China Lion Film Distribution has revealed that it struck a deal at Cannes to bring helmer Christopher Sun’s “3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy” to North America.
Billed as the world’s first serious 3D porn pic, “Sex” has done boffo biz since its release in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand, with opening week sessions sold out.
In Hong Kong, the film beat the opening day grosses of “Avatar” and “Titanic,” taking $351,000, boosted by Chinese tour groups nipping across the border to watch the movie, which is unlikely to get a mainland release.
“We’re looking at a wide as possible release for this ground-breaking film in North America and are working with our theatrical partners, AMC for the U.S. and Toronto, Cineplex for Vancouver and Consolidated in Hawaii,” said China Lion CEO Milt Barlow.
“3D Sex and Zen” is a darker reboot of the comedic soft-core porn trilogy made in Hong Kong in the 1990s.
Pic features Japanese porn stars Saori Hara and Yukiko Suho along with Hong Kong thesp Vonnie Lu.
Screenplay by Stephen Shiu, Stephen Shiu Jr. and Mark Wu is based on Li Yu’s novel “The Carnal Prayer Mat,” about the sexual exploits of a young scholar named Wei Yangsheng. The film is produced by Stephen Shiu, exec producer of the 1991 “Sex and Zen.”
Set up last year, China Lion Film Distribution is a joint venture between China-based Jiang Yanming and New Zealand-based Barlow. It intends to distribute up to 15 Chinese-language films a year internationally.
