CHINA: The Smith family -- Will, Jada and Jaden -- join Jackie Chan other stars in Beijing for the premiere of The Karate Kid

Record ID: 588836

  • Title: CHINA: The Smith family -- Will, Jada and Jaden -- join Jackie Chan other stars in Beijing for the premiere of The Karate Kid
  • Date: 16th June 2010
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JUNE 16, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR AND PRODUCER OF THE KARATE KID, WILL SMITH, SAYING: "When we went and asked for the rights to do the Karate Kid, we were considering 'Well, you know, because we're doing it in China, it's actually not karate, it's kung fu, and Jerry Weintraub, the original producer, he thought that it would be an honour and an homage to the original film to call it Karate Kid."
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Reuters ID: LVAAE5LHZK3NTHMLHV0HUKRUYGKT
  • Story Text: Stars turned out in Beijing on Wednesday (June 16) for the Chinese premiere of the 'The Karate Kid,' a remake of the cult 1980s film, this time set in modern day China.
    Hong Kong kung fu heavyweight Jackie Chan arrived ahead of eleven-year-old Jaden Smith, the lead role, accompanied by his father Will Smith and mother Jada Pinkett Smith, who acted as producers on the film.
    The 40 million USD kung fu picture has already kicked its way to the top of the North American box office since it opened last Friday (June 11), raking in an estimated 56 million USD during its first three days.
    The Columbia Pictures' film thrashed 20th Century Fox's "The A-Team," another remake cashing in on 1980s nostalgia, which came a distant No. 2 with 26 million USD.
    Instead of going straight to a screening of the film, the Smith family and other cast members attended a near two-hour long ceremony to be shown on Chinese Central Television (CCTV).
    It featured performances by the cast and Chinese celebrities, including Jaden Smith's crowd-pleasing breakdance on Michael Jackson's "Beat It".
    The movie, co-produced with China Film, is one of the most high profile cinema collaborations yet between the U.S. and China.
    At a news briefing, producer Will Smith told reporters he hoped the film could pave the way for more such collaborations.
    "This experience, for our company, and hopefully for the China Film Group, was absolutely fantastic. The availability of the crew, the willingness to make adjustments or comply. So we were hoping that this interaction would sort of lube the gears for America and China to be able to do more similar co-productions," he said.
    The film was shot in various locations across the vast country in the summer of 2009.
    The 1980s nostalgia of the original film may be lost on most Chinese viewers. But its focus on China and patriotic icons both ancient and modern such as the Great Wall and the Bird's Nest stadium are likely to play well with Chinese crowds.
    Despite the film's name, the young Smith learns the ancient Chinese martial art kung fu, rather than karate, which originated in what is now Japan, and is seldom used in China.
    Some had suggested the english title "The Kung Fu Kid," would have been more appropriate -- it's Chinese name translates as "Kung Fu Dream" -- but Will Smith said the name had been kept out of respect for the original.
    "When we went and asked for the rights to do the Karate Kid, we were considering 'Well, you know, because we're doing it in China, it's actually not karate, it's kung fu, and Jerry Weintraub, the original producer, he thought that it would be an honour and an homage to the original film to call it Karate Kid," he said.
    Jaden Smith previously co-starred with his father in 2006's "The Pursuit of Happyness" and as Jennifer Connelly's stepson in 2008's "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
    The opening of his latest picture almost quadruples the 15 million USD debut of father Will Smith's most recent picture, the 2008 drama "Seven Pounds."
    The young star said he had enjoyed the months spent shooting in China.
    "You know, I really love this country. I think it's great and I've learned a lot of things from here and I've seen some very beautiful things," he said.
    China's domestic audience is the second largest in the world, and with rising incomes, urban Chinese are embracing the cinema like never before.
    "Avatar" broke box offices records earlier this year, bringing in more than 1.3 billion yuan (190 million USD), according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
    China Film are predicting the movie will gross around 200 million yuan (30 Million USD) at the box office, a representative from Columbia's parent Sony Pictures said.
    Jackie Chan, whose is so established in the Chinese entertainment world that he is often called "Big Brother Chan," said he thought the film would be a hit with Chinese audiences when it opens officially next week on June 22.
    "I think this film could happen to anyone. When I first went to America many years ago, I couldn't understand a word of English, just like him. Like a fish out of water, I couldn't do anything. So I think anyone can associate with this. So I think in China it should do very well at the box office," he said.
    In the film the young Smith plays a troubled inner-city kid who moves from the U.S. to Beijing with his mother, but faces bullying in his new school.
    Jackie Chan, a janitor-cum-kung fu master who replaces Mr. Miyagi of the original, teaches him the ancient martial art which he uses to overcome the bullies.
    Like the first Karate Kid, much of the film revolves around the relationship between the master and his student.
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