M-Net and MultiChoice have created yet another thrilling movies' pop-up channel. Following the massive success of themed movie channel offerings such as the M-Net Movies Fast & Furious, Star Wars, Harry Potter, James Bond and other must-watch pop-up channels, M-Net Movies Blackbelt will hit television screens across Africa on Thursday 15 June.
For a full 25 days thereafter, DStv Premium, Extra, and Compact customers can Kung-Fu fight, Karate chop, roundhouse kick and create all kinds of pulse-pounding mayhem with the masters of martial arts.
The M-Net Movies Blackbelt pop-up channel, which will burst onto channel 109, will showcase a variety of action-packed films in the highly popular martial arts movie genre and its numerous sub-genres. Instead of only focusing on recent high-adrenaline blockbusters of the kind, the pop-up channel has been carefully curated to feature martial arts gems spanning over 40 years from around the globe.
Whether they possess the power of the Tiger Claw or the grace of the Crane Style, fans will indeed be spending time with all the industry icons, cult heroes and infamous villains whose choreographed moves and bruises have kept us enthralled over the years. M-Net Movies Blackbelt will - amongst others - celebrate the legacies of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal and Jet Li.
This means there will be epic revenge tales, Shaolin monks, flying fists, ninja stars, dubbed classics, Van Damme splits and kicks and much more.
Even though the pop-up channel will be packed with action-fuelled movies, each day will start and end off in the company of the man whose impressive spirit and powers have spurted millions of jokes – the one and only Chuck Norris. M-Net Movies Blackbelt will screen Season 8 of his iconic series Walker Texas Ranger at 09:00, from Mondays to Sundays, and Walker Texas Ranger Season 7 at around midnight.
Every evening at 20:00 there will also be a must-see action film – like Enter The Dragon, Red Cliff, Bloodsport and Shanghai Knights – while weekends will be built around themes. On the weekend of 17 and 18 June you will see the ‘Best of the Best' in the genre, while Jackie Chan will take over on the weekend of 24 and 25 June and the Muscles from Brussels, Jean Claude van Damme, the following weekend. And who else but Chuck Norris can fill up the final two days?
“We are planning a fun-filled channel,” says M-Net CEO, Yolisa Phahle. “Earlier this year, we promised to treat viewers to plenty of exciting themed pop-up channels. They help people find genre specific content and allow enthusiasts to get a dedicated fix of their favourite movies. Viewers seem to love it when we curate content and create a movie-watching event.”
M-Net Movies Blackbelt, channel 109, is available to DStv Premium, Extra and Compact customers. It will be on air from Thursday 15 June at 09:00 until Sunday 9 July just after midnight. Please consult the TV Guide on DStv.com or the DStv App or your decoder to see the full schedules and to see when your favourite film will be screened.