DreamWorks Animation is expanding its distribution to Chinese online video site Youku.com. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two companies released information Monday that they have reached what is being labeled as a “first-of-its-kind” online distribution agreement for the rights to the “Kung Fu Panda” films in China. This will be the first time that DreamWorks Animation titles will be available through an online site inChina. Both “Kung Fu Panda” films are currently available on-demand on Youku Premium; the two companies stated the films will later show on Youku’s Hollywood Movie Channel after the paid viewing window closes. “As technology matures and Chinese Internet useres increasingly turn to the web…

And we’re back to a weekend sans superhero movies. We’ve got two new wide releases making their debut both of which will likely struggle to fight off unhappy critics and powerful box office veterans. Cars 2 may be the one with the weaker reviews, but a whopping 4,115-theater count and the fact that it’s a sequel, will certainly give it the edge over Bad Teacher. Back in 2006, Cars opened to the tune of $60.1 million. Can its predecessor achieve the same? It looks like it. In 2008, the first Kung Fu Panda snagged a total of $60.2 million during week one, but Kung Fu Panda 2 started its run…

Last weekend was devoid of $80 million+ earners and it looks as though the same will be true this time around. The only two new wide releases hitting theaters are Super 8 and Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer and while Super 8 does have quite a bit of hype around it, it’ll likely find itself on par with another top-secret JJ Abrams project, Cloverfield. Back in January of 2008, Cloverfield opened to the tune of $40.1 million. As for Super 8, it’ll certainly benefit from its June release date, but likely won’t beat out Cloverfield by much, perhaps only $10 million, giving Super 8 a $50 million start….

Yes, it’s Sunday, but aren’t you getting that summer vibe? Soon enough school will be out and offices will readjust their hours and rules to fit the new season. Regardless, Shockya.com will still be here to bring you the best of the best in film news every Sunday night. The latest movie updates are still useful beach and poolside, right? It should come as no surprise that this weekend’s Cheat Sheet is brimming with, well, for lack of better terms, unoriginal material. We’ve got sequels, book-to-film adaptations and role reprisals as we’ve got updates on The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, a new Dumb and Dumber potentially in the works and…

While the Movie News Cheat Sheet is generally geared towards brightening up your work or school week with the best in movie news, this time around, utilizing the info will be that much more fun as you’ve still got a whole day left of the weekend. When your mouth isn’t full with Memorial Day BBQ fare, you’ll have all the latest in film news to keep the conversation flowing. Of course everyone will be talking about the hottest thing in theaters this weekend, The Hangover Part II, but you can take it one step further by learning the stats in the Box Office section of the piece. And how about…

Who’s ready for an extra long weekend? The brand new films in contention at the box office better be because, courtesy of Memorial Day, there’s a whole extra day this weekend to lure in those off from work and school. Then again, even without the holiday this would likely be a big one because we’ve got two potential heavy hitters arriving, and both sequels at that. Just about this time two years ago, The Hangover arrived to fantastic reviews and a relatively strong opening. A $45 million start may not qualify the film as a summer blockbuster, but its incredibly long legs and ultimate climb to over $277 million domestically…

Title: Kung Fu Panda 2 Director: Jennifer Yuh Starring the voices of: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, Lucy Liu, Michelle Yeoh, James Hong Though the first installment never fully captured this guy’s attention, “Kung Fu Panda 2″ actually had me yearning for more. When taking that feeling into account, the only true disappointment to note here is that the flick barely runs 90 minutes. Every animated-action engagement felt climatic from the get-go. The landscape this adventure was placed upon will give audiences an eye-gasm. With all that praise being said, there isn’t a ton of laughter that will be flying out…

According to Entertainment Weekly, a Massachusetts artist is suing Dreamworks Animation for allegedly stealing his idea for “Kung-Fu Panda”. The artist, Jayme Gordon, alleges in papers filed yesterday and obtained by the entertainment magazine/site that the animation company stole the concept for the movie after he pitched his copyrighted idea, “Kung-Fu Panda Power” to Dreamworks in the late 1990s (he also submitted the idea to Disney during this same time period). Gordon claims that he came up with the idea for a Kung-Fu fighting panda and subsequent characters during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gordon is seeking damages and lost profits, which, according to the lawsuit, “cannot yet be fully…

Read our exclusive interview with director Audrey Genevieve Holland, who recently released her new short film ‘The Snow Princess.’ Besides helming the seven-minute stop motion animation movie, which has been featured in over 30 film festivals worldwide and has won numerous awards and critical acclaim, Holland also wrote, produced and edited ‘The Snow Princess.’ Previously, Audrey worked for DreamWorks Animation SKG on several features including “Kung Fu Panda” and “How to Train Your Dragon”. As well as Laika Entertainment on “Coraline” and “MoonGirl”. Her short film “The Snow Princess” follows Gwyneira, the Snow Princess, who has longed dreamed of entering the Land of Spring, but once she has finally arrived…

‘Kung Fu Panda’ co-director John Stevenson has entered into a producing/directing deal with the independent animation company Vanguard Films, the studio’s President and CEO, John Williams, announced on November 8 through a press release. Stevenson’s first project with Vanguard will be the live action/CGI mix ‘Alien Rock Band,’ which will follow a garage band that travels across the universe to enter an Intergalactic Battle of the Bands. The band will face many obstacles, including fighting four-armed alien guitarists, with music as its only weapon. Stevenson has said that he was wanted to work with the studio after reviewing it’s existing and new ideas. He added that he’s “had a great…