxia Film Distribution China Film Co. Ltd. Shanghai Film Group Alibaba Pictures Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company | $909,596,236 (China and international) | |||
| The Battle at Lake Changjin II | Chen Kaige Tsui Hark Dante Lam | August First Film Studio Huaxia Film Distribution China Film Co. Ltd. Shanghai Film Group Alibaba Pictures Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company | $626,571,697 (China and international) | |||
| Operation Leviathan | Dante Lam | |||||