While there may still be some debate over whether video games are works of art, there is no doubting their earning potential. This was proven yet again when the game “Red Dead Redemption 2” earned a whopping $725 million in global retail sales after its first three days. And with glowing reviews haling it as a new gold standard for video games, and online components yet to be released, it’s poised to rake in much more.

Meanwhile, theatrical box office in North America is also looking profitable. In fact, 2018 may end with record setting grosses (if not attendance), and it’s all due to Hollywood releasing blockbuster movies outside the usual summer and holiday season.

In China, movie stars continue to fess up to how much money they have avoided paying taxes on. The latest is Chow Yun Fat who took his cue from the government and decided now was a good time to announce he’d be giving away his fortune, estimated at more than $700 million.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Rihanna turned down the Super Bowl halftime show, Drake topples another Billboard chart record and why Broadway is skewing a little younger.

Goldman Sachs Is Drawn Into Prosecution of Vast Financial Fraud

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/business/goldman-sachs-malaysia-investment-fund.html

Comscore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of November 4, 2018

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-november-4-2018-300743616.html

Box-Office Boon: The Secret Behind a Record 2018 Haul

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-secret-behind-a-record-2018-haul-1152645

Movie Ticket Prices Drop Slightly to $8.83 for Third Quarter

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/movie-ticket-prices-down-2018-q3-1202980806/

Most Movies Since 1968 Are Rated R, MPAA Study Finds

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/movies-1968-are-rated-r-mpaa-study-finds-1155796

Exhibitors at Dubai Forum Show No Signs of Pulling Back From Saudi Arabia

https://variety.com/2018/film/news/exhibitors-dubai-forum-saudi-arabia-jamal-khashoggi-killing-1203009133/

China Founds Trademark Office to Protect Domestic Brands

http://chinafilminsider.com/china-founds-trademark-office-to-protect-domestic-brands

Did China Really Create a New Trademark Office?

http://chinafilminsider.com/did-china-really-create-a-new-trademark-office/

Hong Kong Star Chow Yun-fat to Donate All His Fortune to Charity

http://chinafilminsider.com/headlines-from-china-aquaman-to-release-in-china-two-weeks-early/