A theatrical version of Pride and Prejudice, a classic work of British novelist Jane Austen, will be staged at the Beijing Poly Theater from Dec. 10 to 12.

The play, adapted from the renowned 1813 romantic novel, tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, their five daughters, and the various romantic adventures at their Hertfordshire residence of Longbourn.

Directed by acclaimed director Philip Godawa, the play will be presented by Chinese actors and actresses in oral Chinese of old times to correspond to the 19th-century England where the novel was set, according to the play's production team.

The team said it is also planning to produce a musical version of Pride and Prejudice.

"The Irishman" leapt out of the gate in Hollywood's pre-awards season, racking up two "Best Film of the Year" selections by the National Board of Review (NBR) and the New York Film Critics Circle, two of the most prestigious film critic organizations in the United States.

The NBR also named the "The Irishman" script with its insider view of the criminal underworld spanning decades, penned by Steven Zailian, as "Best Adapted Screenplay of the Year."

This has kicked the Oscar buzz for the film into high gear, with many news outlets already predicting a "Best Picture Academy" nomination for the Netflix streamer.

When asked at Variety's Innovate Summit this week about what he would do if "The Irishman" won the "Best Picture," Scott Stuber, Netflix's head of film, said, "If that happens, I will be cheering and crying and running around like crazy!"

"The Emmy, the Oscar, these awards are the indicators of what is great, so you want to be there for that exact reason," Stuber said.

"The Irishman," starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Anna Paquin and Joe Pesci, premiered on Nov. 27 on the streaming service after a 26-day exclusive theatrical window in cinemas in the United States and overseas.

The film, directed by academy award-winning director Martin Scorsese, arguably Hollywood's finest living director, is Netflix's biggest gamble to date. Clocking in at an estimated budget of 160 million to 175 million U.S. dollars, this mobster epic is one of the most expensive dramas ever made, trailing another sticker-shock film, James Cameron's "Titanic."

In a world now measured in 280-character tweets and 30-second videos, it seems astonishing that a 3.5-hour epic could be made, let alone on a bigger budget than any of Scorsese's pictures to date.

"When you make a movie at that price level, you want to spend your money on the best people doing the best version of what they do," Stuber told Xinhua. "And Marty (Scorsese) is the best at what he does."

Nielsen, which runs a leading audience measurement system in the world, estimated that the film was watched by 17.1 million Netflix viewers in the United States during its first five days of streaming, a figure Netflix has yet to corroborate.

"You will see more numbers from us, more transparency, more articulation of what's working and what's not," Stuber said. "We're not hiding anything. I just want it to be articulated correctly to protect the filmmaker and protect the movie."

He explained that, for their unique business model, it is important to find the right hybrid of theatrical and online streaming.

"We are about a week into 'The Irishman' and we are well on our way to being very happy on that one and thrilled with its performance so far," Stuber said.

Nielsen pegged "The Irishman" audience as skewing toward older men, premiering with an estimated 20 percent of viewers being men between 50 to 64, with younger viewers dialing in after its initial five-day run.

Variety's Owen Gleiberman described the film as "a coldly enthralling, long-form knockout - a majestic mob epic with ice in its veins."

"Jumanji: The Next Level," a sequel to the 2017 American adventure comedy film "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," topped the Chinese mainland box office Friday, according to the China Movie Data Information Network Saturday.

The film raked in 60.91 million yuan (about 8.65 million U.S. dollars) on Friday, its opening day, accounting for over 43 percent of the daily total.

The film tells of a team of friends who return to the dangerous virtual world of the video game Jumanji to rescue one of their own and need to brave parts unknown, from arid deserts to snowy mountains, in order to escape the game.

It was followed by Chinese crime drama "The Wild Goose Lake," which grossed about 43.81 million yuan.

Coming in third was "The Whistleblower," a thriller about a Chinese expatriate who discovers a conspiracy at the firm he is working for, which pocketed 9.23 million yuan on its first day of screening.

Celebrities including Diplo, Playboi Carti and PnB Rock paid tribute to slain Florida rapper XXXTentacion during the week of parties surrounding Art Basel Miami.

Hundreds of fans gathered at a posthumous album release party Thursday night to be the first to hear XXXTentacion's Bad Vibes Forever. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Noah Cyrus and Tory Lanez appear on the album.

Some fans camped out for hours to ensure entrance to the party. At midnight, the album played as emotional videos of the slain rapper played on a screen behind the stage. XXXTentacion's mother stood onstage, hugging family and friends and occasionally dancing to the music. She said she was trying to stay positive.

Earlier in the night, Diplo took to the DJ booth as fans lined up for free tattoos and perused an outdoor museum filled with XXXTentacion memorabilia, including three wax statues, family photos and hand-written notes.

The car that XXXTentacion was last seen alive in was also on display. The 20-year-old was gunned down while leaving a motorcycle shop in 2018. His sudden death shocked fans, many of whom unleashed praise for him. Others were more critical of the troubled rapper and pointed to his multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.

Four suspects were arrested in connection with his death.

Little Arthur crawls out of bed in his red Marvel Comics pajamas, brushes his teeth and strolls outside after breakfast to his day job: helping out at the family hardware store in Rhayader, Wales. It's Christmas and Arthur, nearly 3, has his work cut out for him wrapping presents, hanging ornaments and helping customers.

But the cute video with 1.3 million views on YouTube - and counting - comes with a larger larger message. Don't forget the little guy.

"The small little family owned businesses still exist out there,'' said Arthur's dad, Thomas Lewis Jones, 30. ''If you can afford to shop locally, do so. If you can't. I hope you just enjoy the video.''

Big Christmas ads have become a tradition in Britain — an opportunity usually for much larger companies to pull out all the stops to woo holiday shoppers and stamp their brands firmly on the consumer brain. These are usually mini movies, similar to Super Bowl showstoppers in the United States, that feature warm and fuzzy characters like lovestruck penguins and mythical creatures who reveal the true meaning of Christmas.

These ads don't normally originate in a town 200 miles from London and have a budget of 100 pounds ($130).

Yet this simple, day in the life of Arthur promotional video has drawn attention to much larger problems of bricks and mortar U.K. retailers this Christmas, struggling as they do with issues ranging from the steady losses to internet retailers to a controversial local tax system whose reform is constantly discussed.

Despite initiatives, such as Small Business Saturday, stores really are facing challenges. They are often dwarfed by the bigger stores that can offer better prices and more selection. Many have a tough time getting through each year.

"What this video has done is throw into the spotlight the very real challenges that smaller firms throughout the U.K. are actually facing,'' said Mike Cherry, the national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses. "They are facing spiraling business rates, high rents and online competition, expensive town center parking and the loss of bank branches and ATMs. All of these issues make for a perfect storm that is putting many small businesses at risk."

Jones, who runs Hafod Hardware, simply made Arthur his go-to star to promote the store. Arthur's supporting cast is his grandfather, John, his great-grandfather Alan and his great-grandmother Pauline. The filmmaker, Josh Holdaway, is a family friend and has a cameo appearance.

Since being posted Monday, Jones' phone has not stopped ringing. At the time he was speaking to The Associated Press on Friday, he noted with some degree of astonishment that the video was popular in Japan. It's also big in Australia. And Morocco - and so on.

But for Jones, it was a movie for his neighbors, too.

"People have been coming in this morning saying congratulations... they've been bringing in bottles of champagne for us to say well done," he told Britain's Press Association. ""The locals are incredible, they're our bread and butter. We're very lucky to have the community we have here in Rhayader."

The ad ends with Arthur transforming into his father in the act of putting the Christmas tree on his shoulder. It urges everyone to to "#Be a Kid this Christmas.''

"You get an experience when you go into a shop like ours,'' Jones said. "You get personal service.''