US actor Will Smith is scheduled to arrive in Taipei today along with his 15-year-old son, Jaden, to promote their new film After Earth, Sony Pictures said yesterday.
It will be their first visit to Taiwan, the company said.
The Smiths will also attend public interest activities during their stay, Sony Pictures said.
The visit is part of an Asia promotional tour for their new science-fiction thriller that will be released next month. The tour will also take them to Japan and South Korea.
During their stay in Taiwan, the Smiths will meet fans in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) tomorrow evening and Taipei 101 will display the film’s title in lights that night.
On Saturday, the actors are set to host an international news conference on the film at the Le Meridien Taipei hotel, which will be broadcast live on the Yahoo Taiwan Celebrity Entertainment channel.
Later that day, they will attend a charity event sponsored by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families at Taipei 101, and pray with local youths for the protection of the Earth and the natural environment.
Before leaving on Sunday evening, Jaden will join Mandopop singer J.J. Lin (林俊傑) at the Breeze Center to promote products that they have jointly endorsed.
After Earth is the second film in which the father and son appear together.
The Smiths’ visit comes on the heels of a whirlwind trip by Tom Cruise last month to drum up interest in his new action film, Oblivion.
US actor John Cusack is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan on Monday to promote his new film, The Numbers Station, and Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid are also scheduled to visit in July to promote their new movie At Any Price.
The visits indicate the great importance that Hollywood filmmakers attach to the local movie market, industry sources said.
Taiwan has become one of the world’s top 15 film markets outside of North America, the sources said.
A growing number of Hollywood blockbusters have premiered in Taiwan or been launched in Taiwan and North America simultaneously, the sources added.
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