Today's Hong Kong movies, looking around, are desolate.
Among the top ten Hong Kong films in 2020, the first place "The Grand Master of the Qi Dynasty" was only 29.45 million at the box office, which barely made it into the top ten in the 1990s; the fourth place "Mai Luren" only had a Hong Kong box office of 8.28 million and a mainland box office of 18 million; the seventh place "Fat Dragon Across the River" was 5.64 million; and the tenth place "Murder in San Jose" was only 2.46 million.
It is worth mentioning that among these films, there are well-known directors such as Wang Jing, as well as superstars such as Aaron Kwok and Zhen Zidan, and there are many film emperors and film queens, but Hong Kong movies seem to be "dead holes", and no matter which master can not be rescued.
Is this really the case?
On February 20, Hong Kong Emperor Films suddenly held a press conference for the new film "Goldfinger" in isquare, Tsim Sha Tsui.
In addition to The Emperor's boss Yang Shoucheng and choreographer Zhuang Wenqiang, the main actors Andy Lau, Liang Chaowei, Ren Dahua, Fang Zhongxin, Cai Zhuoyan, Jiang Haowen and others all appeared.
Netizens have exclaimed: Hong Kong movies have been saved!
So, can Zhuang Wenqiang's "Goldfinger" open up the second vein of Hong Kong movies?
Before we figure this out, we need to find out where the "death hole" of Hong Kong movies is.
One of the dead spots of Hong Kong cinema, Hong Kong under the impact of the epidemic, has seen the first negative economic growth in a decade by 2020. This economic situation has directly led to the overall downturn in the Hong Kong film market.
A while ago, Wang Jing said bluntly: "Now hong Kong makes more than 6 million cost films, it will be afraid", which is the best proof.
The second dead pit of Hong Kong cinema, after the millennium, The hong Kong film industry in the overseas market that was once relied on for export is in the ascendant.
For example, the film market in Southeast Asia, an important export destination for Hong Kong films, has developed rapidly, and its dependence on Hong Kong films has continued to decrease, which has indirectly hit the Hong Kong film industry.
Without the injection of overseas funds, it is difficult for local audiences to support the Hong Kong film market by relying solely on local capital investment.
The third death pit of Hong Kong movies, Hong Kong actors have appeared to be green and yellow. Many charismatic actors are discouraged, but young actors have no box office appeal.
The "artist training class" mechanism, which was once very proud of Hong Kong films, has now been impacted by the trainees of the mainland entertainment industry.
Many young people no longer use acting as a means of livelihood and career choice, and they are not willing to go through a long class of study, but expect to debut like a trainee.
For example, after Zeng Zhiwei became the vice president of TVB Entertainment, he tentatively also used the trainee model to select artists, which is a signal.
Actors like Zhou Runfa, Zhang Jiahui, Wu Zhenyu, etc., who originally had appeal, have chosen to "love between mountains and rivers" in recent years and are keen on climbing mountains and water.
The fourth dead pit of Hong Kong cinema, the rise and impact of mainland cinema.
During the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, the mainland was one of the most important target markets for Hong Kong cinema. But now that mainland films are on the rise, Hong Kong films as a whole are in decline. At this time, it is difficult for "original" Hong Kong films to make a difference in mainland theaters.
We listed the 2020 box office list of Hong Kong movies earlier, how many have you seen in the cinema? Even if you can break into the theater, the scheduling rate is usually not too high.
Therefore, Aaron Kwok's "Mai Luren" only received 18 million box office in mainland theaters, while Zhen Zidan's "Fat Dragon Across the River" simply chose to be released on the video platform and did not enter the theater line at all.
In the Spring Festival of 2021, only one Hong Kong actor and Andy Lau starred in the Spring Festival movie, not to mention hong Kong movies to join in the fun.
The fifth dead pit of Hong Kong cinema, stylization and modeling restrict its development and lack innovation.
Relatively speaking, Hong Kong has a mature film industry and mechanism, but the maturity corresponds to the cliché.
For example, when kung fu movies rise, there are endless works that follow the trend; when zombie movies are hot, zombies are jumping around the mountains.
Up to now, the only thing that can be done is probably a police film. However, this kind of subject matter faces more censorship constraints, can Hong Kong films that "dance" in the box dance well?
But Zhuang Wenqiang's "Goldfinger" really has the potential to open up the second vein of Hong Kong movies!
First of all, Zhuang Wenqiang has a successful precedent.
At that time, when Hong Kong movies were in decline, it was Zhuang Wenqiang's "Infernal Affairs" that forcibly rescued the market, allowing people to see the hope of Hong Kong movies again.
Secondly, Zhuang Wenqiang's choreography skills are very good. In addition to "Infernal Affairs", he also has a number of blockbuster movies such as "Eavesdropping" series, "Peerless", "Head Text D", "Red Sea Action" and so on, most of which are box office and word-of-mouth double harvest masterpieces.
More importantly, every time he makes a shot, he seems to be stuck in the quagmire of Hong Kong movies, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the "firefighter" of Hong Kong movies.
Then, Zhuang Wenqiang's back is the "big tree" of the Emperor Movie. The film company is not only a giant of Hong Kong films, with deep pockets, but also has a unique vision in investing in films.
Needless to say, the well-known "Infernal Affairs" series has released many excellent overseas films such as "Invincible", "Witness", "One Man's Martial Arts", "Zodiac", "Red Sea Action" and "Entering the Mortician", "Hunger Games", "The Melting Pot" and so on.
What's more, it also has its own cinema brand - Emperor UA Film City!
At the same time, it also works closely with mainland filmmakers. For example, it has produced Feng Xiaogang's "Only Yun Knows" and "1942", Jiang Wen's "Evil Does Not Pressure Justice" and "One Step Away", Chen Kaige's "The Legend of the Demon Cat", "Mei Lanfang" and so on.
Boss Yang Shoucheng has a lot of friendship with many film and television giants in the mainland, which helps "Goldfinger" to occupy an advantage in publicity and scheduling.
Finally, "Goldfinger" itself is a main theme film, unveiling a dark scene on the commercial stage in the 1980s, catering to the viewing needs of many current audiences.
Of course, whether Zhuang Wenqiang's "Goldfinger" can become a "rescue work" like "Infernal Affairs" can only be known after the film is released.
But the revelations that "Goldfinger" brings to Hong Kong films are very noteworthy.
First, if Hong Kong films want to rise again, they must fundamentally have a good economic environment;
Second, Hong Kong films must attach importance to mainland films, and Hong Kong filmmakers should strengthen cooperation with mainland filmmakers. Now that co-productions can have a market, it is difficult for simple Hong Kong films to break through, isn't it the best proof?
Third, no matter which regional label the film is labeled, it essentially depends on quality to win. Just like "Infernal Affairs" eighteen years ago, a good movie naturally does not lack audiences.
So, do you think that Hong Kong movies have been hit by the "death hole", can Zhuang Wenqiang's "Goldfinger" open up the second vein of Ren Dou?
Welcome to exchange and discuss together!