2009 may not have been a good year for the world economy. But the Hong Kong box office still managed to increase. According to the Motion Picture Industry Association, 252 films were released in Hong Kong in 2009 with a total gross of HK$1.17 billion. That’s around 7% higher than in 2008.
Including films from mainland China and Taiwan, 74 Chinese films were screened in 2009 with a total gross of HK$258m - a 7.5% increase on 2008. But the market share of Hong Kong films in 2009 remained at 22%, the same level as in 2008. The Chinese New Year comedy All’s Well End’s Well 2009 became the best grossing Chinese film with takings of HK$24.7m. But the film was only the seventh-best grossing film of the year. Higherpriced 3-D films like Up and Ice Age 3 grossed over HK$30m, and blockbusters like the new episodes of Harry Potter and Transformers grossed over HK$40m.
Avatar grossed over HK$64m in 2009. It’s now become the highest grossing film in HK ever with takings of over HK$1.5 billion.
Only two Chinese films grossed over HK$20m. There were also only 7 films which grossed between HK$10m and HK$20m and 7 films which grossed between HK$5m and HK$10m. The figures are depressing for the local film industry as this may mean that local films can’t be fully supported by the domestic market.
Hong Kong films have returned to summer release after an absence of two years. Nine films were released in July and August. Roy Chow’s Murderer, Alan Mak and Felix Chong’s Overheard and Herman Yau’s Turning Point grossed over HK$10m. While the first two films were promoted with traditional methods, Turning Point was made as the prequel to a TV series by leading local broadcaster TVB. Collaborations between Shaw Brothers and TVB started again after many years. Effective TV promotion helped draw television audiences into cinemas.
Solid promotion also worked for Roy Chow’s debut Murderer. Financed by Bill Kong - who also owns the Edko circuit, one of the main theatrical circuits in Hong Kong - the film achieved a high profile on the cinema circuit by means of well-made trailers. Despite negative audience reviews, the box office is still climbing because audiences want to see actor Aaron Kwok. Good promotion helped the movie gross almost HK$12m.
Hong Kong producers tend to follow seasonal trends. In February, there were five Chinese romance films released for Valentine’s Day: Patrick Kong’s Love Connected, Ivy Ho’s Claustrophobia, mainland marketoriented Give Love, Oxide Pang’s Basic Love and the Taiwan film L-O-V-E. Love Connected grossed almost HK$5m because of the director’s romantic pedigree. But none of the others managed HK$2m.
Young generation films became popular in autumn 2009 with Seven’s Trick Or Cheat, Herman Yau’s Split Second Murders and Danny Pang’s Seven 2 One. While the films had more or less the same cast, the amateurish acting and lack of major attractions meant the grosses were low. It may take years for these young actors to bring in box office bucks.
Independent films managed to find reasonable distribution this year. Cheung King-wai’s KJ, a documentary about a talented musician, came out in July on limited release and stayed in cinemas for months. The release continued through December’s Golden Horse Awards, where the film won three prizes. Vincent Chui’s Three Narrow Gates, an independent film about a sensitive political topic, finally found a limited release in September. But with no art house theatre in Hong Kong, it’s still tough to show indie films.
2010 heralds a plethora of Chinese films. Everyone’s hoping there will be a Chinese blockbuster that will match Stephen Chow’s 2008 release CJ7 and gross over HK$50m.
Ryan Law