Even though Hong Kong started its latest round of economic blooming with a high rate of economic growth, most people did not feel its effect. Neither did the Hong Kong film industry. The total box office gross in Hong Kong in 2005 slightly dropped by 3.9% from HK$ 955.4m to HK$ 918m. Without the magic of Stephen Chiau this year, the local film industry had to battle hard against foreign films.
Two Hong Kong films grossed over HK$ 20m, 9 films grossed between HK$ 10m and HK$ 15m, and 20 films grossed between HK$ 5m and HK$ 10m. By contrast, 8 foreign films grossed over HK$ 20m, 9 films grossed between HK$ 10m and HK$ 20m, and 17 films grossed between HK$ 5m and HK$ 10m. Compared with 2004, which had a total of 31 Hong Kong films over $ 5m, we can see an obvious tailing-off of Hong Kong films at the box office.
Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, who previously made the Infernal Affairs series (2003-2004), won over audiences with the summer hit Initial D. Top star Andy Lau continued to dominate the box office with Wait Til You're Older and All About Love. But most directors and stars lost their shine. Jackie Chan, the box office king of the Eighties and Nineties, grossed only HK$ 17m with the big-budget international production The Myth. Tsui Hark's Seven Swords failed to snare enough viewers to pass the HK$ 8m mark.
Director Wong Jing is back. Unfortunately, his films could not draw the crowds. The mixture of Mahjong and kung fu in Ku Fung Mahjong grossed only HK$ 5.73m. Amazingly, this inspired Wong to continue with kung fu related productions like My Kung Fu Sweetheart. Both films were rushed into production and distribution to help local film circuits, who were struggling to find something to show.
Criticized for lacking ideas, Hong Kong producers toyed with innovative casting to pep things up. But the final results depended more on the directors than the cast. Derek Yee did well with 2 Young, starring Jaycee Chan, an actor who had been badly criticized for his debut The Twins Effect 2. It also starred Fiona Sit, who had shown her weaknesses in TV dramas. The final HK$ 10.4m gross resulted from Yee's skill at directing his actors.
One of the most interesting points about last year's box office was the return of films aimed at older viewers. In October, Johnnie To's Election, which described conflicts in a triad gang, did well. It filled a gap in the adult market and ended up taking over HK$15m. A month later, Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen's SPL gave older viewers some sharp and violent action. Despite being relatively weak in star power, it grossed around HK$ 7.5m. Despite the large number of adult audiences in Hong Kong, they have been ignored by teen-obsessed film companies. The good results of Election and SPL may give the industry a hint.
Last year's box office also showed the extremes of film distribution. While large budget productions enjoyed releases in tens of local cinemas - and on both the local and foreign film circuits - independent and small budget films had a hard time. Same Way production is one of the companies suffering with productions like The House and Futago by debut directors Ng Man-ching and Fung Yuen-man. Both films could only be released at 3 screens in the corners of the city, so both grossed below HK$ 10,000. On the other hand, some small productions had an opportunity to continue screening for more than 7 days. Billy Chung's Moments of Love had a small scale release in late August 2005, but continued showing at a single screen for its third and fourth week. Herman Yau and Longisland So's Cocktail, released a week before the Chinese New Year, also found a decent release slot, despite strong competition during the long holidays.
The beginning of 2006 was tough for the Hong Kong industry. It lost out in box office at both Christmas and Chinese New Year, its traditional prime time. Hopefully, there will be a greater variety of films in 2006 as producers try and bring audiences back. Despite the lower number of films in production, there could still be a chance for them to win back their market share.