Over the last decade, with the decline of print publications, internet media has shifted from the margins to the mainstream. Film critics are now less influential than key opinion leaders (KOLs) and viewers who comment in public forums.The opinions of the public and KOLs have played a much more important role in Hong Kong cinema over the last year.
Internet opinions started to flourish in Hong Kong about 10 years ago due to the emergence of a narrower political spectrum in the media, and a rise in the use of public forums. Commentators are usually young and well-educated, and they have often played a big part in the social movements of the past 10 years.
Internet pundits tend to support lowbudget films which express the values of Hong Kong and its people, rather than the big-budget blockbusters.
In 2022, one of the best examples of the impact of such comments on Hong Kong cinema is Amos Why’s Far Far Away (FEFF 24), a romantic comedy about a young man having a relationship with five different girls living in very rural parts of Hong Kong. Although the film received positive reviews during the previews, it was released on 4 August 2022 with only 67 shows in 29 cinemas, ending with a disappointing HK$0.11m.
Following this, internet opinions started to make an impact during the film’s first weekend of release, with comments revolving around leading actor Kaki Sham.
When fans got to know about the low-box office take of the film, watch gatherings were coordinated by users of online forums, resulting in an increase in its box office. The number of shows was increased as a result. With strong positive reviews and many discussions over the internet, the movie suddenly becamea talking point in the mainstream media, and ended up grossing over HK$10.7m at the box office, which was almost 100 times that of its opening take.
Another successful example was Ho Cheuk-tin’s directorial debut The Sparring Partner, a court drama based on a son murdering his parents that occurred over 10 years ago. The film featured stage actors Yeung Wai-lun and Mak Puitung, and was released in late October after a good reception at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). It opened just one week after the Hollywood blockbuster Black Adam, on about 250 screens and grossing HK$0.3m.
The internet comments started to spread soon after the first weekend. The internet forums promoted the topic of justice that was discussed in the movie. Justice has become a key issue for local people due to the social issues of the past few years.
With the continuous support of key opinion leaders, the film continued its upward trend at the box office, despite the release of another blockbuster, Black Panther 2.
The film was still showing after the Lunar New Year 2023 holiday, and it grossed over HK$43m, which is over 145 times the amount of the opening take.
While internet opinions can have a positive effect on a film’s box office, negative comments can also arise and spread like wildfire, bringing unexpected results.
That happened with Mabel Cheung and William Kwok’s documentary To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self, a documentary produced by a famous local secondary school called Ying Wa Girls’ School.The film focussed on a group of girls entering the school in 2011, and covered two school relocations due to the redevelopment of the old campus. The film recorded the thoughts of the girls over a decade, a timespan which took in the social movements in Hong Kong in 2013 and 2019.
To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self had its world premiere at the HKIFF in late August 2022, and that was followed by some previews for almost six months. It received positive reviews from audiences and critics and finished with a total gross of over HK$7m from the paid previews.
But things changed after the movie was officially released on 2 February, 2023.
On the third day of the release, Ming Pao Weekly published two online articles written by students who had appeared in the film. One student said that she did not feel comfortable with the film being released, and said that the fact that it had been shown in public had resulted in her suffering from depression. Another student also expressed her dissatisfaction with the documentary being screened publicly, although she continued to take part in the promotional activities.This became a hot topic on the internet.
Opinions in internet forums blamed the directors for showing the negative side of the students without their consent. The school was also blamed for taking advantage of the students. The arguments migrated from the internet to mainstream media, which resulted in the school halting the public screening of the film after only four days of its official release. Even so, it ended-up with a gross of over HK$10m.
Internet media and opinions have become the dominant way to influence trends. While positive comments can boost a film’s success very quickly, negative comments can be the kiss of death. While it is difficult to predict the opinions of the online community, they need to be studied and understood by movie marketing departments.