In 1992, on the face of it, the Hong Kong film market was in an unprecedented boom. The number of films released throughout the year reached a record high of 325.
Among them, as many as 41 films can achieve a high box office of more than 100 million yuan, and the quantity and quality are "double harvest", which is dazzling.
However, the truth behind this is not so satisfying. The influx of a large amount of speculative capital in the market has caused the film industry, which was originally functioning normally, to be quickly heated up. In order to seize the opportunity, film practitioners are crazy to shoot new films.
By the following year, the number of domestic films released in Hong Kong had soared to 380, completely exceeding the market's capacity.
Against this backdrop, many high-quality films have been hastily removed from the shelves even after only a few days of release because they have not been able to secure the ideal release window in the chaotic schedule.
In the face of huge publicity expenses and high reserve prices, many production companies are directly facing bankruptcy and bankruptcy. This was the prelude to the unprecedented chaos and total collapse of the Hong Kong film industry in 1993.
At the same time, Hollywood films have also begun to gather forces to launch an all-out counterattack on the Hong Kong market. The most typical example is Spielberg's "Jurassic Park", which received more than 61 million Hong Kong dollars at the Hong Kong box office alone, directly beating the box office record of Hong Kong films.
It can be seen that behind the superficial prosperity in 1992, the golden age of Hong Kong films has quietly ended. The industry is about to fall from the peak to the trough, and the crisis is lurking. The so-called success is also Xiao He, defeat is also Xiao He, the glory of Hong Kong movies is just a flash in the pan.
In 1992, Stephen Chow rose to prolific filmmaking rhythm, and he released a total of 7 films in this year. These films not only carry Stephen Chow-style comical and witty elements, but also have high production quality, so they have won the favor of the box office.
Especially in "The Judge of the Dead" cooperated with Du Qifeng, the final box office of 49.88 million topped the box office list that year, and the Zhou Du combination became a recognized gold medal in the industry.
But the good times didn't last long, but the follow-up "Jigong" of the two suffered Waterloo, which directly pulled To Qifeng, who was defeated in his career, into a trough. In stark contrast to Stephen Chow, Johnny To fell from the peak to the bottom, and his fate and career have taken a 180-degree turn.
In just one year, he has experienced a sharp decline from a "gold medal partner" to a "scum in the directorial world".
It is conceivable that Du Qifeng, who has experienced such ups and downs, must be difficult to express in words the loss, pain and self-blame in his heart. Especially when I think of the scenery when I cooperated with Stephen Chow a year ago, I am afraid that there is nothing at all.
But then again, most of the people who have trained great directors are those who have fallen to the bottom.
If Stephen Chow was the biggest winner in 1992, Sammo Hung was the biggest loser. This year, Sammo Hung participated in the investment or self-directed and acted in many movies without exception stillborn, among which Andy Lau's tailor-made "Legend of the God of War" was the most tragic.
Although Sammo Hung himself was in charge of the action design, he was powerless to return to the sky, and in the end only received a box office of 12.41 million, directly dragging Andy Lau's Tianmu Film Company to the abyss of bankruptcy.
As Andy Lau's discovery benefactor, Sammo Hung must be both ashamed and distressed about the feeling of burdening his juniors. As the eldest brother in the "Seven Little Blessings", he also has to face the failure of his other movies such as "Five Lucky Stars Hit Ghosts" and "Swear to Never Forget Love", which has completely become a box office poison in the market.
Also affected is the new generation of Xiaosheng Qian Jiale. Sammo Hung praised his starring role in "Scorpion Warrior" and finally dropped it silently after only a week of release, and the fledgling box office star also withdrew in Waterloo.
Qian Jiale must have hated Sammo Hung, the "linker", so that his dream of on-screen martial arts was shattered.
If Sammo Hung experienced Waterloo in 1992, then Chow Yun-fat in the same period was one of the biggest winners of this era. With the family comedy "I Love Twisted Wood", which won a dazzling box office of 36.48 million, Chow Yun-fat finally washed away the stigma of "box office poison" over the years and successfully achieved a career rebirth.
In fact, as early as a few years ago, after winning the actor with "The True Color of Heroes", Chow Yun-fat has proven his strength to the world. However, due to the fact that it has not been able to make a breakthrough at the box office, all kinds of unbearable malicious titles have also been added.
Now that he has finally proved himself again with the success of "I Love Twisted Wood" and completed his rebirth, Chow Yun-fat must be in a very happy mood.
In stark contrast to Sammo Hung, who fell into Waterloo at the same time, Chow Yun-fat successfully broke through and was re-recognized by the industry and the audience. This is full of confidence in the development of his subsequent career, and it has also greatly improved his status in the film industry in this era.
The feeling of being reborn made Chow Yun-fat's whole person feel uplifted and suddenly enlightened.
In the 90s, Jet Li from the mainland had successfully entered the Hong Kong film market and reached a new peak in his career in 92. The 3 movies he starred in this year finally managed to defeat Jackie Chan, who is also an action superstar, at the box office.
So far, Jet Li's status as the "Emperor of Kung Fu" in the Hong Kong film industry has become more stable, and he is definitely a well-deserved brother.
In contrast, Jackie Chan's two new works, "Double Dragon Club" and "Police Story 3", have relatively mediocre box office results. In particular, "Police Story 3", which has a huge investment and high quality, can only win a small victory in the end, which is undoubtedly a disappointment for Jackie Chan.
It can be said that in the environment of the rise of other action superstars such as Sammo Hung and Stephen Chow, Jet Li's defeat of Jackie Chan's box office results has made the status of the "Emperor of Kung Fu" more stable.
This also provides a strong guarantee for his subsequent development in Hong Kong and further securing the throne of the first brother.
On Jackie Chan's side, in the face of box office pressure from Jet Li, a sense of crisis must have risen in his heart. The open and secret struggle between the two will only become more fierce in the future, which will also have a far-reaching impact on the industry pattern of Hong Kong action movies.
If the world of action movies is experiencing an alternation of old and new superstars, then the world of comedy films is also underflowing. In 1992, Xu Guanwen, as an older generation of comedy superstars, successfully saved face with "Divine Calculation".
With the help of screenwriter Huang Zihua, this satirical comedy finally achieved a brilliant result of 36.4 million, so that Xu Guanwen's box office status will not be easily shaken by Stephen Chow for the time being.
But in terms of long-term development, Xu Guanwen's status as a comedy king is already in jeopardy. Compared with the popularity and appeal of new comedy superstar Stephen Chow, he is no longer in the limelight.
The success of "Divine Calculation" is only to preserve his last shred of decency and dignity as an actor of the older generation.
On the other hand, screenwriter Huang Zihua can be said to be the biggest winner in the alternation of the old and the new. He has co-written with comedy superstars for two consecutive years, and his screenwriting identity and ability have been affirmed.
laid the foundation for the rise of comedy in the future, and Huang Zihua will also usher in his spring in the comedy screenwriting industry.
In contrast to Huang Zihua, Xu Guanwen's comedy dynasty has been declining. In the context of the rise of new comedy superstars, the change of drama comedy films is full of uncertainty, and Xu Guanwen has done his best to save the last shred of face.