Yellow Hammer

so far there are 3 of them that have come out this summer: The first one out was Fighting for Love, with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Sammi Cheng. The second is Love on a Diet, which appears poised to top the $40million HKD mark at the box office, with Sammi Cheng and Andy Lau. Now, the much anticipated Stephen Chow Shaolin Soccer movie has just come out last week and the reviews are mostly outstanding. It's his first movie in almost 2 years. In fact this is the first time in a long time I've seen Paul Fonoroff (longtime HK movie critic) actually like a movie:

http://www.totallyhk.com/TimeOff/Ent...2123644578.asp

If anyone else has info on these movies, let us know, can't wait for them to come out on DVD.

Trigger

I can't wait to see Shaolin Soccer - on DVD soon I hope...

What about that new Zu Warriors film - Tsui Hark directing? It's been on the front page of HKMDB forever. Has that come out already?

yangshouwen

Paul Fonoroff like a film? Wouldn't have ever thought he would. Ever.

To answer Trigger's question. Legend of Zu (not Zu Warrior. If it were, it'd be called Zu Warriors 2) won't be out in Hong Kong cinemas until August (although there's a massive advertising blitz in advance for a while now). The chances of seeing the DVD out. I would think December at the earliest (though, don't quote me).

another title that I'm very interested in (as are much of the Johnnie To and Wai Ka Fai followers are) if "Fulltime Killers" from Andy Lau's production company...
If it's heroic bloodshed you want, this looks like it'll be up your street.
Link to the official site is http://www.andylau.com/fulltimekille...eng/index.html and make sure you check out the trailer.

khieng

That is great news! I've been waiting for another Stephen Chow movie.

More movies coming out:
2046 (Tony Leung, Faye Wong, Ziyi Zhang)
Black Mask 2: City of Masks

Rocky_Raccoon

Love on a Diet has been getting good reviews. I hope Shaolin Soccer gets a R0 release and not R3. I am dying to see it. I wouldn't expect 2046 for awhile. WKW is notoriously slow.

Clint

Yellow Hammer

The numbers are out - Shaolin Soccer made $19.2HK million at the box office last week, easily doubling that of the other debut movie in HK, Shrek. Very impressive for a non-Lunar New Year Day movie. With the good reviews, this movie could top $50HK million when all is said and done, putting the movie in an elite category with the likes of JC movies such as Rumble in the Bronx and First Strike. As a comparision, the year's biggest overall box office leader, The Mummy Returns, raked in $19.3HK in its first week and probably will wind up right around $40HK million when its run is over (still playing this week).

Love on a Diet is at $36.7HK million after its 3rd week and will go over $40HK million this week.

Fighting for Love's run is pretty much over (Week 5) and will end up at around $18.2HK million.

These numbers of course totally pale in comparision to U.S. figures but remember this is the land where VCD bootlegs of movies are out before the movie has even come out to the big screen.

Kevin8284

The new report for the past weekend shows Shaolin Soccer at $28.5 mil HK already after 2 weekends and should surpass the $40 mil HK mark by The Stormriders in 1998 by next week and surpass the 30 mil by JC's Accidental Spy by Monday or Tuesday. As for Love on a Diet, it's at 37.9 mil and should surpass The Mummy Return's cureetn 39.6 mil take by midweek or weekend and will surpass the 40 mil mark by about that time also.
I've had the opprtunity to see the two Sammi Cheng film in theatre here in San Francisco and while I found Love on a Diet more quirky and perhaps even more entertaining than Needing You, I found Fighting For Love had better acting and better chracters. Fighting For Love probably ended up with only 19 mil was because of the IIB rating as opposed to the IIA rating Love on a Diet had and Andy Lau+Sammi Cheng+fat suits was probably a bigger draw to teen audiences. Now I hope I'm just lucky enough to see Shaolin Soccer here in theatre instead of waiting for the VCD.

Dagan

More than that it pales in comparison because Hong Kong is just one town. I doubt any individual U.S. city gets numbers that high for any movie, VCDs or not.

Yellow Hammer

so true, how could I have even thought to compare 6 million people to 300 million people?

Dagan

When you think of it that way, too, it's amazing that a city of 6 million people has been able to make so many great movies - basically competing with Hollywood, which is made of people from all over the United States and Canada mainly. The Hong Kong film industry is MAINLY made up of people from just Hong Kong. But they have a wonderful depth of talent and originality.

wonton

what do you guys think of aaron kwok's PARA PARA SAKURA (director jingle ma), ekin cheng's SECOND TIME AROUND, and that leon lai's movie directed by andrew lau (i forgot the title)?

Yellow Hammer

doubt if any of these are going to be blockbusters (the topic of this thread).

A HK blockbuster is generally defined as a movie making over $20mil HK these days.

Kevin8284

Actually, a HK movie grossing 10 mil would even be considered a blockbuster. An example would be Gen-X Cops, its 15 million dollar gross was enough to justify a sequel.
As for Para para Sakura, that may end up making over 20 mil probably because of the ultra huge marketing Golden Harvest is putting out and the Para Para craze in Hong Kong right now. As for the Leon Lai movie, Is it even confirmed that it'll be out by summer?

Yellow Hammer

another good article on Shaolin Soccer:

http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/dai...59-foc,00.html

wonton

PARA PARA SAKURA is one of the movies i'm looking forward this summer. hope it will do as good as FIGHTING FOR LOVE.

Trigger

I want the DVD for Shaolin Soccer like yesterday! I can't friggin wait for this one. It sounds hilarious. I love soccer too so - bonus!

Yellow Hammer

There's a fine line between a movie that is considered successful and a 'blockbuster'. It is generally agreed nowadays that the bar has been lowered such that $10 mil HK box office is considered to be a successful movie. But I wouldn't consider movies such as Feel 100% II and Everyday is Valentine to be 'blockbusters' even though these movies fit the definition of a successful movie, box office wise. To me a blockbuster also is a feeling, a feeling of 'wow!' when the movie is discussed. That's kinda why I have my own personal bar raised to a higher level box office wise.

Trigger

Here's the TRAILER for Shaolin Soccer...

www.i-cable.com/heeheehaha/home.html

It's pretty choppy even on my cable connection, but it may give you an idea.

khieng

I can't even get it to play correctly. I can hear the trailer but it won't display the video.

Trigger

Well - it's not that impressive anyway - try the links to the right of the media player window. Try upgrading your Media Player - that might help also...

www.sensasian.com is selling Shaolin Soccer on VCD for $7.99 USD

It's supposed to come out on July 30th. Bootleg?

ipkevin

Right click the video screen. If error details choice is available, click it. It will show you a web address with ssp:// or something in front of it instead of http://.

Copy the address (it's an asf file) minus the ssp:// part. Paste that into your browser and it might play properly. Worked for me.

Mind you, the trailer is not very good. It's more of a teaser. Barely any clear footage. The SS reviews will get you more excited about it.

khieng

Ok I got it. you're right. not very impressive but going to get it anyway.

Trigger

me too - I already ordered it. I am not going to be swayed by poor quality streaming internet trailers.

Yellow Hammer

HK Box Office numbers up until July 19 are out. Shaolin Soccer is at $28.95HK million after 14 days of showing. SS made just under $10 million HK in week 2. A bit disappointing actually, it may not even overtake Love on a Diet as the box office champion when its run is finished.

Love on a Diet is at $38.5HK million after 4 weeks.

Full Time Killer out August 3, Zu 2 out on August 10. Para Para Sakuya has received a sh*tload of advertising and is coming out this weekend, so this movie may make a dent at the box office as well.

Kevin8284

I'm actually looking forward to Para Para sakura, with the Para Para fever still going hot in Hong Kong and quoting from Yellow Hammer, the "sh*tload of advertising", it'll probably be quite a hit the first weekend. Of course, its future success will all depend on the word of mouth since there aren't many this type of musical in the Hong Kong film market ever. Bonus points will go for the casting of Aaron Kwok and Cecilia Cheung, that'll probably bring a lot of teens who do and don't like Para Para.
Although the Mov-3.com site hasn't updated yet(I think it's because of the typhoon No. 8 signal), but as of this past Sunday, Shaolin Soccer sits at 39.33 million HK. Standing at 2nd place behind, of all movies, Tomb Raider. Its gross has already surpassed Love on a Diet's 39.25 mil HK.
I'd say this is probably one of the most successful Summers I've seen in a while for Hong Kong movies. Of course, the Summer hasn't ended yet with probably the biggest production of them all coming out on August 9th(Zu). But I still doubt how big of a success it will be since there hasn't been a successful martial arts movie sine Crouching Tiger last year and that was considered a disappointment. But looks like this will more be like a Stormriders more than a Crouching Tiger.