On May Day this year, an unexpected drama was staged in the film market, and Jia Bing and Louis Koo became the protagonists. Jia Bing's "Spending Money at the End of the Road" unexpectedly became popular, while Louis Koo's "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" was highly anticipated, but failed to lead the box office.
In this year's May Day movie schedule, no one originally took Jia Bing seriously. The past record was not too good, and many people still called him "box office poison". This time, the movie "Spending Money at the End of the Road" starring him turned out to be a dark horse at the box office, winning hundreds of millions of box office in one fell swoop, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
The movie "Spending Money at the End of the Road" is about an ordinary small employee who decides to have a carnival in the face of the imminent collapse of the company, but it unexpectedly triggers a series of funny events.
The success of the movie is, first of all, because its story is close to the lives of ordinary people, and the audience both resonates and feels decompressed after watching it. Coupled with Jia Bing's own transformation performance, from a small role in the past to a comedy protagonist today, his performance is naturally unpretentious, which makes people both surprised and moved.
Louis Koo's The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City, although it was a well-made action film, failed to achieve the expected box office results. Set in Hong Kong in the 70s, Louis Koo plays a detective who goes deep into the tiger's den in an attempt to save trapped residents.
Although Louis Koo's acting skills are impeccable and the action scenes are also very enjoyable, it may not have aroused much interest from the audience due to the rather old-fashioned storyline.
The success of "Spending Money at the End of the Road" seems to have come too suddenly, catching both the market and the audience a little off guard. On its opening weekend, it topped the list with a box office of more than 50 million, while "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" only had 30 million, which is a decent result in the industry.
In the next few weeks, the box office of "Spending Money at the End of the Road" soared, and the cumulative box office soon exceeded the 200 million mark, becoming the biggest winner of the May Day schedule.
Film analysts and industry insiders have begun to pay attention to Jia Bing's market appeal. In the past, most of the films he starred in were made on a small budget and rarely had the opportunity to shine.
"Spending Money at the End of the Road" not only made him take off the hat of "box office poison", but also made him a high-profile movie star.
Louis Koo's situation is slightly awkward. As a veteran with extensive influence in the Asian film industry, Louis Koo has always been known for his superb acting skills and high box office.
But the relatively mediocre results of "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" this time make people think that even big-name stars can't escape the ruthless criticism of the market.
The change in the film market this time also reflects the change in the audience's tastes. Modern audiences seem to prefer fresh, down-to-earth stories over action-packed fights or clichéd plots.
The success of "Spending Money at the End of the Road" is largely due to the fact that it touches certain strings in the hearts of ordinary people, which is exactly what "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" lacks.
In this box office competition, although Jia Bing's appearance is not as good as Louis Koo, he won the hearts of the audience with the realism of the character and the high resonance of the movie. Although Louis Koo still maintained his own style, he failed to impress enough audiences this time.
Discussions about "Spending Money at the End of the Road" poured in, and everyone expressed their love for Jia Bing's character, and some netizens even said that this was the most interesting movie they had seen in a few years.
This scene in the film market this time also gave filmmakers some inspiration. In the face of more and more diversified market demand, it may be that those movies that are closer to life and more touching are the winners in the future.
And for the actors, this is also an opportunity and a challenge. How to find their own position in the changing market and how to resonate with the audience through their works requires them to constantly explore and try.
The comparison between Jia Bing and Louis Koo is not just a duel between two actors, but more like a contest between two film genres and market strategies. This contest not only changed the trajectory of Jia Bing's career, but may also affect Louis Koo's future film choices.